I’m currently leading a two session “Membership Matters” class at our church.  I’ve done this before and think it is a needed way to help folks understand the need for church membership, what it means, and who we are as a church.

I’ve written often about the struggles in American church life.  I believe this is a positive approach (not because I’m doing it) that can help churches with church health.

Some traditions have organized new membership classes that integrate folks into the church.  Baptists have done this poorly. Often in Baptist churches folks would walk an aisle, pray, be baptized and that’s it.  Then they would be asked to serve in jobs and little attention was given to membership.

This approach is a step that comes even before the decision to join happens.  This is a time for folks to explore what and who we are before they do join.  It’s a time to see what this is about.  Then if they join they better understand their decision.

I wish I had more time for such a class. Ideally four weeks would be good.  But with schedules and such it is hard to add one more thing to the plate.  Many of the folks coming are already coming to a Sunday School class and one hates to take them out of that for a month.  The relationship building in those settings is so rich that they need that.  And so a few weeks or a long session with food that is an orientation to a church is a good approach.

I hope to have these classes several times a year or as need arrives.  But there are four questions I explore:

1.  Why should I join a/this church?

2.  Who and what is this church?

3.  How do I join this church?

4.  What do I do after I join?

These four questions are vital and important.  We need a healthy understanding of the church and the particular church we are considering joining. This is a big decision and we need to realize no church is perfect but we also need to make sure that we the particular church we are exploring is one that connects with us theologically, personally, etc.

We also need to understand the mechanics of the church.  Once we understand the theology, vision, identity, and history of a church we need to then learn the nuts and bolts.  How does the church work? How are decisions made?  What is the leadership structure?  What does the church do and how does it relate to ministry in and outside the walls of the church?

And finally once we do join what will we do in the church?  What is our responsibility?  What are the needs of the church? It isn’t all about what the church can do for me but also what can I bring to this body?

Church membership should matter.  Those who belong should be responsible members.  Church health is crucial.  We need to be a vibrant, dynamic, and forward thinking church.

Blessings!

Visit the Fort Worth Star and check out the story on Ed Young’s Bed in and you will find my quotes!

http://www.star-telegram.com/2012/01/13/3659090/dfw-pastor-and-wife-spend-day.html

I was glad that my comments came out without making me sound too weird.  I’m always nervous when I’m quoted in a news article.

Enough on this topic-on to something new!

My recent blog article that was posted on ABP recently led to a phone call from a Texas newspaper doing a story on Ed Young Jr’s sermon series and book “Sexperiment.”  I am not sure if they will use my article/blog or quotes in their story and honestly I really will not mind if they don’t!  I’m always nervous talking to media because you answer questions and wonder how it sounds.  I prefer writing my thoughts out!  But I’ll keep you posted if that article runs regardless whether I’m in it at all!!

Please go back and read either the ABP opinion piece I wrote that I have placed in this blog.  I discuss upcoming books by two mega church pastors (one in Texas- Young and Seattle- Driscoll).  Both preach on the topic and Young has a sermon series coming out on this issue.  I also encourage you to read news articles on both books and visit Young’s web site devoted to the issue and watch the promo videos.  As you watch Young’s videos imagine if your pastor showed this type of video to promote your church!  Also imagine that your pastor was going to place a bed on the roof of your church and lie in bed with his wife for 24 hours in a ‘bed in’ to talk about the book release.  How would that go over?  And is that the best way to talk about marriage?  Again I’m not saying these topics are not church topics but it is the how that bothers me.  And the what in some cases!

As I reread my opinion piece on Driscoll and Young I thought I would muse a bit more.  I was listening to a podcast today that went over the top books from 2011 and predicted book trends for 2012 (books in religion).  Last year religious books on hell were the ‘hot’ item (excuse my pun) but the prediction is this year will have religion and politics and religion and sex.  I get the politics part due to this being an election year but the sex focus of course comes on the heels of Young and Driscoll’s newest releases.

I have to admit I have only read selections and not the entire works. I have also read the interviews and watched video promos on the books.  My original post was simply some mild observations about not just this topic but what seems to me a bigger issue regarding the role of the pastor.  But let me give some thoughts to think about.

