Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Prayer for Ministry (Inspired by Karl Rahner)
Lord God;
As I listen to the many problems and concerns weighing so heavily upon the hearts of Your children, it is my sincere prayer -- my most heartfelt prayer -- that I do not listen alone; but that Your Spirit abides with us.
And that we might know this because You sent your Son into the world to die upon a lonesome cross not so that we might solve every problem or posess every answer; but as a mysterious sign that even in our darkest hour that You, Lord, are never far from us. That even our sorrow and loneliness is never far from You.
Help us to know the cross not as an answer, but as a sign of your mysterious and abiding presence.
As I listen to the many problems and concerns weighing so heavily upon the hearts of Your children, it is my sincere prayer -- my most heartfelt prayer -- that I do not listen alone; but that Your Spirit abides with us.
And that we might know this because You sent your Son into the world to die upon a lonesome cross not so that we might solve every problem or posess every answer; but as a mysterious sign that even in our darkest hour that You, Lord, are never far from us. That even our sorrow and loneliness is never far from You.
Help us to know the cross not as an answer, but as a sign of your mysterious and abiding presence.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Community: The Shape of Tomorrow's Church
Consider the millions if not billions of dollars spent every day aimed at captivating our attention… Think about how much money, time, talent, and technology goes into producing a single TV show, movie or video game. Even a 30 second TV commercial can cost millions of dollars.
That's where the bar for our attention currently rests.
Contrast all those resources with those of the average pastor, trying to put together a Sunday service; who after all, is trying to capture the attention of that very same audience…
Churches that will be successful in the future will recognize that this is the reality of our time, and respond not by playing the same game (for which it is out-matched) that is, by offering slickly produced multimedia services, but by offering what is lacking. Our attention-consuming media environment can offer everything except that which is most crucial to being human: and that is human encounter and community.
That's where the bar for our attention currently rests.
Contrast all those resources with those of the average pastor, trying to put together a Sunday service; who after all, is trying to capture the attention of that very same audience…
Churches that will be successful in the future will recognize that this is the reality of our time, and respond not by playing the same game (for which it is out-matched) that is, by offering slickly produced multimedia services, but by offering what is lacking. Our attention-consuming media environment can offer everything except that which is most crucial to being human: and that is human encounter and community.
On the 'Religious vs Spiritual' Debate
We often hear people define themselves not as 'religious', but 'spiritual.'
What does this mean?
In my own ministry, I have found this to mean that their general spiritual world view and values have been intrinsically shaped by Christianity. However for various reasons, they are not churchgoers, nor do they identify with any particular denominaion, i.e., 'Non-practicing Anglican.'
So rather than defining themselves by the absence of religious identification, it is far more common to turn a negative into a positive; For instance, the person who is more accurately something like a 'Non-practicing Anglican' self-identifies as 'Spiritual' instead.
The misnomer however is that the Non-practicing Anglican is often not someone dabbling in Wicca, Athiesm or Zorastrianism. Rather by and large, this hypothetical 'Non-practicing Anglican' is usually an Anglican in core beliefs and values, but who has simply stopped going to church. This is something I have learned through extensive ministerial conversations with such individuals, and here is a snapshot of what I usually encounter:
1) That they believe in some form of Higher Power.
2) That they recognize something special about the teachings and person of Jesus that sets him apart from all other holy persons.
3) And finally, that meaning in life derrives from being good and helping others.
This is not at all different from what people who regularly attend church would say.
So my point then is that by and large, the difference between someone who self-identifies as 'Religious' vs. someone who self-identifies as 'Spiritual' is predominantly church attendance.
Perhaps then a more accurate way of understanding this trend in North American culture is to say that the divide is not so much 'Religious' vs 'Spiritual', but 'Formally Christian' vs 'Informally Christian.'
What does this mean?
In my own ministry, I have found this to mean that their general spiritual world view and values have been intrinsically shaped by Christianity. However for various reasons, they are not churchgoers, nor do they identify with any particular denominaion, i.e., 'Non-practicing Anglican.'
So rather than defining themselves by the absence of religious identification, it is far more common to turn a negative into a positive; For instance, the person who is more accurately something like a 'Non-practicing Anglican' self-identifies as 'Spiritual' instead.
The misnomer however is that the Non-practicing Anglican is often not someone dabbling in Wicca, Athiesm or Zorastrianism. Rather by and large, this hypothetical 'Non-practicing Anglican' is usually an Anglican in core beliefs and values, but who has simply stopped going to church. This is something I have learned through extensive ministerial conversations with such individuals, and here is a snapshot of what I usually encounter:
1) That they believe in some form of Higher Power.
2) That they recognize something special about the teachings and person of Jesus that sets him apart from all other holy persons.
3) And finally, that meaning in life derrives from being good and helping others.
This is not at all different from what people who regularly attend church would say.
So my point then is that by and large, the difference between someone who self-identifies as 'Religious' vs. someone who self-identifies as 'Spiritual' is predominantly church attendance.
Perhaps then a more accurate way of understanding this trend in North American culture is to say that the divide is not so much 'Religious' vs 'Spiritual', but 'Formally Christian' vs 'Informally Christian.'
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