Daniel H. Pink: A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future This is an older book that has been around for awhile. It is nice and useful in describing the six qualities of right brain thinking that are needed in today's global economy (and really, these mindsets are useful in everything we do). But his main thesis is just wrong. His main thesis is that since North Americans live in the time where we are no longer competitive as "knowledge workers" since Asia is producing knowledge workers who are just as good in their fields (and a whole lot cheaper in terms of salaries) than North Americans, we must gain the skills in right brain thinking for economic survival. The obvious point is this: Asians will be just as good at right brain thinking as North Americans (and still a whole lot cheaper in terms of their labor). So, it is not a strategy for economic survival. But it is a great book to learn about right brain thinking.
Reid Hoffman: The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and Transform Your Career I read this on the plane ride back from Atlanta to BWI. It helped that I had an hour delay sitting in first class where I was upgraded due to my logging so many miles with Delta. This is a GOOD book, WORTH reading. Hoffman helps you navigate the complexities of work and career in today's world where uncertainty, disruption and transition are the norm. Brand new book. Just out.
Dianna Booher: Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader (BK Life) A book on communicating by a leading secular writer. Certainly written for a pop audience who is looking for sound bytes to help them grow in their ability to communicate. I will read books like this from time to time, not in the anticipation of learning new things... but as reminders to actually practice the things I have already learned. This one was OKAY, but not great.
James O'Toole: The Executive's Compass: Business and the Good Society This was a pretty weighty little book. Not what I was expecting. In one sense, it was an introduction to the sweeping history of philosophical writing on social, political and economic values. O'Toole talked about the four major ways of framing these important discussions. I found it very useful in understanding the nature and the intensity of the discord we have today in the political/economic discourse in North America.
Richard J. Foster: Sanctuary of the Soul: Journey into Meditative Prayer This is a very nice introduction to the way of meditative prayer. Foster grounds this practice in the teaching of Scripture and illustrates and unfolds it from the spectrum of church history and the spiritual classics. From Quakers to Reformers to Pietists to Contemplatives... they all encourage us in the way of meditative prayer. This is a very accessible (short, well written, encouraging) book.
R. Paul Stevens: Taking Your Soul to Work: Overcoming the Nine Deadly Sins of the Workplace This was pretty good... I liked how they handled the seven deadly sins and the corresponding virtues of the fruit of the Spirit. 17 short chapters. gems in each one. after awhile it seemed a bit of a retread... it is really meant to be done in a reflective way, where you assess your self on each sin and virtue.
Charles H. Spurgeon: Lectures to My Students Volume 1 The delightful, witty and passionate Mr. Spurgeon, giving his homespun wisdom on ministry to a group of students. The chapter on prayer was beautiful. Good words on calling and how to know you are called.
Handley Carr Glyn Moule: Charles Simeon An old biography of the great Charles Simeon. This edition is a reprint and the footnoting was strange. The text and the footnotes constantly interrupted each other and made for difficult reading. There were gems throughout the book. Simeon is extraordinary. This book on him is okay.
Michael Mangis: Signature Sins: Taming Our Wayward Hearts Very nice book on vice and virtue... a very helpful summary of the seven deadly sins with careful nuancing of how we experience them... insights on race, gender, biology, family and more on how our "signature" or "besetting" sins develop... and one of the best explanation on how we must put on the "antidote virtue" if we are to overcome our sins.
I teach this course about once a year and every time I teach it, I do another round of reading to refresh my thinking and get psyched for teaching these themes once more.
Here are the books I read in preparation for this time around with super brief comments. You may be interested in them.
Missional: Joining God in the Neighborhood by Alan Roxburgh. Roxburgh is one of the fiercest critics of the established way of doing church. He is a missiologist, a futurist, an entrepreneur... and he is fundamentally concerned with the future of the church in our post-Christendom world... for which we are ill-prepared. This is a nice, accessible recommendation for how we can move away from attractional models of church to incarnational models.
Missional Map Making: Skills for Leading in Times of Transition by Roxburgh. This is the third book Roxburgh has done on missional leadership. But it is not a retread of previous topics, although there is great congruence. Here Roxburgh makes his best case (to date) that a radical new way of leadership is necessary for those who lead the church... and that the existing models are in disastrous shape.
A Whole New Mind by Pink. This is a left brain, right brain book where the author says that left brain thinking will not be sufficient to move us through these challenging times and into the emerging world. It is a very easy book to read, and loaded with insight and tons of practical guidance. This is not just for leader. It is for everyone. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Age of the Unthinkable by Joshua Ramo. This was probably the most "in your face" book I read, but at the same time, it was delightfully challenging, great stories, a major critique of the failure of our current leadership models, political models, economic models (and again, those who are leading the way in this). In one sense, Ramo is giving us painful examples of how the old ways of thinking are disastrous and showing that new ways of thinking (A Whole New Mind) are vital if we are to survive the coming crises. I find myself wishing we had more Christians who were thinking and leading like Ramo is providing for the world of politics and economics. Brilliant. Readable. Provocative. Must Reading... but you will have to "work a little to do this." Worth it... Get it...
Culture Making by Andy Crouch. I re-read this book in preparation for Emerging Paradigms. I don't think this is the best book on the subject of culture and the role of the Christian (and the church) as agents of culture... but it is a good one. Crouch is a good writer and a story teller. If you have never read anything about your vocation as a creative and an artisan and a cultivator of God's world - this is worth reading. And then figuring out how to make your way in the God's work of building culture.
Viral by Len Sweet. Sweet has long been one of my favorite authors. I read everything he writes. This is his attempt to explain what the emerging world is like in terms of its radical, social networked, internet-essential, googled citizens. And they are indeed differnet from their Gutenberg generation before them. Sweet is good, funny, clever, creative... but not quite as persuasive in this offering as he is on other things. Still, for the emerging world, those who are citizens of the Age of the Book are strangers in a new land of the Internet World. Life is becoming fundamentally different. New strategies and skills are needed for survival, much less "thrival."
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
But if we don't listen, that is what we'll need next. If you don't know what a Jeremiad is, see the final note.
On this Lord's Day, it is worthwhile to read this pastoral exhortation and plea from a wise leader in the evangelical world today, James Emory White.
White is one of the most skilled, thoughtful and loving sons of Issachar who know how to "discern the serious times in which we live" and know what "the church should do."
I am struck that his words are as equally so for the modern and post-modern follower of Christ. For the post-modern emergent leader struggles with these temptations as strongly as does the modern evangelical leader... and maybe, if another post-modern cultural observer, Mark Sayers (in The Trouble With Paris) is correct - they struggle even more so.
It will take you about two minutes to read this. It could lead to hours of reflection and prayer.
Including the original post that launched these thoughts on customers and consumers, this is the fourth post. For previous posts click on the following:
This post deals with one of the most common concerns and objections:
But this language of customers and consumers just sounds so "unspiritual." Jesus didn't talk about customers and consumers. He talked about followers and disciples. So why make things more complicated by using such worldly concepts.
This is a gut level reaction and a very understandable one.
So let's take a few minutes today to talk about the use of this language.
I would, briefly, admit that language is supremely important and the language we use both reflects and shapes our mental framework. Careless use of language will have consequences. Using the wrong (or inadequate) language will have consequences as well.
So with that caution, here are a few thoughts.
The Church: The church has always used the language of its culture to understand and communicate biblical ideas.
Just about every theologian ever, is shaped by some philosophical viewpoint and that philosophy is revealed in the language. Whether Aristotelean logic, or Scottish Common-Sense Realism, or Hegelian Dialectics, or _____ and I won't bore you with any more technical examples . . . we never do our thinking in a vacuum. We are always shaped by the intellectual currents of our time. In fact, those of the Reformed faith are among those who take these issues most seriously.
The early church discussions about the nature of the Trinity and the divine-human nature of Jesus borrowed from the philosophy of its day to try and express the meaning of Scripture.
The contemporary evangelical church of the last 50-60 years has borrowed heavily on the models and language of hermeneutical theories (ironically which were based on Enlightenment modernity with all its unbiblical presuppositions) to guide us in how we interpreted the plain meaning of biblical texts. Most of the language and the models are not found in the Bible at all! But we don't hesitate to borrow this language and models for our work of interpreting the Bible.
Now, instead of the language of philosophy, in this case I am referring to the language of the marketplace.
Just Doing What the Bible Does: And by the way, the language of the marketplace is also found throughout the Bible, including Jesus who uses it rather often. Why just in the Gospel of Matthew Jesus uses economic, marketplace, business language:
buying a field to make a profit (13:44)
a pearl of great price, worth giving up everything else to obtain (13:45)
the fishing industry to talk about true and pretend believers (13:47-51)
owners and treasures to talk about teachers and their teaching (13:52)
the rich young man and rewards in heaven for following Christ (19:27-30)
the unfair payments of workers in the vineyard and how God's kingdom works (20:1-16)
landowners and tenants (21:33-46)
paying taxes to Caesar (22:15-22)
foolish virgins who don't have enough oil for lamps and must buy some (25:1-13)
the story of talents and faithfulness and reward and punishment (25:14-30)
and more, like shrewd servants who are commended and the intelligence of counting costs before building towers, etc. could be added from the other three Gospels.
It is really quite striking how much of Jesus' teaching used marketplace ideas of his day.
In these cases, the Bible (and Jesus) gives us the example of borrowing the language of every day, common experiences to understand and make sense of spiritual realties. When we do this we are using language in metaphorically (and in parables, similes and symbolically).