*The sensational issue.  Ed Young and his wife have this new book coming out on sex in marriage.  He has preached on this before so this isn’t new ground. As I watched those videos and thought about his ‘bed in’ I simply can’t imagine any pastor I know in my community doing this.  It really seems over the top to me.  Mark Driscoll and his wife also have a book out.  Driscoll likes to curse and really get crass when he talks about sex and other issues.  It just seems so sensational.  I don’t mind them dealing with marriage issues but this just seems to be very theatrical and over the top.   And I honestly refuse to repeat some of what he has said over and over about sex and other issues in this blog.  I have heard sermons he has done on the Song of Songs that are “R rated” at best.

*The Qualification issue.  Marriage and marital problems do need to be addressed.  The church does need to help.  Providing classes and workshops in marriage sounds good to me.  Promoting and guiding people to seek counseling (professional) sounds awesome.  And I don’t mind a pastor giving sermons on Christian marriage.   But there seems to me a fine line that must not be crossed.  Often pastors seem to use their position of authority as if they are experts in topics that may be out of their league.  A non-sexual example might work.  A pastor should preach sermons on giving/financial responsible living/stewardship.  But doing that is far different from dispensing stock tips and investing hints.  And so talking about sexuality is one thing but giving sex tips are two different animals.  For example Young’s video shows seven rooms in the house (ranging from the backseat of the car in the garage) to the kitchen sink and says “Think outside the bedroom.”  While married people are free to explore their homes anyway they wish as I watched it I just thought how much it looked like a reality show.  It just wasn’t professional.  I know it’s advertising but still it seemed so shallow and silly.

I do plan on doing a complete reading of both books and I will give my opinion after I’m done.  I honestly didn’t buy them because I didn’t want to contribute to their salaries but I will read them in complete.  However I have heard sermons on line by both of these ministers and read their interviews and sample chapters.  I am quite confident that true to form both of these serve as examples of what is going on in many pulpits (big and small) of topical sermons that may have good intentions but might push the envelope more than should be the case.

On a positive note I will add that I am glad the subject of marriage and sexuality is not being ignored.  I do not call for a position of silence or preaching that all sex is bad or some of the extremes that many folks can testify to hearing in the past.  I realize the church has often done a horrible job with sexuality and yet I don’t want to go crazy the other way.  I simply believe we should do this with more reverence, less tabloid like approach, reality show tricks, or arrogance.  I would hope that churches will not just look at this and shake their heads but instead look for more healthy ways to address the struggles married couples are facing and offer realistic help.  I’m all for that!  But please let’s show some class!  There are some excellent marriage resources, retreats, and other tools that can help strengthen couples in our churches.  So maybe this conversation will lead the rest of us to doing our job better.

Blessings,

Derik

“Simply Jesus” by N.T. Wright.  Readers of this blog should know I am a Wright fan.  In this new book Wright doesn’t disappoint.  N.T. Wright is the former Bishop of Durham in the Church of England is one of the top scholars of our day.  He is the C.S. Lewis of the 21st century.  He is brilliant and thought provoking.  Wright is a professor, pastor, and author and my shelf is overflowing with his works.  He writes for the academy and for the laity.  His Christian origins series is heavy scholarship.  He also writes for more popular audiences and I suggest: “Simply Christian”, “Surprised by Hope”, and “After You Believe.”  He has also written a set of NT commentaries for lay folks to use.  And this past year he released his own translation of the New Testament.  This guy simply doesn’t sleep.

Wright’s latest work is brilliant and very reader friendly.  If you want to be challenged read this book.   Wright offers a portrait of Jesus for the 21st century.   As usual Wright tries to move past the rhetoric and offer something fresh and useful.   Jesus came to announce God is King.  Good stuff and I highly recommend this book.

“Big Christianity” by Jan G. Linn.   Wright’s book came out in 2011 but this book by Lynn is a bit older (2006) but I just discovered it and read it so I recommend it to you.  Lynn also wrote, “What’s Wrong with the Christian Right” and was once a chaplain at Lynchburg College near my own town.  Lynn is speaking to moderate and liberal Christians and not more fundamentalist ones.  The Christian right has organized itself through the years and Lynn is seeking a bigger tent for the rest of us who do not have a narrow and rigid view of faith.  As you read some of his thoughts many of you will disagree with certain points and that’s perfectly fine.  He is seeking a Big Christianity- one that welcomes diverse and different thought rather than excluding and pushing people out.   You may be more moderate/conservative but tired of the mean spirited politics of the right.  You might be far more to the left.  Lynn is arguing that there are many in church life today who are willing to work together despite differences and want a more balanced moderate approach to faith in our world.

