CELEBRITY IN THE CHURCH

Maybe it's because we're deep into the awards shows season, but I'm tired of the ways in which celebrity culture spills over into the church. I suppose it's inevitable in an America where we worship famous people, even if their fame is only for acquiring fame (witness: Anna Nicole Smith and Paris Hilton). Of course, talk shows like Oprah or magazines like People or TV shows like Entertainment Tonight and all their clones aren't solely to blame for the obsession with famous people.

In the church, we have bought into the whole celebrity thing big time. Track conversations among pastors and other church leaders and you'll keep bumping into the same names--the megachurches de jour or the celebrity pastors of the moment. So, I was actually encouraged to read, in a recent church magazine, that a Barna survey had discovered widespread unfamiliarity with some of the big names in American evangelical subculture.

73% of Amercians have never heard of Tim LaHaye; 72% have never heard of Rick Warren; 68% have never heard of T.D. Jakes; 67% have never heard of Joel Osteen; 57% have never heard of James Dobson. With the exception of Dobson, these very public evangelical leaders are almost as unknown among self-described "born again" Christians. Are you surprised? I was. Surprised ... and gleeful.

Despite the PR machines behind these guys, it doesn't seem to be working.

Don't get too excited, though. This doesn't mean that the reading habits of American Christians have suddenly shifted to heavyweights like Tom Wright or Marva Dawn or Eugene Peterson. Or that church folks haven't bought into celeb culture. There's still plenty of evidence that churches and church folk are still in a headlong rush to mirror the look and habits and patterns of popular culture. We're so anxious to fit in! Read this:

"Michael Craven, an evangelical speaker, writes that American Idol is symbolic of young Americans' unhealthy obsession with fame and wealth. Craven observes: "One only has to watch an episode of American Idol to realize that many in this generation are obsessed with fame and fortune to the point of radical self-delusion. Convinced of their 'ability' many of these 'wanna-be' stars seem oblivious to the fact that they have absolutely no singing talent whatsoever.

He notes that in a poll by the Pew Research Center, 81 percent of 18- to 25-year-olds said getting rich was their generation's most important life goal. A Gallup Poll found that 55 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds agreed with the statement, 'You dream about getting rich.'"

Time to re-read Romans 12:1-2 (I've always loved the old Phillips translation: "Don't let the world press you into its mold").

That goes for pastors, too. For us, there's the temptation to compare ourselves as leaders with the omnipresent celebrity pastors. Better to adapt to our own situations the strategy of the 20th century monk,Thomas Merton, who wrote: "I disappear from the world as an object of interest in order to be everywhere in it by hiddenness and compassion.."

                                                                                                                                    Art Going

THE RIGHT SIZE FOR A CHURCH?

What do you think about this from fellow blogger, Gene Edward Veith (http://cranach.worldmagblog.com/cranach)?

“Another commenter, Eric, gave this insightful quotation:

A former pastor of mine, a Baptist actually, had a great saying; "better ten congregations of one hundred, then one congregation of a thousand."

Allen asked why this would be. Here is why: Each of the hundred members in the ten congregations would be able to receive pastoral care. A single pastor, no matter how devoted, is simply unable to "shepherd" a thousand people.

This reminded me of another statement I heard from a pastor, that a congregation has become too big when the pastor doesn't know all of his members. (The corollary is that another measure of a congregation being too big is when the members do not know their pastor on a personal level.) I don't know how big that is, and it probably varies. It could be two or three hundred.

At that point, in my opinion, the big congregation should split into two smaller congregations, each with its own pastor. Then they could both grow, then split, multiplying like amoebas until the world is filled with small spiritually-nurtured churches.”

Is it really a good thing to proliferate only small churches? Many new Lutheran churches stay just this small, and then can't sustain the range of ministries that draw newcomers. In fact, a congregation this small would find it hard to afford a full-time pastor.

But, more significantly, artificially setting so small a cap, ensures certain less-than-biblical understandings of ministry, pastoral or otherwise. Expecting that a single ordained pastor be the sole caregiver for an entire congregation limits care to what he can offer. Instead, the New Testament clearly paints a picture of pastor as equipper, mobilizing an entire congregation in "one another" ministry.

Confining "pastoral care" to the work of a pastor almost guarantees the onset of clericalism. It also makes it easy for members of the congregation to persist in seeing themselves as mere care-recipients, or, worse, consumers (tell me that isn't rampant in American churches), instead of the "partners in the gospel" they are called to be.

Pastors are called to be missional leaders, not just chaplains for families of folks who want someone to take care of them instead of engaging together in mission.

                                                                                                                                 Art Going

Making the Gospel Relevant

Hey—I’m back. Sorry about the absence. But then I guess most of you can appreciate the collision of Christmas and budget preparation, heading towards the annual meeting. I’m going to work hard this year to balance pastoral work with blogging, so don’t bail on me. Word of the street is that many of you have actually been reading this stuff. How about commenting—joining a conversation. I’ll try to build in questions for thinking/discussion. Let me know if we’re connecting. Even if I’m only blogging once a week, I’ll keep checking back to respond to any comments.