Missiologists: When we do this, we are also working as missiologists (sociologists and anthropologists) who study the culture, interpret it and then speak of it in contextually relevant ways. The church exists rooted and embedded in culture.
Sometimes, I think some of us are rather docetic when it comes to using "earthly, contextual language" to talk about faith.
Docetism was the early church heresy that denied the humanity of Christ. Jesus only appeared to be human. In reality, he was only divine. Some of these early leaders were uncomfortable with the humanity of Christ. Many of us tend to be uncomfortable with the earthiness, the embeddness, the Word made flesh -edness of the spiritual life.
So we frown on any such language as "unspiritual."
I"d suggest that Christ, the Word made flesh was the most "earthy," rooted, contextualized communicator ever. Just skim through the gospels and see how Jesus borrowed ideas from every part of daily life to talk about spiritual truth (not just the language of the marketplace).
In one sense, all I am doing with the language of customer, consumer, products, services, branding, marketing, etc. is what Jesus did. Using the language of the day as a vehicle to talk about spiritual realities.
So, don't have an over-reaction to the mere use of this language. In using it, I am NOT making any claims that this is the only way to talk about these things. NOR even the best way. But simply ONE of the ways that may be helpful to understand the cultural climate and realities in which we live and must faithfully minister the gospel of Christ.
If you can find a more useful language that talks about how individuals live and make choices about church, theology, preaching, worship, programming, etc. because of their needs, wants, biases, preferences, tastes, desires, expectations - then use that language. I am hard pressed to find a more useful language at the moment.
This is useful missiology and apologetics..
The Tension: In one sense, I am talking about the Disciple as Consumer and Customer.
Now - should disciples be consumers and customers? That is a great question.
Is it even possible for a person "not be be" a customer and consumer?
Is it perhaps a matter of becoming the right kind of consumer and customer?
Does the gospel deliver one from being such a person and turn you into something else?
Or is it a both/and reality we have as followers of Christ?
I have tensions as I think about being a faithful, fruitful leader for Christ in our cultural era of history.
And I don't mind stimulating a certain amount of tension in you as well. In the final post in this series we'll name that tension and our map out our struggle to be faithful in that tension.
The next post on this theme: Consumers and Their Preferred Church "Brands" (We All Have Them)
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
1. Definitions (so we know what we are talking about)
2. Examples showing how we are "religious consumers and customers"
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First the DEFINITIONS.
PRODUCT: Something produced or provided to others, either in the form of a:
GOOD: which is a tangible item of worth; or a
SERVICE: which is work which is provided to others (whether for free or for charge)
CUSTOMER: One that purchases or receives goods and services.
CONSUMERS: One that receives and uses goods and services provided.
Please note that all these words are neutral terms. They are not good or bad.
As I use them, I use their real meaning, but I will also use them a bit symbolically or metaphorically. If I go to a Christian bookstore and buy a Bible, I have purchased a product in the form of a good. If I go to a church coffee bar and enjoy the coffee, I am a consumer of that coffee (whether I drop any money in the donation basket or not). If I go to a Christian psychologist for counseling and I pay for their time, I am a customer paying for a service. All this is real and literal use of the words - products, good and services.
If I am sitting in one particular church (and not another) than I have made a consumer choice as to which church I want to attend. As I sit in the worship service, I will receive the services of all those who are working to provide worship, a sermon, testimonies, programming for my children and so on. I may be receiving and using their services (the definition of a consumer) for free, but I am still a consumer. I also think these are real services, but let's also realize we are talking a bit symbolically on some of this.
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Second, some examples of you and I being consumers of spiritual services.
You the reader of this blog are a consumer and a customer. The very fact that you choose to read it means you have chosen this particular "product" and decided it was worth your time to do so.
When it comes to things spiritual, religious, of the church and faith - in those things too - you are always a consumer and a customer. Let me prove this to you.
(1) THEOLOGY: John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, John MacArthur, Joyce Meyers, Joel Olsteen, Benny Hinn, Rob Bell, Mark Driscoll, John Piper, Andy Stanley, Rick Warren, Bill Hybels - or add any other name you want.
Of all the names mentioned - whose theology (understanding of the Bible and the total Christian life) do you most like? Or what combination of theologies do you prefer? I am sure you have theological biases and preferences, like and dislikes and you make choices accordingly. Therefore, you are both customer and consumer of some and not others. You are favorable toward some and critical of others.
(2) SPIRITUALITY: Evangelical, charismatic, contemplative, holiness, sacramental, or social justice.
Of the spiritual traditions and heritages just mentioned, which one(s) do you prefer? How do you practice your spiritual formation? What are the core ways of spiritual growth? And what don't you like and use? When it comes to spirituality - you are both customer and consumer (practitioner and devotee) of some and not of others.
What style of preaching do you prefer? And what don't you like? I bet you have preferences and in most cases, I also bet you make choices about your church depending on the type of preaching. In other words - you are customer and consumer, preferring one way of preaching over the others, and possibly being critical of the other ways.
(4) WORSHIP: Should I ask you about worship? Traditional or contemporary? Hymns or choruses? Classical, pop, rock or alt rock worship? Choirs or worship teams? Organs or guitars? Or some blended version?
What do you prefer? You've heard of "worship wars?" These were and still are the incredible conflicts in church as consumers and customers grew irritated about the flavor and style of worship. Apparently they mattered a great deal to these consumer/disciples and they had strong preferences as to "how we were going to worship around here." And large shifts of attendance took place accordingly, as disgruntled customers went elsewhere, looking for a way of (a service) they preferred.
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I think it is pretty obvious. You have desires, wants, needs and preferences on just about everything spiritual and having to do with church. Some of these you hold to very strongly, others are less intense. But if you wind up being unhappy on too many of these matters, there are three main choices you have (once again - back to you the customer).
ONE: You can speak to those in charge and tell them you are dissatisfied with their service and product and that you expect them to accommodate your needs and make the necessary changes. You may be gracious about this or hostile. You may vote right away with your checkbook and your presence. But, you the customer seek to change those in charge.
TWO: If that doesn't work, and it often doesn't, you are not going to remain as a consumer of that particular service or product. You are going to go elsewhere. And today, the options are more numerous than ever before. You take your business elsewhere. (Later I'll do a session on your church's "brand.")
THREE: You decide that the organization, the church is more important that your customer preferences and you adjust your expectations and stay with the brand, flavor, denomination. You may do this with great integrity or you may be half-hearted. But you adjust.
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From day one of your existence growing up in late modernity (post 1960's) you have been raised in a Western culture that has become increasingly consumerist in nature. You breathe that air so naturally you don't even know it. You take your inalienable rights for customer satisfaction for granted.
And you are no different when it comes to the church and religion and faith.
That point isn't even worth debating.
It just is!
Now, should it be that way is another story?
And what can be done about it, if it should not be that way is still another.
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The Next Post (in a few days) on this topic will be Our Gut Objection to This Language of Customers and Consumers.
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
My morning devotional time includes using some reflections from Kiekegaard. It "just so happened" that his reflection spoke directly to the theme of the post for today, so I took a few minutes to add this as a second thought.
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Speaking of Customers and Consumers, Kierkegaard weighs in on this discussion in no uncertain terms on how to preach.
When one preaches Christianity in such a way that the echo answers: Glorious, profound, brilliant, articulate Christian, you should be exalted with high praise," know that this signifies that this preaching is a base lie. . . .
When one preaches Christianity in such a way that the echo answers, "He is made," or "What nonsense," know then there are considerable elements of truth in his preaching . . . but he does not press hard enough . . .
When one preaches Christianity in such a way that the echo answers, "Away with that man, he does not deserve to live," know that this is the Christianity of the New Testament. Capital punishment is the penalty for preaching Christianity as it truly is. . . . Capital punishment is the penalty for preaching Christianity in character.
Preaching less, appealing to forms of the interesting, the relevant, or the controversial is nothing but a religious falsification.
This is from: Kierkegaard's Attack Upon Christendom, page 278-279.
I suppose that Kierkegaard would not be too impressed with most preaching these days.
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
Sometimes, I feel acutely and painfully, my failures as a Pastor!
If failure is too strong of a word (and I am not sure that it is too strong), then inadequacies and bumblings and stumblings are certainly appropriate.
Eugene Peterson’s, The Pastor: A Memoir, has been a time for much personal reflection and prayer about my pastoral vocation.
You know . . . I never planned on being a pastor. There were two reasons.
First, I wasn’t that impressed with the local churches I visited in my early years as a Christian (save the one that I eventually joined). Second, I was even less impressed with the pastors I met in my early years. There were only two pastors that I liked and respected. (One of them being my former and current “boss,” pastor and friend – is pretty unusual to have one person in all three roles).
It wasn’t anything personal about most of the pastors I met in those years. It was just, how they pastored, the “act” of pastoring, the “work of pastoring” . . . they just seemed cut from a very different cloth then I was. What they did and how they did it . . . seemed weird.
Here is what is funny. As I type pastored and pastoring in the above paragraph and then again in this one, my spelling checker automatically retypes those words as pastured and pasturing. Pastor – it is an odd vocation. As I retype these words to they say what I want them to say, they are now underlined in red to indicate they are misspelled words!
Maybe the Pastor understands the "I get no respect line" more than most!
(And I need to mention, along the way I have met many wonderful pastors... some who read this blog from time to time, so I hope I do not offend any of you.)