Fundamentalism often seeks to find uniformity and idealizes a cultural climate that has never really existed.  It is often ‘us versus them’ in that mindset.   But many Christians are not extreme and do want to work with those who are different.

I think this is an easy read that offers much to consider.  Lynn would identify himself as a liberal Christian in the Disciples tradition.  Yet he is wanting a faith that works with various denominations and traditions and ‘camps.’

For me I like this concept.  We don’t have to stop believing what we believe or water down our tradition but surely we are willing to to live side by side with other believers who have different perspectives than we do.  Quakers, Presbyterians, Methodists, Baptists, and others have different opinions and perspectives and yet we all live in this country and this is our home.  The needs in our communities are great and we can and should work together.  Our differences should strengthen and not divide us.  And even within out traditions we have diversity.  Frankly a Baptist like me has much more in common with many Methodists than some Baptists I know!  Baptists are diverse.  And yet this is good!  It is true there are some issues (especially ethical ones) that many will not come to one agreement upon.  We can either fight and fuss or we can agree to disagree on those issues and work together in our towns and cities to help those in need and those who are hurting.

I prefer a Big Christianity over a Small Christianity any day!

Blessings!
Derik

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 14,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 5 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!  Can you believe it?  We are here.  For those of us who follow the church year we have been at work for a month now with Advent and now we come to the climax of this celebration but not of the Christian story.  For this event marks the beginning of the Christian story.  The incarnation is the divine coming in flesh to bring new hope, peace, joy and love.  And so this weekend we light our final candle-the Christ candle and celebrate tomorrow as we usher in this wonderful time.

Some Christians worship every Christmas day.  In some traditions there is a service every year on that day.  For most of us we usually do the Christmas Eve and only do a service on Christmas day when it falls on Sunday.  And this is that year.  Personally I believe we should have a service every year on this day but I know that is not something easily introduced so I am fine with a strong Christmas Eve service.  However it is nice to get to have this special time this Sunday.  I know the attendance will be down.  Folks will be out of town.  But folks will be ‘in town’ and I hope you who are reading this will bring all your guests to church this week wherever you are.  And if you are out of town go visit a church near you this Sunday.  What a special time it will be to gather in a church and to worship on the actual day of Christmas.

I know most of what we do is an invention.  Christmas trees, cards, giving gifts and all of that is not the biblical story.  And those added features often become more important to some than what the season really is.  And of course we know that Jesus was not born on December 25.  It is very likely the shepherds and wise men never sipped hot cider together.  The wise men were not kings and probably not three.  They may have shown up a year or two later than the shepherds.  Contrary to Hallmark cards the scene might have been a bit different.  And when he was born most of the world was unaware that history was changing in a small backwoods town.

Yet he was born and history was changed and Jesus came to bring liberation and freedom to the world.  He brought salvation.  Amen!

And so we sing songs.  We celebrate.  We rejoice.  We sing carols.  We are very thankful.

We sing songs like “Joy to the World” (which I love) and yet if we really ponder what Jesus is doing the world may not feel ‘joy.’  What?  Jesus grew up and challenged the world and the demands he made upon the world are not often received.  To love one’s enemy and to bless those who curse you does not sound like joy to most.  To give rather than to take and to sacrifice even one’s life for the sake of the gospel may not sound like joy.  But it is real joy.  It is the joy that the world can’t find on its own.  It’s lasting joy.

So sing!
Praise!
Rejoice!
Amen!

The world’s oddest dictator has died.  Kim Jong II led North Korea and is my vote for the oddest dictator in my lifetime.  He took the reigns from his father (who was weird and cruel) and now his son gets to lead.  I’m not sure it will get much better but I do pray for a better scenario in North Korea.  I know the US is trying again to work a better relationship out but it has been a tense situation for a long time.

Consider Mr. Jong II.  Recently “The Huffington Post” released some strange facts about this man and I’d like to review them.

-He claimed to be very special and born under a great sign- a double rainbow (probably not true)

-He loved waterslides- he built 17 in his personal mansions

-He claimed to be the greatest golfer.  He claimed to have achieved 11 holes in one and a total score of 38- the greatest score in history.  And he had never played before!!!  Of course no one witnessed this feat.

-He said he could control the weather

-He really loved movies.  So much so he kidnapped two directors to make his own personal Godzilla movie.

