ginkworld; se7en questions, ron jackson

Interview with George Barna at ginkworld.

'Breakout Churches' reveals leadership essentials

The process of moving a church from mediocrity to greatness "included more than the transformation of a church; it also included the transformation of a leader."

Bummer! So there's no slick program I can implement to help my church grow? You mean I have to grow as a pastor if I want to see transformation in my church!?

Wray routs Akron

Thomas Barnett was shocked to see the ball in his hands on the first play of the game.

Wray's 285-pound defensive lineman doesn't catch many passes, but his interception triggered a landslide against No. 4 Akron on Friday night, and Wray cruised to a 35-0 Class 1A North Central League victory at Akron Field.

Our high school football team, the Wray Eagles are 6-0 and having a lot of fun! Thomas goes to the Christian Church. Way to go Thomas!

2 Timothy 3.14-4.5 10.17.04

2 Timothy 3.14-4.5 10.17.04
Originally uploaded by hawkenstein.

Here's my mindmap for my sermon today. If you are interested, click on the image for a larger image that you can actually read!

[Listening to: Thinking Of You - Lenny Kravitz]

Well we did it! Echo was a great time with 15 to 20 people there and many asking when we are going to do it again! The coffee shop on Main Street was the perfect location. We hope that this service will reach more and more people in our community. Thanks for your prayers! 

Found this very funny sports statue of Jesus playing football with some kids! The caption is great! 

Confessing Christ in a World of Violence

Could you sign this statement?

When churches head left (10/18/04)

...but the efforts of the woeful mainline churches are better seen as classic knee-jerk leftism, an expression of hard-core loathing for the United States and the West, with Israel as a stand-in for America. The mainline churches believe they still stand for high moral purpose in politics. They don't. They can no longer be taken seriously on politics or human rights.

And the PCUSA wonders why rural America is leaving?

Building Below the Water line

Great metaphor for pastors.

Out in the sticks in October. [Listening to: Jazz Odyssey - Audio Adrenaline] 

Egg on my face : my new blog

I have finally taken the plunge on a second blog that I have be thinking about for some time.

This blog has long been in the back of my mind. Today I ran across a quote from Leith Anderson that forced me to create this blog.

Here you will find my thoughts and reflections on pastoring yoked congregations::the challenges, opportunities, frustrations, joys...everything. I have long joked about writing a book entitled: How to Pastor Yoked Congregations Without Getting Egg on Your Face! Pretty lame I know but, I've found it to be one of the bigger challenges in my current calling.

As some of you may know, I pastor two mainline congregations in rural northeastern Colorado. Both churches are under 100 people. The denominations are Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). I have served in this call for nearly two years.

I hope this blog helps other pastors who are serving in yoked congregations as well as educates others who are contemplating such a ministry.

Grace and peace,
Steve

Worldometers

Here are some interesting counters for all the statistically minded out there. Could make for fun discussion starters.

American Idols

Quote of the day:

Spiritual community is like a good marriage. It's good, but never ideal. We're getting closer to it.

Looking for answers in an ask-assertive world

Great article by Spencer Burke over at the Ooze.

Sometimes Ministry Stinks - LeadershipJournal.net

Nothing in the ministry has the power to determine the pastor's countenance. In the words of Viktor Frankl, "The last of the human freedoms is to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances." So why would you hand over that freedom to a bedpan? You may have to carry the smelly mess, but you don't have to let it into your soul, where attitudes are created.

Dignity in ministry is found not in the task but in the one who has called us to it. If you are clear that it is Christ who has called you to serve this church, then you are always part of a royal priesthood. But you have to choose to see that. It's the only way you can look like royalty while doing a task that just stinks.

In my years in ministry, I have found it to be true that the church attracts some odd people. But I have always worked hard to love them and to show them God's love for them through how I treat them.

Where I wrestle with this issue is when these odd people begin to suck you dry and take up lots of time and energy to minister to. How do you go about setting boundaries with them?

Though this question is beyond the scope of Barnes' article I believe it is also an important issue to consider.

Eventually the members and elders of the congregation get bugged by the problem parishioner, but it usually falls to the pastor to "do something about it."

Many times though, I have found that these odd people who bug others in the church are a wonderful opportunity to grow in their ability to love.

When I was a youth pastor I was amazed at how loving the kids could be toward difficult and odd kids. They humbled me in the love the showed to odd people. And to me, that's the church in action! So pastors, turn the tables! Encourage your people to reach out to and love the unloveables and the odd folks in your church and community. I bet God will teach everyone a lot in the process. Maybe even someone will grow spiritually!

Echo flyer

echo flyer
Originally uploaded by hawkenstein.

Here's the flyer we are putting up around town. Hopefully it will create a buzz for the service on October 17.

Organic Worship

Great worship ideas. Take a look and have fun experimenting.

Here in Wray, we are going to try to start a new service on October 17. There are a lot of people 40 and under in our town who don't go to church. It's probably because all of the churches in town are stuck in the '50's, '60's, & '70's. We hope that this service will become a community of people who seek to experience Jesus Christ in fresh, organic, alternative ways. I am nervous and excited! Nervous because nothing like this has been done here. Excited because nothing like this has been done here!

We are meeting in a cool coffee shop on Main Street. Hopefully this neutral turf will work for us. Please pray about this new ministry if you think of it!

Putting Peter Jackson in Perspective: An Interview with Greg Wright

In general, the church has a terrific theology of the written word. However, the ongoing worship-style squabble demonstrates that the church generally has an ill-defined theology of music, and the twentieth-century church has also demonstrated a schizophrenic theology of visual art. This is troubling since the art form of film combines words, music and visual elements. Segments of the church, of course, have long grasped the role of all art in ministry; but until we stop viewing film as either a tool of the enemy or merely a tool for evangelism, we will continue to be guilty of idolizing the written Gospel and demonizing that which God intended for good. That’s not a pretty scenario.

This is a great article and worth your time!

Americans favor Christian symbols, Barna says

I don't know what to think of this poll. What conclusions can we come to from these few statistics? It seems to me that cultural Christianity is widely accepted but true transformative apprenticeship to Jesus Christ is not. But I guess a poll like this helps Christians with there self-esteem. Whew! We aren't completely marginalized!

Frankly, who cares? What the church needs is transformation. What are culture needs are true apprentices of Jesus Christ, changing from the inside out, who love others.

Forget the mottos! (Hey, that could be a motto!) Start morphing. (Hey, another snappy motto! I'm on a roll!).

Sunday School Flannelgraph

Sunday School Flannelgraph
Originally uploaded by hawkenstein.

Welcome to our cutting edge, high tech Sunday School program!

I get a kick out of this each week when I see it.