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And me . . .
I was/am much more naturally a teacher (confirmed by my Strengths Finder 2.0 tests) and a leader. And as the decades have ambled on, I have become a mentor/coach and a spiritual director as well. Some would say I do those roles/works well. From time to time, I feel the need to be a prophet, albeit a curmudgeonly one. Most people are glad I don’t feel that need too often.
I have a passion for the people group known as leaders; many of whom are pastors and missionaries. To and for that tribe, I am drawn and committed. I have offered my life to the work of forming and shaping their lives. Resourcing them with what is needed if they are to finish well that particular race (2 Timothy 4:7).
For 20 years, I have studied leadership and the training of leaders.
For almost 30, I have studied the arts of teaching, training and communication, along with the chosen subjects I most like to teach.
For a dozen years I have been immersed in spiritual formation and direction.
For that entire time, I have been interested in missiology, both global and local.
Leader, Trainer, Teacher, Mentor, Strategist, Occasional Prophet, Missionary (non-residential), Missiologist, Spiritual Director – all those roles and titles feel natural and fit well. Vocationally, this is a large part of who I am.
But PASTOR . . .
That ancient, mysterious, odd vocation – Pastor.
I wear that role reluctantly . . . as an uncomfortable garment.
Maybe that is why God continues to call me to wear it.
For in that role, I am least adequate . . .
And in my inadequacy, that is where I must throw myself at the feet of Christ for mercy; beg forgiveness (I recently did lectio divina work through Ezekiel 34 – gulp!); intercede for unnatural wisdom and unworldly unction; and daily long for necessary grace, apart from which, I am utterly helpless (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).
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I know this. In my struggles to be a Pastor, I have come, as the years lengthen, to love the church more than ever. One of the two reasons why I didn’t want to be a Pastor, is now the second greatest motivation for being a Pastor.
I have come to believe that the local church is where we practice best that long, slow, halting, messy obedience in the same direction, as we become more of Who We Are – a people who belong to God.
I love that about our church (LWCC). It is a place of great grace and a place where we deeply value community, transformation and mission. By God’s grace (again) we are doing those things reasonably well.
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When Becky and I were in our pre-marital counseling and as we celebrated our wedding, two ideas (among others) were on our minds.
Grow old with me, the best is yet to be . . . (my aging, creaky bone remind me that getting older is not all it is cracked up to be…)
And,
For better or for worse . . .
This is covenantal commitment Becky and I have with one another.
These are also good words for the church.
It is a place to call home, family, community, my people.
It is a place to grow old together with others.
It is place to experience the – for better and worse and the shaping of our lives through that better and worse.
This is the place where leaders named Pastor are called to live their vocation.
This is the place (and not the seminary) where we truly learn our vocation (at best, seminary is Intro 101, and sometimes we must unlearn much of what was taught there).
This is the place where Pastors practice their own, long vocational obedience in the same direction.
This is the place where we learn to run with the horses and not grow tired (Jeremiah 12:5).
This is the place where we grow older with the people we love, nurture and guide.
This is the place where we, like the Velveteen Rabbit, maybe, just maybe, through love given and received, become real.
So even though I wear that Pastoral garment uncomfortably, I continue to wear it. And the Patient Tailor allows me to wear it as He fits my life to match that good cloth.
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
I love our church (Living Word Community Church)! By the way, none of the images in this post are of our church, but instead, some images of what the church looks like in its different expressions.
The stories of grace that are told are always moving.
The drama of redemption, the messiness of sin, the beauty of Christ and the mysterious interplay of it all is a surprising joy that never grows old.
Telling these stories among ourselves is central to who we are.
Living into and then out of these stories is what we are all about.
Then, serving as a witness to others, of the Story of God at work in our own personal story . . . well, the story continues... in a sense, we pay it forward.
I am reading Eugene Peterson's book, The Pastor: A Memoir.
I am currently in the section where he talks about the founding years of Christ our King Presbyterian Church in Bel Air, Maryland (an hour or so drive from where I live).
I have to admit to a sustained chuckle when Peterson says he imagined/anticipated his first church as being "a congregation of Green Berets for Jesus. No half-Christians, no almost Christians, but the real thing" (pp. 105)!
About twenty pages later he describes what the church actually turned out to be. Here is how Peterson describes his church:
". . . this mixed bag of humanity that was us - broken, hobbling, crippled, sexually abused and spiritually abused, emotionally unstable, passive and passive-aggressive, neurotic men and women...
Lepers and blind and deaf-and-dumb sinners.
Also fresh converts, excited to be in on this new life. Spirited young people, energetic and eager to be guided into a life of love and compassion, mission and evangelism.
A few seasoned saints who know how to pray and listen and endure.
And a considerable number of people who pretty much just showed up. I sometimes wonder why they bothered.
There they are: the hot, the cold, and the lukewarm; Christians, half-Christians, almost-Christians; New Agers, angry ex-catholics, sweet new converts. I didn't choose them. I didn't get to choose them" (pp. 128).
I smile because I know Peterson is describing our church. This is who we are, by God's grace.
I'll finish this post with one of my favorite Biblical texts. I hope you see yourself described in both Peterson's words and in the text that follows from the Apostle Paul:
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards;
not many were influential;
not many were of noble birth.
But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise;
God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.
He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things - and the things that are not - to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.
It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Therefore, as it is written: Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
As we go to our places of worship this Sunday, whether they are grand and glorious or simple and plain, may we rejoice in what God has done for us, pay attention to His Story that is being told, and let our stories speak forth into the lives of others.
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
I had been sitting in one of our discipleship courses that we have in place for new and young Christians. It was a ten week mid-size community that focused on a "sweeping worldview look at the Bible" (4 weeks), the Lord's prayer (3 weeks) and ended up with the church (3 weeks).
I had written the material on the church. It was designed for the small groups to work through a number of key biblical passages.
I was really moved by a few things:
(1) First, just how grateful these young Christians were. They were hungry to see what was in the Bible. They were excited to be a part of the church. They (many of them) had been through some of the worst the world had to offer. They had been touched by grace and they were wide open to Christ.
(2) Second, how powerful these old familiar texts were to these "newbies." And as they were being impacted by these passages which are rich in metaphors, I was once again moved by their power as well. It is amazing what the church is. Even when it does not live up to the potential, it is still these things, a living temple where God dwells by his Spirit.
(3) And when we finished our evening in prayer, gathered together in a circle, holding hands and asking God for more of his grace and mercy and that he would build and protect his church - there were heartfelt prayers offered.
We are in such a great season of life at Living Word.
We had our annual "Cardboard Testimony" Sunday . . . ! And the stories are simply amazing, beautiful, inspiring; and the sign of God's gracious presence hovering over the chaos of this world and redeeming what is lost and broken.
Baptisms are coming up. More stories of people whose lives are being transformed by grace and who desire to give testimony to that grace.
Our Christmas Communion service is right after that...
I found myself thinking - I love our church. A place where we recognize the messiness of life, where we are in awe of the beauty of Christ and where we celebrate the message of hope.
I hope you love your church.
May Christ help us all love the church the way he loves it (Ephesians 5:32-33).
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
Hey, my apologies, between being quite sick for several days and the major snow shoveling that we had to do, I just didn't have the energy to do much in gathering additional resources together for this message.
For those who are not regular readers of this blog, here are two recent posts where I talked about this theme in a more nuanced way. The Sunday message was much more a multi-sensory communication to help our longing for Experiencing God. These two posts are looking at the problem with some more analysis for why we have it in the first place.
If I were to recommend two little books, for those who want to go further on this subject:
The first is a classic devotional by A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God. While it is written in a previous generation, it is full of warm, motivating thoughts about our pursuit of God.
NOTE: I have a PAGE on the right hand column called Church Series of Posts. I didn't realize how many posts I had been doing on the church. So if you are interested in seeing any of those previous posts, they are listed in order of posting, and with their title. -bkr-
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I love our church's mission statement. I should! I was part of the team that carefully, prayerfully crafted it.
Living Word is a grace filled community where the messiness of life, the message of hope, and the beauty of Jesus converge.
I think healthy churches are those that are up front about the human condition. Life is messy. Very messy. Messy people bring their messes to church and so churches are messy as well. When messy and messed up people do life together, the result is, well --- more mess.
And that doesn't surprise us.
It doesn't catch us off guard.
We don't pretend there is no mess (in us or around us).
We don't shame people for having messiness in their life.
We exist for messy people to find hope and a beautiful (and wild) Messiah Jesus.
Our leaders are pretty messy at times as well. And most people aren't surprised by that.
Notice, it is grace that makes it possible to own the mess, to deal with the mess, and when necessary, to live with unresolved mess.
I could never quite understand why a church presents itself as "mess free" and criticizes the world for being messy. The human condition is the same inside and outside the church (okay, I know that last statement begs for some theological discussion, which I'll avoid).
But I think the church should be the place where we are open, honest, authentic, vulnerable and optimistic about that condition. Because of GRACE.
I think that leaders will build healthier churches when we are honest and genuine about the mess. If we don't work with grace and honesty about our human condition, we will (almost inevitably) move into legalism and become contemporary Pharisees who are obsessed about the sin of others.
Brian "who is quite messy" Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
If there is a Virtue in a postmodern culture, it is the virtue of Tolerance. Tolerance means I do not judge what you do, I do not condemn what you do, I do not restrict what you do. Tolerance means i cannot not, and should not impose my beliefs or morality on you.
