Category: Connecting to Culture
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Cool church?
This is so encouraging to read – especially from a church with the size and influence of Life Church: The American Church is not lacking for “cool” pastors. Like a single guy who is trying just-a-bit-too-hard to impress a girl, some churches are simply trying too hard to be cool. I’m very encouraged to see…
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Who has the power?
It’s easy for Christians to struggle with this idea of “sacred” vs. “secular.” You’ve seen it. It’s the whole idea that “Christian” music is good, while “non-Christian” music is bad. Or that a “pastor” is more holy than a postal worker. Neil Cole has been doing a series of posts about this false division. I…
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Catch some behind-the-scenes interviews on church planting and more
For those of you who may not follow some of the big blogs that are involved in it, Rick Warren is hosting a summit for a select group of pastors, and a group of bloggers has been busy live-streaming interviews all day. I just watched an interview with Rick McKinley and Bob Roberts – two…
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Becoming missional communities
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what it means to be a “missional community” – how small groups can organize around outward mission that enables those relationships with God and each other to grow and be developed along the way. Alan Hirsch has a lot of great things to say about this here. The…
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Jesus, sinners, and you
I’m always amazed at how Jesus not only hung around rough crowds filled with corrupt businessmen, prostitutes, and sinners but how those crowds actually wanted to be around Jesus. How does that happen? His message essentially tells them they need to change, but they invite him to parties. When I’m in a new group and…
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Remove jargon. Communicate clearly.
The more you’re a part of a subculture, the more you speak that culture’s language. That’s all fine and good until you need to communicate with someone outside of that culture. It happens in the church world. Phrases and expectations can be completely odd to the newcomer. And let me tell you – seminary doesn’t…
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Presence and proximity
Real connection – real progress – is about presence and proximity. This even applies in businesses. Google talks about it below (From the Google Blog). Traders in the same location tend to make the same trades at the same time. The trades of cubemates within a small radius is the best predictor we found. By…
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Monday Morning Links: Christianity on CNN and Leadership
Just a few things that caught my eye this morning… > Ed Stetzer was interviewed on CNN recently about some of the research he’s done on unchurched folks’ opinions about Christians. Here’s a clip. > John Moore of Brand Autopsy posts a great quote from Tom Peters on how leaders are rarely the best performers.…
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Challenged by action
I’m glad I am taking the time to go through seminary. It’s a chance to ask the big “God questions” before someone else asks me. It gives me the time and tools to consider what I really believe. It gives me a background and perspective on the Bible that enriches my ability to follow God…
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Partner for impact
I mentioned Elevation in an earlier post. In my “research” (aka googling “Elevation Church”), I also found a site that tells how you can connect with the church. They’re doing something cool for outreach… “Instead of replicating ministries already doing a great job reaching out to meet specific needs in our community, we’ve identified the…
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Something I love about mega churches is …
… that they do the communication thing really well. Great pastors. Great teaching. Great media and videos. Like the piece at the end of this post from North Point. Like almost anything LifeChurch(.tv) does. Even cool stuff from Granger. Newspring. Elevation. Mosaic does some amazingly creative stuff. Because of where I am and how God’s…
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Caring always makes a difference
Seth Godin points to a story about a woman, her mom, and some shoes from Zappos. It’s impressive – especially from a business. Here’s the question I’m left with. Do the people I’m working with (church, business, etc.) have the authority and to ability to help people out when it matters?
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Leadership hinges on discipleship
We all have different giftings and passions. Even in the same field, one person may have a different emphasis than another. When I was in journalism, I worked with writers who focused on sports, features, and “hard news.” It’s time to see pastors in the same light. There’s not one proper style for church leadership.…
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Study finds that most young non-Christians don’t like Christianity
LA Times: Christianity’s image taking a turn for the worse Christianity’s image in the United States is declining, especially among young people, according to a new study. A decade ago, an overwhelming majority of non-Christians, including people between the ages 16 and 29, were “favorably” disposed toward Christianity’s role in society. But today, just 16%…
Jon Sampson 