-He may have killed his own brother when he was five

-He hated flying (build his own armored plane), drank 700,000 worth of cognac a year, claimed he never had to use the bathroom, loved the NBA,was a self professed internet export (but banned his country from having access), forced his staff to become drug addicts, loved to eat donkey meat, and hated short people.  He hated short people so much would kidnap them and have them ‘removed’.

-He made sure each grain of rice was studied to live up to his eating standards before consuming it.  He forced women to have cosmetic surgery to please him.   And claimed to have invented hamburgers.

And this cruel dictator who led his country to famine and used it as his personal playground loved titles.

He was called- Shining Star of Paektu Mountain, Guiding Sun Ray, Dear Leader, Great Leader, Respected Leader, Brilliant Leader, Sun of Socialism, the Great Sun of Life, Great Man who descended from Heaven, Invincible and Ever Triumphant General of Highest Incarnation of the Revolutionary Comradely Love.

And he is dead.

And it is Christmas.

The birth of the real Lord of Lord and King of Kings.  The Son of David.  The Son of Man.  Emmanuel.  The Good Shepherd.  The way, the truth and the life.

Jesus may not have invented the hamburger and he never played a perfect game of golf but he is the reason we worship and praise this holiday season.

So as you gather around the table with family and friends this week remember why.  As we all go through this week remember why.

And pray for the Kim Jong’s of our world.  Pray for those who have mislead themselves into thinking they are the center of the universe. And pray for those who are oppressed and suffering.  Pray for them this season and pray for the peace that we all long for and desire.

Blessings and Merry Christmas!

I love biographies. I  recently read Steve Jobs book (great) and an older Waylon Jennings (an autobiography).  I love them all.  Let me tell you about a new one I just read.

It’s Christmas time and you might be getting gift cards from Amazon or other book stores so I thought I would make a suggestion for your reading.  The book “The Shooting Salvationist” is a great read.  The book is written by David R. Stokes.

This is a different kind of biography.  It mainly focuses on one part of Norris’ life though he does give background on his life.

And who is this ‘shooting salvationist’ and what makes this book so fascinating?

Norris was a well known fundamentalist Texas Baptist preacher in the 1920s who was the pastor of the first real mega church (in the thousands) who delved into local politics and in the pulpit called names and got into all kinds of controversy.  Then one day in his office a man (unarmed) comes in and tells him to back off or he’ll kill him.  The man leaves.  He is then shot multiple times to death by the preacher.  The question is did Norris shoot him in the back as he left (then the man turned was shot several more times and fell into the corner of the office to die) or did he come back in and threaten the pastor and fearing for his life be shot multiple times?

This happened on a Saturday and Norris would preach as usual the next day.

Following this shooting Norris was charged with murder and went on trail.  This trail was the OJ Simpson trail of his day.

What a story!  I was familiar with Norris and the controversies he created in Baptist and American life.  I knew about this shooting but I didn’t really know all the details.  This book was a must read that I couldn’t put down.

Norris was the pastor of First Baptist in Fort Worth.  He had a radio program heard by thousands and published a tabloid paper read by 10s of thousands.  He fought with the Southern Baptists (claimed they were too liberal) and with Texas Baptists.  He railed against Roman Catholics and local politicians.  His personal battles with the government of Fort Worth was full of venom and fire.  He used gimmicks and showmanship tricks to draw people to worship and he is a prequel to the mega church world that has really grown in the late part of the 20th century and on to today.

This is a story so amazing you can’t make it up.

So if you want to read history, crime thriller, mystery, legal page turner, and religion this story has it all.  It is well written and very well documented.  Stokes spent time researching direct sources and traveling from his home in VA to TX and made sure he got this one right.  He is fair, honest, and very entertaining.

I really believe this would make a great movie.  After all Norris was the model for Elmer Gantry!!!  That movie was good but the book was far better (though fictional) and is one of my favorite books.  So buy it and read it this Christmas too! “Elmer Gantry” is an older book that you can get pretty cheap used but speaks so well today.

As I think about the impact of guys like Norris I still see them around.  In religion and politics.  Norris’ ego was bigger than his congregation and he was into building his own kingdom.  This is a book that should give us pause and make us reflect upon our motives, methods, and ministries.  I doubt many preachers will shoot our opponents dead in our studies but we do need to pay head to the bombastic and negative style of ministry that the Norris’ of the world portray.  And we need to think about which kingdom we are building.  God’s or our own?