This is the starting point for a pretty important discussion.
So - where should the church be on this matter?
Do we agree and do the same thing?
Or do we act in a counter-cultural way and say, no, there are some things that are wrong and which we must not tolerate?
If we say, no, there are some things we should not tolerate. There are some standards we must not relax. There are some rules we must not ignore. There are some beliefs we must affirm. There are some things we must require?
Okay --- what are those things?
And how long is your list going to be?
What criteria will you use to decide what should be on the list?
And in case of disagreement, who is going to decide what belongs on the list?
Once the list is determined, what will be done to those who ignore the list and break the rules? In other words, once we have a list - does it really matter?
Some Christian groups have a very long and involved list.
Some other Christian groups have a very short list.
Did Jesus have a list?
Is the Sermon on the Mount a place to start?
To do any kind of meaningful life together, these questions must be answered. And we must make commitments to one another to act accordingly.
This is not an easy discussion.
And as a way of example . . .
Within the last year, our entire church staff team (about 45 people or so) went through a process of doing this very thing to guide how we would do life and ministry together. It was a nice collaborative process and we came up with nine guides. They have to do with collaboration, how we will communicate, handle conflict, life in grace and truth, practice integrity, show kindness, respect and trust, be life long learners, do spiritual formation and commit to excellence.
We decided that not everything is okay. We will not tolerate all things. We will take action to address the things that are not okay, if they happen. To be a healthy community, that group needs to be aware, intentional, strategic about the things that will and will not be tolerated.
It is a fact that we live in a cultural season where the lists are getting very short and offensive. So what does that mean for the church? Are we being culturally relevant and contextualized by accommodating this move, or are we moving into syncretism that has little to offer a world?
What are your thoughts?
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
I left a church when I was in my young adult years. I had been a Christian for about four years. I had attended that church during the summers when I was home from college for those four summers. But it felt old. Out of date. Behind the times. The sermons were boring expositions with little relevance for my life. There were very few people my age there. The folks were generally nice people, good people. They even liked me a lot. But I left the church to find something that would be a better fit. (Please pay attention to all the language I used to describe why I left that church.)
And I did find that church. It had all that I was looking for. Lots of people my age. A worship style that fit my generation. Preaching that was interesting and relevant. It was a new wineskins kind of church and exactly what I was looking for. I hooked up with that church and became very involved in it.
This is the very issue of the new generation, who are also looking for new forms of church that are being led by people roughly their own age and with whom they relate. I understand this generational "divide."
That was exactly where I was at in my journey. I don't think there was anything that anyone could have said that would have changed my mind.
This is a perennial issue for the church. The wineskins that are loved and a key part of one generation's journey of faith, are the shackles for the next generation, who want to figure out how to do thins fresh and in a way that is "contextualized" for their situation and their needs.
Bill Hybels and Rick Warren were virtually "kids" when they started their new thing. Well, they weren't quite kids, but just about. What they started was not just a new methodology, which it was, but also a generational dynamics of the next generation looking for a better, more "in touch" way to do things.
Today, Willow and Saddleback seem to be an old model for many young people. Cutting edge approaches don't stay that way forever.
We see this generational change in worship and the styles of music used in worship. We also see it in the illustrative content of sermons.
This divide does go quite a bit past mere methodology of styles. There is substantial theological differences as well.
Is it okay to leave a church because it feels old, dated, and not so in touch with you and your generation? My answer is - YES. It is okay.
Is it a good choice? My answer is - it DEPENDS on why and how you leave. But it can be a very good choice.
The struggle we are left with this… and i have no easy answers. Is generational age the "dividing wall" we can't overcome in Christ? I know it is hard. In one sense, this is just the old church growth methodology of the homogenous church growth principle. Churches that grow are those who tend to have a homogenous group. Like attracts like. We are repelled by those who are too different from us. And age issues, exacerbated by the modern - postmodern reality, seem like pretty strong dividers.
I wish they weren't. I think I have the ability to connect with and enjoy some different styles of different generations… but maybe I am fooling myself.
What are your thoughts on this?
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
My friend and lead pastor, Steve Almquist figured out a few things many years ago and he has managed to keep them the main thing.
For Steve and Living Word Community Church, GRACE is the first thing and the main thing (well, okay, Jesus is actually first, but Grace through Jesus is very high on a very short list).
Grace, unconditional acceptance by God, fresh starts, second chances, new beginnings, radical forgiveness… this is the pure air we must breathe if we are to be healthy. Legalism, self-righteousness, the Pharisaical way and other such things - these are toxins that poison the atmosphere of any religion. So Steve has worked to build a place where Grace is the air we breathe. Grace from God, grace from and to one another.
Oh, we fall short all the time, but when we do, we know we have fallen short of being "gracious" and "grace-full" so we know what we need to do.
Grace then makes two other things possible. Conversion and ongoing transformation. Saved by grace, changed by grace. And that grace will eventually lead me home, but not yet, not today. First it has a lot of work to do here and now). So, it is no surprise that we have seen a lot of beautiful conversion and amazing transformation at our church.
This conversion and transformation (by Grace) then makes two other things possible.
First: Authentic community, counter-cultural community, friendship together with Jesus, the company of friends of Jesus, doing life together, speaking truth in love, iron sharpening iron...
Second: Out of this (grace, conversion, transformation, community) comes sustainable missional service to the world in the name of Jesus. In other words, we extend grace to the world around us. In fact, our former Mission Statement had "extending grace to broken and searching people" as a core element.
I wonder if a lot of the toxicity in church, and the resulting damage to people, is because we don't have the Grace thing in place… and therefore, the authentic conversion and transformation process is not what it should be… and therefore, community is weak and mission is just about non-existent?
I also wonder if a lot of our theological/biblical debate is pretty much a sure thing to tear us apart, because we don't have the glue of grace to hold us together as we pursue truth in epistemic humility and not angry intellectual arrogance.
I think if we want to see reformed, renewed churches… GRACE is the place to start.
I finally think that if we want to see churches full of GRACE, it is pretty much, another sure thing, that those who lead those churches need a profound encounter with GRACE.
So, Grace to you, in all its magnificent fullness.
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
p.s. This last image has nothing to do with the post, just that I thought it was intriguing.
This is a very good book, but I think it's audience will mainly be for church or mission leaders who are interested in and already familiar with the names, the issues, and the positions swirling around the "debates" about the Traditional Church, Evangelical Church and Emergent Church.
I have one main criticism. I don't know if Third Way is the best language to use. Probably One More Way would have been better, just less dramatic.
I think there are more partners in this conversation than just the Traditional Church (which he doesn't really describe or define with a lot of clarity) and the Emergent Church (which he describes and defines very well). And he eliminates from the conversation, the Evangelical Church, except to occasionally make some general comments about parts of the Evangelical movement (which is a very broad and diverse movement).
I understand why he chooses not to include the Evangelical movement as a legitimate partner in the conversation. But that doesn't feel real good for those of us who are in that movement, appreciate it and want to do it better.
So in one sense, I felt a bit like an outsider, listening in to a conversation between two other voices. Since I was interested in that conversation, and in the two partners in conversation, I listened in.
However, with that said, this is a very good book. Here are a few things I really like about it.
He does a great job explaining the three main sub-groups within the Emergent Label. This is very helpful for the Emergent movement is far from monolithic. In fact, after reading Deep Church, I even wonder if the term Emergent is helpful, for it automatically lumps some very different people together who are quite far apart.
He does a nice job explaining classical orthodoxy or "mere Christianity" or the Great Tradition as vital for Deep Church. This is a key point and it grows with significance as he moves through the book.
He does an exemplary job charitably crafting a critique of both Traditional and Emergent approaches and charting out another way. I especially appreciate the warm, irenic, nuanced way he critiques the Revisionist Camp within the Emergent Movement (think McLaren, Tony Jones and Doug Pagitt). He refers to his "Reformed misgivings" about the Revisionist's theology. Whether he is right on all his critiques (and I think he is), he is certainly very right in the conversational, respectful way of engaging with that position.
And he does an adequate (and more than adequate) job on all seven chapters dealing with the primary issues: Truth, Evangelism, Gospel, Worship, Preaching, Ecclesiology/Church, and Culture. I say adequate, because each theme is so big that is difficult to cover it well in a single chapter. I think adequate is about the best one could do on these major themes in a single chapter. Especially in trying to chart/map out what the Third Way Forward looks like. (So these adequate chapters are well done!).
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
Before you read this post, you might want to watch this video of me sharing why I am doing this series of posts on the church.
Love Jesus, Hate Church: How to Survive in Church or Die Trying.
Steve McCranie
This book is both unhelpful and unhealthy.
There. I said it and broke the ice. I do not like writing critical reviews and assessments of books. There are so many good books to write about that I prefer to do that. And the writing of a book is such a labor of personal investment, that to criticize it seems an unloving thing to do.
Yet, an author puts their book on the market for response. The author wishes to influence people, engage people, and I am assuming, to launch conversations with her or his ideas.
This book is unhelpful and unhealthy. My challenge is to be a graceful critic about a book, in which there is barely a drop of grace to be found.
I am going to give some impressions and observations, not so much a carefully arranged critique. And this is a pretty long review and rebuttal.
This book is unhelpful and unhealthy for many reasons. For one, it is just so angry. In his own words:
I Hate Church and everything it has become today. I Hate Church with a raw, loathing vengeance, with unleashed rage, with every fiber in my being . . . sometimes it scares me. My rage. I didn't know I had the capacity to hate that much. But I do.
