restored to grace

One of the beauties of my job right now is that I’m not jumping onto a boat that’s already sailing (metaphorically speaking, of course). Instead, I’ve been given the unique opportunity to build the boat. It’s a pretty liberating feeling to be able to start a program from scratch, but at the same time it’s rather daunting as well. So as I go through the process of building this program from the ground up, I’ve been chewing on some questions in my mind.

I’ve got a whiteboard in my office where I do most of my brainstorming and thought-wrestling. (Steve, our Pastor of Development here at Emergence, claims that getting an iPad will effectively eliminate my need to use a whiteboard, but I’m skeptical.) So on this whiteboard I’ve posted a few questions that I’ll be wrestling with over the next few months. Here are a couple of them.

What makes a kids’ environment successful? Is it the “wow” or “cool” factor? How big of a role does the environment play in the effectiveness of the program? Is it the ability for kids to do something at this environment that they can’t do anywhere else?

How do I actually get parents involved in what we’re teaching their kids? Should I rely on Sunday take-home materials? Should I fill the parents’ inboxes with review/wrap-up emails? What about a blog solely devoted to engaging parents in the mission of our program?

These are just a few of the numerous questions I’ll be asking myself as we draw closer to the launch of this program. What about you? Are there any questions that you think I should be wrestling with?

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They say confession is good for the soul, so here goes.

I haven’t fully repented of my legalistic and judgmental mindset. Now, let me preface this by contextually defining the term repentance.

The Greek word from which we get the English repentance is quite different from our common understanding of the term. Even Webster’s Dictionary definition of repentance differs from the biblical definition of the term.

Metanoia (and its verb form metanoeo) is defined as a change of mind and carries with it the connotation of turning around and heading in the opposite direction you once were heading.

So when I say that I haven’t repented, I say that I haven’t completely changed.

This morning at church I saw a couple dressed extremely well. The man was dressed in a dark suit and wore a necktie, and his wife (I assume) was wearing what I would consider typical “Sunday best.”

And the first thought in my mind was, They’re going to experience some culture shock today.

A buzz-phrase often thrown around in churches is, “Come as you are, and leave different,” or some variation. (Sadly, most churches that carry that kind of phrase don’t actually live by their mantra, which is why my church avoids pithy sayings like that one.)

Churches like Liquid Church and Emergence hold very closely to that kind of ideal. Our goal is to allow the grace of God to permeate everything we do so that people feel comfortable enough to be authentic and express their inner selves outwardly.

And I didn’t allow for that. Instead, I assumed that this couple “missed the memo” and were showing up for church expecting what I perceived was “their kind of service” and that they would be shocked by the loud alterna-rock worship and the pastoral staff wearing ripped jeans and flip-flops (or, in Ryan’s case, some form of moccasins). I assumed they were going to look around the room and judge everyone for their overtly sinful lifestyles, and not once during my observation of this couple did I give them the benefit of the doubt.

What if they’re completely on board with our mission at Emergence? What if they simply feel more comfortable dressed like that because that’s just how they’ve always done church?

Or worse yet (for me), what if they were victims of the 1950s church “ideal” and had come to Emergence to check out the whole “Jesus thing,” but were fed the lie that you had to “dress up” for church?

And I have to repent of this mindset. I thought I’d changed. I thought I’d begun to allow grace to identify me. Instead, I’ve found myself to be the same judgmental pharisee I was five years ago. I’m just pointing my Bible guns at different targets.

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I can’t help but be thankful for the life I’ve been given. These past couple months have been such a phenomenal blessing, I don’t even know what to highlight. It’s astounding, even to me, to continue seeing God’s hand at work in my life.

My heart has longed to pour into people in the venue of the Church, and God, for whatever reason, has decided to fulfill that wish and give me the opportunity to do exactly what I’ve longed to do for years. But I never would have believed that my journey would unfold the way it has.

More than three years ago God guided my steps to a place where I could come to him on my own terms, and not feel forced into it by other people. And it was there, at Liquid Church, that God called me into his ministry.

He placed that desire in my heart, but as I grew closer to him, I discovered that I wasn’t ready for that mission.

Never was that more clear to me than the time I spent working for Liquid. If there was ever a time I felt like a failure, it was that season. Time and time again, I looked at the ministry I was entrusted with and thought, What am I doing wrong?

Don’t get me wrong; I loved each day I spent working for the church. But the hardships I faced then were hardships I wasn’t ready for. I knew I could do better, but I didn’t know how to improve.

Fast-forward to now. I’m about to step into that role yet again, only this time with a new church called Emergence. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t more than just a little nervous at the prospect.

But last weekend, something put me at ease. My friends Kimberly and Michael and their kids were visiting New Jersey, and the short time I spent with them reminded me that I do what I do because of Christ’s love for me.

And I found myself falling in love yet again with the over-the-top joy from their oldest daughter’s laughter, the quiet compassion in their son’s smile, and the simple beauty in their youngest daughter’s not-quite-fully-formed sentences.

