He pursued credentials in the CGGC but gave up in frustration over the ways of the current group of what, in the ERC, would be the Commission on Church Vocations. Your region's bureaucrats probably function under another title.
So, he is now investing his passion and calling and gifts in ministry outside of the CGGC.
He's involved in a gathering of disciples which formerly had been a fairly large church which lost all but a handful of the attenders of its Sunday morning show and now is rebuilding from those ashes.
A while back, he sent to me a list of six "distinctives" which describe who this group is and what they do.
I've been thinking them through but, in light of Don Dennison's article in The CHURCH ADVOCATE, I am going to point them out.
Ironically, what is working in non-Anglo congregations in the CGGC, and being praised and promoted in The CHURCH ADVOCATE, could be being done by a very white guy who desperately loves the CGGC, but can't find a place because of denominational bureaucrats.
Understand:
MY MILLENNIAL FRIEND IS DOING, WHAT THE CHURCH ADVOCATE, WELL, ADVOCATES, AND HE WOULD BE DOING IT IN THE CGGC NOW, EXCEPT FOR THE BRUTALIZING, INSTITUTIONAL WAYS OF THOSE DOMINEERING CGGC BUREAUCRATS.
I've suggested in the past that many CGGCers may not really want millennials in the church.
If you're one of those people in the denomination, thank a bureaucrat--a Chair or member of a Commission, in the ERC, thank, especially, members of the Commission on Church Vocations.
But, if you care about the Kingdom or merely want the CGGC to reach people under the age of 40, blame them.
Anyway, here are the distinctives of a ministry that might be ours...
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1. Sunday morning isn't the point. - Were we thrilled to have 74 in attendance on Sunday? Absolutely! Do we feel like we've done our job just getting them in the door? Not even close. Our mission, our goal, the metric we care the most about is life change. Sunday morning attendance is only a platform or tool, not the point the of the gospel
2. Style is negotiable - I'm the...and frankly I hate a lot of the media we use and the songs we sing and I think the band is too loud. But it's not about me.
I remember attending...with my grandparent's about 10 years ago and I thought the music was too loud and didn't care for the extent of electric guitar they were using as I stood there a bit indignantly I looked over and saw [grandma and grandpa] singing their hearts out in praise and worship to God with songs they didn't know and didn't care for... After the service was over we got back in the car and I said "Thank you for loving Jesus so much it doesn't matter what the music sounds like." Christians that complain about the music need to grow up.
At our church we do stylistically whatever works. Right now there is a certain aesthetic that is attracting people (again the foot in the door is a first step, not the point). When we notice that aesthetic start to lose it's effectiveness, we will change.
3. Media savviness - I expected that people would find us through our website and Facebook, but I never imagined that someone would attend our church because he saw an instagram post and yet it happened. Jesus used the methods and tools that were effective and customary in his day to spread his message. I am convinced that had Jesus' earthly ministry been commenced in 21st century America he would be leveraging Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and SnapChat to spread the good news. If a church does not have a relevant (with the times) online presence, they simply do not exist to a Millennial and I would argue even many Boomers and GenX aren't interested in attending your church if they can't easily find you online. That's a gigantic segment of the population you have lost influence with.
4. When we say ALL ARE WELCOME we mean it and we show it - We are intentionally creating a church culture that embraces in love and hospitality ANYONE we meet. As a result we are beginning to look more like the kingdom everyday. We are in an affluent mostly white neighborhood in the city and yet somehow we have the very rich sitting next to those who can barely keep a roof over their head and though all of us on staff are white, we have latinos, african americans, and asians in high proportion among the congregation.
5. We don't give a fig about hierarchy. - We have a truly team-oriented approach to ministry. Our lead pastor is absolutely the highest human authority in the organization, but he rarely acts that way. I had the opportunity to preach a few months ago and invited my friend whom I would classify as a seeker. After the service we went out to lunch with he and his family. I asked him what things we were doing right and he mentioned that he was impressed that nearly everyone interacted with him in some way and that he couldn't tell who the pastor was. He had been talking to him for 15 minutes before he realized it was the lead pastor. He said that there is often a feeling of separation between clergy and laity in churches he has visited and it is off-putting. Whatever happened to the priesthood of all believers?!
6. We have removed as many obstacles as we can to getting plugged into ministry - I struggled with this one for years. I used to believe that someone needed to be well on their way to sanctification before they could serve in the church in even the smallest roles. I now realize that one of the tools God uses in our ongoing sanctification is service. Why should someone have to attend for a year, be involved in a Bible Study, be a member, and have a personal interview with the lead pastor before they can hand out a bulletin or run the sound board? As a bonus - those who serve attend more often. Engagement drives attendance. (Admittedly there are issues with the idea of volunteering on a Sunday morning being an act of service that God desires...but that's another discussion for another day.)
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Read it and weep.
This is exactly what we say we want but our bureaucrats continue to deny us of.
We must repent.
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Read it and weep.
This is exactly what we say we want but our bureaucrats continue to deny us of.
We must repent.
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