And then for 230 pages he tells you why he hates the church with the loathing, raging vengeance he has. Well, you don't have to read the book. I can tell you why in a few sentences.
First: He hates the church because it is full of people who are not even remotely like Jesus. They are petty, fallen, flawed, dysfunctional, self-centered, obnoxious, legalistic, (and 30 more such descriptive words) people.
Second: He hates the church because of the harm those kind of people have done to the name and cause of Christ in the world.
Third: He hates the church because of what those kind of people have done to him.
Steve McCranie is a pastor who is in deep pain because of how he has been treated. That pain has turned into an embittered rage, which he fully justifies and hardly shows any concern about (in part proof texting Ezekiel 3:14) against those who have hurt Christ and Steve McCranie.
Steve also grew up in a deeply dysfunctional Christian home. He doesn't give all the details, but it sounds all too familiar. A legalistic, fundamentalist church of some variety. And what is worse, he had a deeply dysfunctional father who seems to quality as a chief Pharisee. He sounds like he was a "bad man" who presented himself as a "good Christian."
Steve shares a painful story of sitting in the back of the car on the ride home after church and listening to his father criticize the pastor (it sounds like this was a weekly experience). Jab, jab, a cross, another jab, a hook, an uppercut of criticisms against the pastor. Steve was dismayed and confused, hurt and angry by this. AND THEN he turns around and writes a book that is in the same self-righteous spirit as his father's weekly diatribes. Like father, like son...
Steve shares a painful story of being in a restaurant and listening to two church ladies just being foolish, critical, judgment, self-righteous complainers/gossipers about church, in particular, about the choir. Out loud for everyone to hear. Steve is dismayed and confused, hurt and angry by this. AND THEN he turns around and writes about 230 pages of the same. The language of logs in one's own eye comes to mind.
That is unhelpful and unhealthy.
Steve has been a pastor, it sounds, for at least four different churches. It also sounds like they were unpleasant experiences. So Steve is a pastor who has been hurt by this churches. He hates those who have hurt him. He is scornful of those people. It is their fault. They are simply stupid, evil people who think they are Christians and who justify their stupidity and evil in the name of Jesus.
I understand this. I too have been in that situation. Working, serving, leading my heart out and having resistance and opposition, conflict and criticism at every point. I went through brownout to burnout and almost to drop out. I experienced the raging emotions of hurt and anger, disillusionment and bitterness. And I put the blame, as does Steve, on the system, on the church, on the people of the church, on everything but myself.
And here is where I must part company with Steve. For the failure was, above all, mine. I take responsibility for not being able to love enough, serve enough, forgive enough, sacrifice enough, suffer enough, persevere enough. My situation did turn around when Christ convicted me that all true change begins with leadership change that begins deep below the water line. That period lasted several years. I call it the wilderness experience. I learned a lot of painful lessons in my wilderness time, but I came through a changed person and a changed leader and one who was able to love the church. Steve has come through angry, full of justifiable hate, and overflowing with embittered rage!
And not once in his book did I hear even the slightest trace of self-awareness of personal culpability. Even if everyone else is 95% at fault, and he is only 5% to blame, it would still be nice to hear just a little self-awareness.
Today Steve says he pastors a small church. No kidding! I imagine it is going to stay pretty small. Because Steve is overflowing, Steve in imprinting, Steve is leaking, Steve is projecting what is in him (anger, rage, hatred, scorn, contempt) on those around him. And who wants to be around that stuff. I am sure that Steve is saying he is overflowing with passion for Jesus and love for Christ and holiness and obedience… He says that in his book. Yet his book mainly overflows and imprints with hate.
I am not a psychologist, but I have learned a few things about the heart over the years. You don't hold all that hatred inside, no matter how you rationalize and justify it with some Bible verses, and remain a healthy person. A healthy person did not write this book. An unhealthy pastor wrote this unhealthy book.
I have also learned that the ends do not justify the means. And that ENDS which are Good, Beautiful and True will never be reached by means that are wrong. The wrong means are the substance of this book. Steve uses the tools of fear, shame, guilt, condemnation, manipulation, sarcasm, cynicism, anger, and self-righteousness as his major way to create a Good, Beautiful and True church?1? No wonder his church is small and will remain small. No wonder his book is unhelpful and unhealthy.
I am also pretty sure that Julia Duin who has Quit Church, would not find the kind of church Steve McCranie pastors to be any kind of church she feels good about. Julia sees leaders like Steve as the problem. Steve sees followers like Julia as the problem.
I want to make an "unkind" suggestion. But I am doing this to make a point. What kind of church do you think we would have if we put all the critics and complainers and quitters and haters of the church together in one church? Would this be the New Kind of Church the world is looking for? I am willing to have them give a shot at this. Get them together in some churches, figure out how to do it and get back to us in about five years with what they have learned.
A long time ago I learned that anger breeds anger, self-righteousness does not breed beauty and joy, the spiritual of condemnation produces condemned and condemning Christians, shame and guilt do not bring about grace filled, lovers of Christ… you get the picture. The right ends will only be reached by the right means. And bad means only bring us to bad ends.
A few more observations. (By the way, I know these posts about the church are longer than my normal ones. If you are still reading, thanks for your kind perseverance on this.)
Love Jesus, Hate the Church! How sad.
To be honest, I think Steve should morph the title a bit.
Love Jesus, Hate any Followers of Jesus Who Do Not Meet My Standard/Expectation Which I Will Justify From the Bible.
I think Steve loves his idealized, romantic, utopian longings for what the church should be. He is in love with an image and that justifies his excuse not to love the real thing. It would be a little like someone saying,
"I love marriage as it is suppose to be. I love the idea of a great marriage. However, I hate the four women I have been married to. I despise them with every fiber of my being for how far short they fell of what they were suppose to be and what I wanted them to be. And for how they hurt me." Well, that is exactly what he does about the church. He loves an idealized idea and not the messy reality.
I wonder if Steve would only love a church that had just sheep and no goats. And just cooperative, non-smelly, always obedient sheep who loved the sound of his voice and followed him everywhere he took them. Hey, come to think of it, I'd like a few of those sheep around my too. But that isn't the real deal. Sheep stink. sheep leave messes behind. And when you get a lot of sheep together in one place, not to mention a few unwashed, unkempt, uncouth shepherds… well then you have reality.
I don't think Jesus calls us to love an ideal image. He calls us to love the real, messy, broken people known as the church, of which Steve, you the reader, and I are a part.
And finally, he offers one more tired, repetitive - Let's Get Back to the Book of Acts way, when they really did church… before we learned how to mess everything up with the machinery of religion. In the book of Acts, we find the newly formed church was already broken, in spite of all the really cool stuff going on. But it was far from perfect. And look a few years later in the New Testament as the apostles are writing to the just a few years old church, still very close to the days of its founder Jesus, and you get a picture of a church that is already really broken and messy (and which also had some very powerful, blessed things going on).
Alright… that's enough on this one. To report, the book is Unhelpful and Unhealthy. Don't read it. If Julia encouraged you to quit church (or at least sympathetically said you are justified in doing so), Steve is justifying you hating the church. Don't go there. It is a dangerous decision that will damage your soul.
Let's all fall on our knees and pray for the "bleeding mercy" of Christ (as C.S. Lewis described it in The Great Divorce) to pour on us from his cross where he died for the church Steve hates and Julia quits. And may we also pray for the same grace to have bleeding mercy on behalf of those who have hurt us. And finally pray for others to have bleeding mercy on us for our sins against them.
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
A friend of mine recently told me about the founder of an organization (I won't mention its name) that has been an outstanding para-church, missonal movement that has thousands of workers and has done an incredible amount of kingdom service in the world.
The founder looks at the organization of which he is still a part and says this.
"We began as a movement, we are becoming a monument!"
Powerful, sobering words. Let me amplify this just a bit.
The church starts out as an:
exciting MOVEMENT
and becomes an ORGANIZATION
which becomes an INSTITUTION
that eventually becomes a MONUMENT
and monuments turn out to be TOMBS.
This is just standard sociological understanding. It is the nature of movements to become organizations. And it is the nature of organizations to calcify and decay.
And this happens to the CHURCH.
All the Time!
Unless something is done.
That something which needs done is Renewal.
(1) Sometimes Renewal is New Wine being poured into existing structures/systems/ways (Wineskins). This is renewal that happens within the existing church system.
(2) Sometimes Renewal is New Wineskins being shaped which will hold New Wine. Sometimes the existing church system goes about the church always being reformed/renewed and cooperates with the process.
(3) Other times the system resists and reformers have to go outside the existing wineskins and start something brand new.
Think of the church movements that tried to work from within, but which had to go outside to start something new. Here are a few:
The Reformation launched by Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, Anabaptists and others. They first tried to reform the existing systems of the day which resisted. So they had to go outside and start something new.
Puritanism was a renewal movement.
The Wesley brothers wanted renewal in the Anglican system of England... which resisted and actually retaliated... so they went outside and started a movement that became known as Methodism.
The Pentecostsal movement of the early 1900s is another.
The Charismatic movement of the 1960s-70s another.
The Jesus movement in that same time- another.
The proliferation of Para-Church Missional groups at the same time - another.
The Seeker movement of the 1980s-90s is one more.
AND...
The Emergent movement, which began in the 1990s and has gathered momentum in this new millennium, yet another.