Why? Because Christ was revealing himself to me yet again. He was loving me through these kids and telling me, “You can’t do this on your own. But I’m going to empower you for the task I’ve given you. And there will be more Rachel’s, more Ethan’s, and more Sophia’s that you come across, and through them I will show you my love.”

To Rachel, Ethan, and Sophia—

You guys aren’t yet old enough to fully grasp the fact that God has used you immensely in shaping what I do, but the next year of my ministry is dedicated to what his Spirit has taught me through you. Thank you for letting me teach Jesus to you and for being Jesus to me.

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Coming soon. . . a church middle-school curriculum series written by yours truly.

Have you checked out your Sixty Six lately?

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Sundays at the Hyatt in Morristown, NJ, are always busy and hectic days. At 4:30am a team of roadies begins loading in the equipment that later becomes the stage for three church services in one of the main ballrooms. At 7:00am another team of roadies starts converting the hotel conference rooms into children’s playrooms and classrooms. Simultaneously, a rock band shows up to rehearse their set for the three church services that day. Around 8:00am service administrators and team leaders start showing up to get ready for the first service. They put files together, set up registration desks, and prepare their teams for the coming services. At 8:30am, volunteer teams arrive to do their jobs. Some of them are teachers. Others are sound technicians. Some are mentors. Others are videographers.

And at 9:00am every Sunday, the first service at Liquid Church begins.

But somewhere in the middle of all this seemingly frenetic activity, real life change is taking place.

During the longer break between services I was wandering around the Hyatt peeking in on some of the volunteers who were finally getting their first break of the day. Some of the band members were napping behind the stage. A roadie was lying on some chairs in the back of the main ballroom. A few mentors were enjoying some snacks by the hotel bar.

I stopped at a small group of high schoolers sitting in a circle of chairs in the hotel lobby. They all had matching notebooks out and looked like they were having a good time; the sight intrigued me, so I decided to have a look. One of them showed me a chart from their notebooks. Across the top in bold letters was the phrase “Systematic Theology.” This revelation to me couldn’t have come at a better time. It reinforced in my mind that there’s a generation coming after mine that is doing everything possible to get to know God better.

I almost cried when I saw it.

Because sometimes it’s easy, especially at a church like mine, to get caught up in a Christianity that gives you that immediate spiritual high. And there’s nothing wrong with that at all. Hearing a song set that moves you from dancing in the aisles celebrating our freedom in Christ to raising our arms in complete surrender to his love to breaking down in tears of humility knowing we have nothing apart from him—that’s a fantastic place to be. Sitting under powerful teaching that points your heart and mind to the intensity of Christ’s love and grace—it’s phenomenal to get that.

Seeing the looks on people’s faces when you’re giving them free coats with no strings attached—it’s no wonder Christ told us that giving is more blessed than receiving.

And I see it in our high schoolers when they open their Bibles and really search for who Christ is. I see it in our middles schoolers when they’re riveted to our youth pastor as he unveils to them a Jesus that doesn’t their their preconceived notions of who Jesus is.

They want to know God.

And when the middle and high schoolers get excited about knowing God, the ripple effects of their excitement spread to all other parts of the Church. A church filled with kids who want more of Jesus is an insanely powerful church. The strength of Liquid Church isn’t going to be measured by how loud the music is or how eloquently Pastor Tim speaks. It won’t be measured by how many new volunteers start serving each week or how many first-time guests show up.

No, the strength of Liquid Church will be measured by how many kids in our Student Ministries program discover who Jesus is and study the Bible to encounter him.

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Was anyone curious about what goes on at work that pulls me in so early on Sunday mornings? Well, even if you weren’t, here’s a video to give you a sneak peek on my job.

Special guest appearances from fellow bloggers Kenny Jahng, Mike Leahy, and Rich Birch.

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Do you remember Sunday School? What kinds of images does that phrase conjure up in your mind? I don’t know about you, but my memories of Sunday School aren’t particularly great. For starters, it was far from cool. It just didn’t have that “I’ve gotta tell my friends about this” quality.

Kids love a good video presentation. It’s not always the most effective way of teaching them timeless truths, but it has its benefits.

What I’ve tried to do (both successfully and unsuccessfully) is incorporate a relatively rudimentary media presentation in the lessons. No amount of technology can replace interactivity, but technology can be a platform for creating high levels of interactivity.

Prior to Liquid, my exposure to children’s ministry had always been extremely low-tech. The most advanced form of technology was flannelgraph, which was only as effective as the person using it.

No matter how low- or high-tech the environment, one thing remains the same. The platform (video, flannelgraph, picture books) is only as good as the user.

I’ve been mulling over this for a while. The Liquid Kids program is, at its core, a Sunday School program (the dreaded phrase!). But when you take a look at what we’re aiming for, you’ll find there’s something much deeper than that.

Ultimately we strive to leverage the short time we spend with the children against the many hours that their parents spend with them. In methodology, we want to have as much interaction with the children as much as possible. But that doesn’t mean we can’t employ “cutting edge” technology in doing so.