I have been through the Jesus movement and some of its Charismatic expressions, the Para-church movement, the Seeker movement and now I am engaged with the Emergent movement. I have been a part of churches where this renewal was flowing within and I have been on the outside of the church, with new movements and their new wineskins.
Sometimes, those people who deeply love the church must go outside the existing church to craft a New Wineskin for the Church. And that is okay... and much grace and peace and wisdom be yours.
A word of caution... there are a lot of abortive wineskin startups. There are some cheap wineskins that don't last. There are some shoddy wineskins that can't begin to hold new wine. There are some flashy ones that look great, but which hold vinegar if not poison. And there are some old wineskins that are well crafted and which can hold new wine.
Phyllis Tickle helped us understand that every Great Emergence, not only started something new, but also unleashed renewal in the existing forms of the day. One of my favorite examples of this is the Counter-Reformation which was strongly shaped by the Jesuit order. It was a powerful renewal movement within the existing Catholic system of its day. At first I was baffled, but now I am amazed at how "evangelical" and "reformed" Ignatius was.
Here is my plea. The church is precious. The Spirit of God awesome and devious beyond our understanding. Christ is glorious and He loves His church. Let's find out how to be Level Five Leaders who do the both/and that Jim Collins talks about.
Let's be Evangelical and Emergent.
Let's be Reformed and Missional.
Let's be Ancient and Future.
Let's be Orthodox and Edgy.
Let's be Conservative and Prophetic.
Let's really be a new/old Kind of Christian.
Let's do something that is really outlandish, bold, creative, daring, and which goes far beyond our tired categories and criticisms.
Let's do something that begs for God to show up.
Let's live and lead and serve in such a way as to make the Cloud of Witnesses who have loved and even died for the Church and Kingdom proud to have us in their ranks.
But whatever you do - Don't Quit Church!
And that's all I have to say about that.... until tomorrow.
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
One of the very good books that should be read by everyone who loves the church, use to love the church, and who might one day love the church again is:
reJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church by Frost and Hirsch
Frost and Hirsch love the church. They also happen to be very critical of the church. They also happen to be incredibly astute and wise interpreters of what is going on and what is going wrong with the church.
Critiques that are offered in the spirit in which they write and with the wisdom and missional perspective they have are always needed.
Frost and Hirsch have the spirit of reformers, of renewers, of reJesus'ers.
I have many friends who have that same spirit flowing through them. I have that same stuff in me. When the spirit of reform flows strongly in your ecclesiological veins, you easily see the flaws and weaknesses and deficiencies of the church AND you desperately want this addressed.
Reformers are some of the prophets the church needs since the church should always be reforming itself. This was one of the "slogans" of the Reformation.
As Barth pointed out, ecclesia semper reformanda (the church always being reformed), divorced from the rest of the slogan, “according to the word of God,” identified the true church with modern progress – keeping up with the spirit of the age. I would add that the drive in Protestant bodies to conform the gospel to the spirit of the age has often invoked the Spirit apart from and even sometimes against the Word in its activity of “always reforming.” However, as Barth observes, “singing a new song” and “always being reformed” are only commendable goals if they are invitations to courageous and obedient faith rather than simply following the spirit of the age. It means that the church is alwaysbeing reformed, not reforming itself, submitting itself to the judgment of God’s Word and asking anew whether its confession and practice are in accord with Scripture. Only in this way is any church truly apostolic.
We should be "always reforming and always being reformed" according to the Scriptures. Whenever the church falls short of the picture described in the Bible, reform is needed. Let's be passionate about that reform.
Let's reform boldly but reform biblically. Back to the sources (hey, I think that as another rallying cry of the Reformation!)
Frost and Hirsch add a vital and CENTRAL idea to this reform/renewal movement in their book. All true reform and renewal begins with reJesus. Our deepest problem is Christological. We have distorted images of Jesus and these distorted images inevitably lead to ecclesial and missional flaws. Get the church right by getting Jesus right. Reform the church and renew the mission by a reJesusing.
This was really powerful for me in light of two things:
First, we just finished a series on Messy Stories From Mark where we looked at some very messy stories about Jesus. I found my theology and spirituality being challenged every week. Jesus is subversive and wild.
Second, I am working through the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius and am in Week Two (Week is a metaphor for Phase) which is devoted to many reflections on stories from the Gospels. Lectio divina readings and imaginative engagements with these stories is provocative and altering of my comfort zones and cosy pictures of a tame Jesus.
And through teachings and conversations, this wild, subversive Messiah has been messing with a bunch of my friends at church.
*****************
Now, what do we do with the spirit of reform when the church that needs it, refuses reform? Well, I don't think we bail or quit easily. I do think we first pay attention to our own journey. Are we being reformed and renewed, becoming more loving, holy, godly, full of grace... ? If we are, then we are positioned to speak prophetically to the church Jesus loves. We may need to do this for a long time. And it is hard to be a prophet for even a week. They do tend to stone prophets... the longer you hang around being prophetic, the more likely this happens.
Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet for a reason. He wept because his call to be a reformer went unheeded, except when it brought reprisals against him. He wept because he loved the people of Israel and they were unrepentant. He also wept because he had to pay a great price in his prophetic vocation. He suffered. He suffered a lot. He suffered for a long time.
Critics who don't love the church are going to bail and quit, complain and whine. Reformers who love the church are going to suffer and weep and prophesy and warn. And maybe... sometimes... rejoice in the morning. And maybe... sometimes... leave and be used by God for "new wineskin making." Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
In this post, I want to give some of the main categories for why people leave church. I won't do much by way of commentary on any of them, but in the days that follow, I'll look at some of these issues in a deeper way. These categories are not exhaustive. In fact, I've tried to narrow them down. There may be some important ones that I missed. Some of them may not be the best description. This is just my way to group the dozens and dozens of reasons why people leave a church and why some Quit Church altogether.
ONE: The church is toxic, abusive, deeply dysfunctional, controlling, authoritative... Get out of there fast.
TWO: Theological disagreements and differences. This is a wide category and I load into it other issues as well. Core values, political ideologies, philosophical approaches. In spiritual terms, this would be disagreements about the nature of the "wine" of the Gospel. Or if disagreement is too strong, personal preference is a good one.
THREE: Style and methodology issues of endless varieties. Whether it is preaching styles, worship styles, church growth strategies, church organizational ways, evangelism styles, etc. In biblical terms, this is often disagreements about preferred "wineskins." And boy do we have strong preferences. And that is okay. What we do about those preferences is another matter.
FOUR: Generational differences. At the least, these always involve the issues in number three - style and methodology. With our modern - postmodern divide that is upon us, they usually involved issues in number two as well - theology and values. I really understand this and sympathize with it as well.
FIVE: Institutional renewal is needed. Or to say it this way, renewal of the church that has become institutional is needed. What will that renewal look like? Even those who are "in house' and "in agreement" on theology and methodology in a particular church may realize that renewal is needed. The wine and wineskins need renewal, spiritual energy poured into them. And yet, sometimes the church that needs renewed, resists this renewal. (I'll talk about this one tomorrow.)
SIX: My needs aren't being met. Okay, pick one. Pick a half dozen. You have them. The church isn't doing enough about them. You leave to find a church that will. And if there is a sexier, edgier, cooler, bigger, smaller, church that will - you leave to find it.
SEVEN: What the church isn't doing. Sometimes we are satisfied with what the church is doing, but our dissatisfaction is about what the church is not doing that we believe it should be. I may like the preaching, I may like the singles group that I am a part of, but i am also passionate about social justice and radical service of the inner city poor, and my church isn't doing that. I want a church that is. So, the good stuff that I like, isn't enough. There is other good stuff that isn't taking place.
EIGHT: I am bored. Been there, done that, heard that idea, yup, heard that sermon before, done the small group thing, tried adult Sunday School, worked in the youth program, blah, blah, blah, blah... By the way, this is a real issue and it is very real for what I call "middle age Christianity." After you have followed Christ for about 20 years... it is hard for church to be fresh. I recently taught on this theme to a group of Christ followers, most of whom had been Christians for 20+ years. There were a lot of nodding heads. More on this one soon.
NINE: Personal life choices that I make that are bad. I am sleeping with my boyfriend. The pastor preached against this. I don't like that. I am out of here. (or) The pastor and elders told me I don't have grounds for divorce, but they don't understand, who are they to tell me what God's will is. I am out of here. (or) The church tells me I should tithe. I have no interest in doing that. I don't want to feel guilty. I don't like the pressure. I am out of here. (or) I don't want to forgive that person who hurt me... I don't want to serve... I don't want to... and I do want to do what I want to do. I need a church that is more tolerant of my lifestyle choices. And when the church isn't tolerant and willing to pretend that you are justified in your bad choices... people easily leave. I could tell you endless stories of people who left the church and behind it was a wrecked life due to their bad choices for which they were unrepentant.
TEN: Our culture's relentless pressure that is shaping us into people who are not easily capable of deep, covenantal commitments. We are the quintessential customers and consumers. Add in to that the personal narcissism that we are encouraged to have and live out of... and that makes covenantal commitment pretty hard. Not to mention sacrificial service on behalf of others. Not to mention patience, forbearance, forgiveness and a whole lot more necessary stuff for doing community and life together.
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There are probably some other MAJOR categories, but this is what I came up with. Some of these are good, some are bad and some are just ugly. Often, there are multiple reasons involved for leaving a church. I'll try to navigate some of these in the days to come.
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
This blogsite is devoted to providing daily reflections on leadership, spirituality, church, mission and culture. Every now and then I throw in a few theological reflections as well. For me, all these topics weave together.
I do think the church needs outstanding leadership as we make our way through these "in-between" times... as we move from modernity to post-modernity, from Christendom to post-Christendom. The church is HUGELY affected by all that is going on.
So for about ten days now, a lot of posts have been reflections about the church. There are some more to come. I hope these posts inspire personal reflection and conversations, and even more, that they help you move into a deeper commitment to and love for the church. -bkr-
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I need to make a distinction in this post which I should have made in the post I did that was launched out of Quitting Church.
It is one thing to Quit Church and quite another to quit a church. I am very critical of Quitting Church. I understand "leaving" (let's use the nicer word) a particular church. I think it should always be a serious matter for a person to leave a church for another one. This should be a thoughtful, discerning process where integrity and love, conversation and prayer guide the way.
I have numerous friends who have left a church after a long process where they did exactly what I described in the previous sentence. I believe they honored the church, Christ and their own integrity in how they proceeded in this matter. They had legitimate reasons for leaving a church and they did so in a healthy way. They left one church and went to another. There are hundreds of people at our church, who are there, having left another church. For so many of them, it was not an easy choice and one that delayed for a long time.
I also know people (unfortunately their numbers outweigh the other category) whose reasons were "suspect" and whose process was unhealthy and irresponsible. And therefore - the Outcome was bad. And so many of them didn't just quit a church... they Quit Church... and they are now nowhere, except on the golf course and in a Starbucks or in a living room and calling their experience - church.
By the way, I have some of my very best spiritual conversations and mentoring, etc. in coffee shops. They are awesome times... but they aren't church!
Tomorrow, I am going to give a list of reasons (some good, some bad and some ugly) why people leave church, and then begin to comment on those reasons in the days that follow.
Joshua Harris has written a book - Stop Dating the Church: Fall in Love With the Family of God. I haven't read his book (yet). I am just borrowing his metaphor for moment. And borrowing the biblical idea of covenant.
What if the relationship of an individual with a local church is akin to that of covenantal marriage? (Or should be covenantal marriage!) Using that image/idea, here are a few thoughts. Perhaps I push the metaphor too far... but on the other hand, maybe it is some food for thought.
And I think it helps us understand why the pain levels are so high as we navigate our relationship with the church. ONE: A lot of people just date the church. Is that good or bad? Is dating a good thing? If so, how long should one date? What is dating? What does dating imply about commitment?
TWO: There are serial daters who don't have much interest in any particular church, they just like dating.
We call them church shoppers and church hoppers.
THREE: There are some people who no longer date. Bad experiences. Blind dates... Bummer dates... Burned once or burned too many times and just won't do it. As painful as loneliness is, it is not as bad as the pain of a bad relationship.
FOUR: There are some people who decide to "live together" with a particular church. They move in, they commit (to a degree), but they do so with reservations, with conditions, and with an escape route easy to take.
Should it surprise us at all that this popular approach to relationships in general is also transferred to how many people choose to relate with a church?
FIVE: There are a lot of people who date a church, live together with a church and who even take the plunge of covenantal commitment with a church, mainly so they can have their needs met.
Again, this shouldn't surprise us. Think about the realm of interpersonal relationships. Why does anyone date? Is it because their main thought is - I want to give of myself to someone... I want to meet their needs...? I want to live my life in the service of them becoming all God wants them to become. Of course not. We date because we are needy, we want our needs met... and when the other person does not meet our needs - we end the dating relationship. Our fundamental question is not: Who needs me to give to them? Who needs me to meet their needs?Our fundamental question is - who can meet my needs? The same dynamic is at work in our relationship with the church.
Just like with a personal relationship, when it comes to the church, we all have our lists of required qualities the "other/the church" must have for us to be interested.
Some of us are very picky... I'm not saying that is good or bad... But we are very picky... I wonder how often we think of the other person being just as picky about us?
SIX: There are some people who unwisely, prematurely take the plunge of covenantal commitment. And it is the wrong fit, the wrong person, they are the wrong person, they are part of the "not fit" for one another. First impressions. Strong needs. Impulsive decisions. Romantic, idealized, distorted images. Not understanding the nature of the covenantal commitment. Not counting the cost. Not realizing that "marriage" is not a picnic by any means. It happens a lot.
Just like in dating, it is easy to do two things. First, to give wrong impressions, or distorted impressions to the other. We can all "clean up our act" for a season to impress and win the other person. Second, to naively overlook obvious flaws (even danger signals) and think - this will change later.
So now - we have made a less than desirable choice? What to do.....
SEVEN: Bad marriages. Or weak, uninspiring ones that are stalled, stuck, in a holding pattern, disappointing. Sometimes they last a long time in this condition. Sometimes a relationship with a church is exactly like being in a weak or bad marriage. And there is a host of reasons why weak/bad marriages develop. You show up, you are there, but just going through the motions. Sometimes we work hard at bad marriages and they don't change. Other times, we don't work too hard at them. (See the follow up in point nine.)
EIGHT: Abusive relationships. They happen. They are horrible. Immediate and courageous action is needed to end it. And then loving, restoring, healing work is needed for the one who has been abused. Whether in a personal relationship or a church - make strong, decisive actions to get out of an abusive relationship.
NINE: Separation! In an interpersonal relationship, it is easy to see when this happens. One person moves out. When this is applied to a church relationship, it looks a little like this. You begin to show up intermittently. And then stop showing up at all. Why bother? You have checked out. You just haven't made it fully official. You start going out to explore other options. You may or may not take some serious steps to try and work on the relationship. More often then not (when it comes to the church) we don't take serious steps to work on things (we don't go for church relationship counseling). We just try to muster up our energy to hang in their longer, to endure and hope it will change. It rarely does.
TEN: Divorce. In a marriage relationship, divorce is an official, legal, cross a line decision that is recognized by everyone involved. Divorces are often messy, usually painful, rarely satisfying in their conditions, and which have lingering consequences for everyone. The kids are always affected. The larger Family and Friends are torn and sad. Which side do we listen to? Who do we believe? What do we do now?
Using this image/metaphor, here is the twist for a church. In too many situations, the divorce happens secretly. No word is given, the person just disappears. There is no closure. Later it is discovered that so and so is dating someone else. And boy does that ever feel bad.
ELEVEN: Remarriage... or not... It is not uncommon to find people who have been married three or four times. In the world of marriage, here is what the statistics tell us. A second marriage is more likely to end in divorce than was the first one. The third marriage even more so. Is there any parallel with the church?
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I did this extended metaphor "bit" because leaving a church is usually painful and that pain is similar to leaving a personal relationship. There is a fair similarity to the marriage relationship. This may give us another window to think about the issue of leaving a church and why we feel the way we feel.
Tomorrow - my list of Main Reasons why people leave a church and why some Quit Church. Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
Here is an idea from Brian Newman that made a lot of sense to me. Brian has worked in a variety of roles within the church (Lead Pastor in Amsterdam, Executive Pastor in Denver) and for many long years in a missional capacity to plant churches and train leaders of churches. So he has wrestled with church issues from a variety of roles. Thanks for your good thoughts Brian. -bkr-
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I'm thankful for the conversation Brian Rice has instigated about the Church and people exiting (see Quitting Church which Brian has well reviewed). I made a comment to Brian's review on the LCI blogsite and here are some further reflections.
It’s an “open secret” that people are leaving the
institutional Church in droves. Books are published on the topic, people blog
about it frequently. It is not unusual for a Christian to be in a conversation
and say, “When I was part of that church…”
But what about the “stay-ers,” those who choose to stick
with their local congregation through thick and thin? How does one stay well?
It’s one thing to stay in a church and complain about it from the inside. It’s
another to stay in that congregation and to be an active participant and
contributor. The latter takes great humility and a heart surrendered to God.
The former takes … well, I won’t get into that rant!
The church I have served for the past three years has gone
through a very difficult split, and then a further splinting. I have seen many
people leave the church, and a minority stay. In commending that “faithful
remnant,” I have observed some qualities in them that has encouraged my heart
and challenged me to continue to be part of this messy body of Christ.
These stay-ers SERVE.In
general they have served for many years in a variety of ways. They serve God
and His Kingdom first and foremost. Show me a person who is actively serving in
a church and I would bet they will hang in there through thick and thin.
These stay-ers are OTHERS ORIENTED.People who positively contribute are more concerned
with the welfare of others than themselves. This is a HUGE attitude and mindset
issue. People who are “consumer Christians,” those who go to a church for the
sermon, the music, the children’s or youth programs ask the question, “What
will I get out of this church?” Contributors ask, “What can I give to others?”
These stay-ers want the church to GROW.That is, contributors have a concern for their own
personal growth as well as the maturity of the congregation. Those who leave
tend be on the “remedial track” for maturity because they do not journey for
the longer term with the same community who could challenge them. Those who
stay have a much greater opportunity to mature in the context of long-standing
relationships.
These stay-ers are ultimately POSITIVE.Contributors believe the local church serves an
important function in the Kingdom of God as well as in society at large. The
local church is not perfect, in fact it is awfully messy at times. And yet it
is the conveyor of grace and truth and hope. It is a “bride” waiting for the
bridegroom. It is a body with different parts serving together.