While it may be tempting to put the kids in front of a video screen and let them sit there, bear in mind that it’s more important that children need personal attention and guidance. No amount of environment or media can replace interacting with children.

At Liquid Kids, we trade in the classroom environment that comes from a Sunday School mentality for a more interactive and exciting atmosphere. We’ve discovered that giving children the opportunity to play, interact, and have fun goes a long way to helping them understand the lesson.

You may want to follow this basic flow of activity for a children’s program:

1. As the children enter the environment, engage them in a “preview” activity. This could be anything from a crossword puzzle to a game of “Telephone.” Gain some familiarity with the lesson (if you’re facilitating the preview activity but not teaching the lesson) so that your activity pairs with the lesson well. After this initial activity, lead the kids into the lesson environment.

2. Teach the large group lesson or play the lesson video. If you’re teaching a lesson, allow children to be involved.

3. Break into smaller groups for activities and games that review the lesson and help the kids remember what they’ve learned.

Just remember that the effectiveness of your program is not based on the technology you use, but on how you use the technology you have.

Serving on the Liquid Kids Team!!! from Liquid Church on Vimeo.

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I’d like to welcome Kem Meyer, Communications Director at Granger Community Church and author of the new book Less Clutter. Less Noise. Beyond Bulletins, Brochures, and Bake Sales

Kem has decided to stop by restored to grace on her blog book tour.

In celebration of her new book, I will be giving away a copy to one lucky reader next Thursday, June 4. Here’s the catch: in order to get a chance to win the free book, you have to comment on this entry (how can I send you a book if I don’t know who you are?) before Thursday.

Okay, without further ado, here’s the next question on Kem’s blog tour.

r2g: What effect does church marketing and communication have on a church’s children’s program, and do you think a communications team should collaborate with a children’s ministry team on developing the program?

Kem: All-church marketing and communication affects children’s ministry like the others. No team should be left to fend for themselves, operating in a vacuum. That being said, we don’t collaborate with many ministry teams about developing their individual programs. While we’re happy to help when asked, we generally leave that part to them. They develop, define and run the programs. And, they do a world class job. There’s little value we could bring to that part of the equation. They know their audience the best. But, outside the “programming” there are several areas where we consistently collaborate and work together. Specific to children’s ministry, we work together on:

• What information is helpful to the parents (e.g., dates, times, safety, benefits, etc.).

• The best place to put that information to make it easy for parents to find on a regular basis.

• What vehicles we can use to make it easy for children and parents to invite their friends.

• How to communicate sensitive information in a way that opens doors and builds trust.

• Special events outside the weekend that require childcare and how to communicate if childcare isn’t available.

• Data integrity, reports and mailing lists.

• Unique ways to showcase the age-appropriate experience happening in children’s church while the grown-ups are in adult church (e.g., video, pictures, art, etc.)

• Systems that protect safety and security.

• Special series that might warrant a shared curriculum and the logistics required to make it happen.

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Want to elaborate? I’d love to hear your thoughts! And if you share them, you might get a free book!

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So much has changed in the Church at large.

She’s become more focused. She’s begun to shed some fat. She’s been down so many roads, and she’s beginning to rediscover her purpose.

But she still has a long way to go.

My brother and I were chatting with a friend about the Church subculture. This “insider-club” mentality that runs rampant throughout Churchianity.

Why can’t we get our coffee from a local coffee shop? Because our church has a coffee shop!

Why can’t we buy books from Barnes & Noble or Borders? Because our church has a bookstore!

Why can’t we go to a lounge to hear some underground band? Because our church’s coffee shop/bookstore doubles as a small venue for underground bands!

What impact can we have on the community if we aren’t willing to enter it? How effective can we be if we would rather create our own micro-culture than engage the culture around us?

And why are we still holding potluck dinners when there’s a world at our doorstep crying out for guidance?

Do you want to know why churches aren’t growing? Because they’re too busy trying to get people on the outside to come inside to them.

What if the Church went to the people instead? What if the people on the inside reached out to them?

How different would the Church be?

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Wow. . . it’s been a long time since I last posted. Sorry for the unexpected hiatus.

Today was an interesting day. I got to work/church around 6:15am and got started on getting the roadcases out of our loading trucks. (For those of you who haven’t figured it out yet, I work for a portable church. We meet every week at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in New Brunswick, NJ and the Hyatt Hotel in Morristown, NJ.)

As I was getting our roadcases up to the second floor, I walked past a Hyatt employee who stopped me only to say a quick few sentences: “Hey man, I love that Liquid Church! Every Sunday there’s such a nice vibe in here!”

I couldn’t have been more proud of my church than I was in that moment.

Sure, it’s awesome to hear people talk about how powerful Tim’s message was or how touching Jens’ worship leading was.

But this Hyatt employee may have never even been to a Liquid service. He may have never experienced a Tim Lucas sermon or a Jens Madsen song. He may have never even had the opportunity to share a word with Mike Leahy after a passionate service.

Yet his life has been directly impacted by Liquid.

Which then begs the question. . .

Are we living life so that others may see Christ in us? Or are we relying on music and messages to tell them about him?

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