I believe the greatest challenge is to remain in a local
church and go through the paradigm shift from critic to contributor. So, are
you a stay-er? If so, hopefully you will have the fortitude to be a contributor
to what God is doing through your local church.
For a better church, you are going to need better followers of Jesus. And while I do not want to ignore the fact of community, we need to turn the gaze inward first, before we start to put the blame on how others are inadequate.
I've been on a bit of rant and rave lately, thinking about the critics who love to complain and put the blame everywhere but on themselves. In a post a few days ago (What is Wrong With the Church: Dear Sirs...) I mentioned that this is bad psychology, spirituality, theology, etc. Here are the insights of a few others on this issue:
You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end, each of us must work for our own improvement and at the same time, share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful. Marie Curie
I like this word from Marie Curie quite a bit. If you don't like something you are a part of, then get to work to make it better… but first, make sure you are becoming a better person yourself. If that (you becoming a better person) doesn't happen, it is doubtful that you will be able to make a better world (or church, or team, or mission, or organization).
Huxley, in the same vein, had this to say: I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.
And for every one who has worked very hard to change your "self" you know how hard it was/is just to change your self... Now, think about trying to change an entire organization of "selves!" That is a whole lot harder.
And how about this thought from Erich Fromm. Man’s main task in life is to give birth to himself. I don't think I go quite as far as to say this is THE main task in life, but it sure does rank pretty high and deserves a spot on the short list.
Neither Curie, Huxley or Fromm are talking about a narcissistic self-centered preoccupation with one's self that ignores community. They are describing the Brute Fact - that if any external, organizational change is to happen, it is launched from within, by changed individuals.
My friend Brian Newman talks about the need to move from Critic to Contributor. I think a huge part of that process is the journey of self-awareness and personal development of one's inner world.
Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
My friend Tim Adour got the leadership bug a bunch of years ago. When I say he got the bug, I mean two things. He got the bug to grow as far as he could as a leader. And then he got the bug to develop others for leadership. So, here is Tim, the senior pastor of a large Assembly of God church in the Bronx, and he gives some of his very best time doing leadership development.
Tim recently made a comment on FACEBOOK about one of his evening training programs (on appreciative inquiry - good stuff) and I asked Tim if he would tell the readers of this site a little about the training programs he runs for leaders at his church.
-bkr-
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Question: What do you do when you have dozens of quality
local church leaders who have a passion for their area of ministry, have been
leading that ministry for years, want to see that ministry prosper, but are not
sure how to get where they know they want to go?
Answer: Train them.
Recently I heard someone say, “The church is one of the few
organizations that give people leadership positions, but do not train them
properly.I would suggest this is
a true statement.Certainly, the
church is full of loving, dedicated and sacrificial people; however, these
qualities, by themselves, do not make a leader.
I would further suggest that local church senior leadership
enable an atmosphere that tolerates non-trained leadership roles.Due to our own lack of training,
failure to recognize the need for training or an overloaded schedule we do not
provide instruction that would enhance the overall ministry of the local
church.
Before I say anything further, let me admit my past guilt in
this regard.In my case, I didn’t
see the value in investment in other leaders, or myself for that matter;
therefore, I was content with filling positions, not developing skilled
leaders.I thank God He put people
in my life that helped me overcome such a notion.
Over the past few years there is a 3-pronged approach I’ve
followed in training local church leadership.1) Personal Leadership.2) Leadership Development. 3) Good to Great.
Personal Leadership
The idea behind this class is we cannot lead anyone until we
have first learned to lead ourselves.In my opinion, the first place to start in self-leadership is personal
holiness.Too many of God’s people
live under the philosophy of “Situational Holiness.”Situational Ethics bases right and wrong on what is
happening at the moment.Situational Holiness picks and chooses what biblical principles I’ll
follow based on convenience.Obviously, this leads to an undisciplined life of holiness before
God.Therefore, we spend several
weeks reading and discussing Jerry Bridges’ book, The Pursuit of Holiness.It is one of the most practical books
on holiness I have read.
Leadership Development
This course continues the self-evaluation theme of Personal
Leadership, but addresses specific aspects of leadership.We begin with the subject, Permission
to Fail.God is not looking for
perfection, just commitment.We
then move into a lengthy discussion of Brian Rice’s Four Mindsets of a
Leader.We will spend 2, maybe 3
weeks reviewing this material.Finally, we move into the practical realities of Dream big, Plan well,
Work hard and Leave the rest in God’s hands.
Good to Great
The previous 2 courses are geared for just about anyone.Those in leadership or those who are
thinking about leadership will glean from the above 2 programs.Good to Great is much more intense and
is for those serious about becoming great leaders.Of course, we use Jim Collins’ book, Good to Great.However, we filter this book through
scripture.We begin the course with
a discussion about “All truth is God’s truth.”We then methodically go through Collins’ book and discuss
all the principles that can be validated by scripture.Believe it or not, most of the book
presents godly principles.It is
quite an experience.
Tim Adour Church of the Revelation Bronx, New York
Many years ago a London newspaper ran a series of essays that addressed the question of what is wrong with the world. They invited well known journalists and authors to submit essays which the paper would run in its series.
G.K. Chesterton submitted the shortest essay. It is reprinted in full for you to read.
Dear Sirs:
I am.
Sincerely;
G. K. Chesterton
hmmm....
I wonder if the church today would be well served if its critics had a healthy dose of Chestertonian humility? For very few of them are responding with an answer like his to the question:
What is Wrong With the Church Today?
Instead, their answers point to everything but themselves. The problems are always external to them. Out there in the others, in the system, in the situation!!! In this tactical approach and missing the key ingredient, they fall into bad spirituality, questionable emotional intelligence, weak psychology, terrible theology and then the inevitable miss on ecclesiology.
Here are a few thoughts that are congruent with Chesterton's "essay." I use these to launch leaders (and hopefully critics) into a deeper self-assessment, discernment, discovery (Awareness). For these things are true in the life of every critic and Christian love and humility requires that we address these inner realities well.
Who can discern his (or her) errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Psalm 19:12
If things go wrong in this world (or in the church) this is because something is wrong with the individual, because something is wrong with me. Therefore, if I am sensible, I shall put myself right first. For this I need a knowledge of the innermost foundations of my being... The true leaders of mankind are always those who are capable of self-reflection. Jung
If our goal is to so reshape our organizations (and our churches) that they will survive and flourish in the new century, our most immediate need is to shape ourselves. C. Michael Thompson Our lives are mostly a constant evasion of ourselves. T.S. Elliot
Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself. Wittgenstein
We labor unceasingly to preserve an imaginary existence and neglect the real. Pascal.
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind . . . Jeremiah 17:9,10
So I ask and answer . . .
What is wrong with my church (which I inadequately love)?
Dear Sirs:
I am,
Regrettably, Brian Rice
This is not the final answer, but it must be the starting point in the conversation. At least it must be for anyone who wants to make a meaningful contribution.
I'll return to this theme of the church in a few days. Tomorrow, "A Brief History of Spirituality..."
Brian K. Rice Leadership ConneXtions International www.lci.typepad.com
Santana: Shape Shifter The latest from a a guitarist of great longevity and collaborative partnerships. Always good and fun.
Rodrigo y Gabriela: Area 52 (CD+DVD) Think classical, flamenco, percussive/rhythmic guitar slapping and shredding (the standard Rodrigo y Gabriela)... now add in Cuban flavors of a rich variety and you have this GREAT ALBUM.
Steve Morse and Super Group of Prog Rockers: Flying Colors Oh yes... I have listened to this 20 times in the last month. Some of my favorites come together to form a SuperProg Group. You would be hard pressed to put together a better band then this. And this is only their first album. Oh please stay together. Release many more...
Danny Jones: Finding My Way This is an older album, but another magnificent fretboard master, fleet of finger, a savant of the scales, melodic, delicious...
Bruce Springsteen: Wrecking Ball Becky's favorite artist (or else right up there) and this is his new one. I like it a lot. I think we'll have to catch Bruce on tour again.
Frank Gambale: Best Of: Jazz & Rock Fusion A great virtuoso of guitar and one of a select group who has a signature model for Carvin Guitars. This is one great album of instrumental tunes.
Punch Brothers: Who's Feeling Young Now? Wow. Incredible blue grass, folk, rock, indie, all blended together. Chris Thile the mandolin player is a part of this band. Definitely - check them out.
Neil Zaza: Clyde the Cat The brand new CD by one of my favorite melodic shredders. He recently jammed with Phil Keaggy... or I should say, he invited Phil to Jam with him.
Danny Jones: Finding My Way A new artist for me. Seriously, he ranks up there with the creativity and sheer talent of a Joe Satriani... although the Silver Surfer guitarist is still in my top three faves. But Danny Jones deserves a wide listen by all the rock/metal fans.
Gungor: Ghosts Upon the Earth Their newest. I've listened to it a few times. I like Beautiful Things more, but this one is growing on me and several of the songs are outstanding.
Yo-Yo Ma: The Goat Rodeo Sessions Buy this album just because of the great title. No, really buy it because of the four string virtuosos and the magic they conjure up as their instruments flow together.
Josh Wilson: See You Pretty good album by Christian activist, singer, guitarist.
Downhere: Wide-Eyed & Mystified My new favorite band. Canadian Christians, great music, outstanding (TRULY) vocals. And profound lyrics. They leave most Christian artists in the dust of banal pop Christianity.
Downhere: How Many Kings I got this album just a few days before Christmas. It became my favorite Christmas CD in many years.