As we head down the stretch towards the Super Bowl, it seems like a good time to think about the rush among pastors to be "with it"--to make the gospel relevant. By now, most of us have probably jumped on at least one band wagon for a film. Aren't you just a little amazed, since the release of The Passion of the Christ, at how many films are now being pushed at pastors and congregations? When do we cross the line? When do we stop being proclaimers of good news, simply using cultural artifacts to connect with our people, or shills for movie makers? When does preaching become pandering?

I found myself heading down the "hip pastor" pathway the other day. I wanted to borrow the title of my favorite TV show, 24, for a sermon series on the final 24 hours of Jesus' life. Then I realized that all the drama was already in the gospels, and that I had not intention of taking the focus off "the Man of Sorrows" to explore Jack Bauer as Christ-figure. In the end, I decided the 24 hook did nothing for me, other than call attention to how current I am in my media habits. You know we're going to see a spate of series taking their cues from the latest films or TV series. How long before you;re thinking about an Old Testament survey or series on the apostles titled Heroes or messages on release from bondage called Prison Break?

Here in megachurch-capital Dallas, we're not content with just coming up with catchy series titles. Ed Young, Jr., has recently recruited Hulk Hogan as interview partner for his series, Larger than Life. I'm wondering what's next. T.D. Jakes on Dancing with the Stars?

What do you think? How far should we go to be relevant? When does our thirst for relevance betray a lack of trust in the gospel's own intrinsic "power to save"? Are you spending more time producing clever packaging than you're spending digging into the Word? We've heard it before: "The medium is the message." But it's not our message, so that means some hard thinking about them medium.

Meanwhile, don't miss Jack Bauer on Monday nights!

                                                                                                                                                Art Going

A New Thing

When I was a pastor in Germany, I encountered an annual tradition among German Lutherans of beginning each year under the banner of the Jahreslosung or Year’s Verse. Each January, calendars and newsletters included reflections on this verse. The Scripture passage selected each year was held up as a guiding word for the coming year. This practice has roots in the same traditon that produced the Daily Texts (Losungen), which have grown in popularity among American Lutherans thanks to the work of Johann Hinderlie and the good folks of Lutheran Bible Ministries.When I was a pastor in

Annually LBM produces an inexpensive Lutheran edition of Daily Texts, which has been in continual use since the Moravians began issuing the devotional aid in 1722. We know that Dietrich Bonhoeffer regularly used DT in his own prayer life. The LBM edition includes a wonderful introduction to Martin Luther's own way of praying and meditating on Scripture.

Back to the Jahreslosung. In some congregations, the verse became the text for a sermon to begin the new year. That's how I'm going to close out 2006 and lean into 2007. My sermon on December 31 will be based on the verse for 2007—Isaiah 43:19a:

 

Behold, I am doing a new thing.

 

This is a promise from God to carry you through the New Year. When Isaiah spoke this word of hope, he was addressing people who had forgotten God’s mercy and saving acts in the past. And, because they had forgotten, they no longer looked for God to do a new thing. They had ceased to expect, hope for, or believe in the possibility of a new beginning for themselves or for the world.

 

They needed to be reminded that God is ever at work designing and rolling out new miracles of grace.

 

How about you—as you enter a new year? Are you looking for newness from God? God’s encouragement to you, through this wonderful verse form God’s Word, is to watch for the new thing God is going to do. It’s happening already. You can see it now!

 

So, in 2007:

 

Let go of faith that thinks that the journey is over, that the best days are behind!

Let go of faith that refuses to look for transformation!

Let go … and then look forward to what God has in store for you.

 

Behold, I am doing a new thing.

Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

                                                                Art Going

                                    

 

What Kind of Team Are You?

The best moments in ministry are undoubtedly the ones you share with others. Whether or not you serve with other staff, can you imagine ministry alone? The way of the gospel is not a way we can walk alone. So what kind of community are we going to aim for with staff (paid or unpaid)?

But why do we so often settle for less than vibrant, life-giving relationships with our partners in ministry?

Dan Allender has written (and spoken) powerfully about moving beyond mere functional working relationships--where each works alone and unbothered in his or her silo. Why do that? Allender asks. The last thing we need are more Christian organizations that are just organizations.

Don't be satisfied with shallow acquaintances or even just friendships. Find a group you can suffer with for the sake of the kingdom. Go for the gold: what Allender calls "apostolic soul partnerships." Dan talks passionately about the six who will "take me to my grave."

What are your relationships like with others on your time?
How much time do you invest in deepening these relationships?
What would have to change in your work patterns to get there?
Scared of the level of vulnerability and availability this might require?

Check out Allender's book, The Healing Path.

A Person of One Book

Not long ago, I came across a set of reflections on the preaching life by Sinclair Ferguson, a wise and witty Scots Presbyterian, formerly a professor at Westminster Theological Seminary and now a pastor in South Carolina. He has been a favorite of mine since I read a few of his books for a grad school class. The article, entitled "A Preacher's Decalogue," begins: Know your Bible better.

Listen to Ferguson: "Often at the end of a Lord's Day, or a conference, the thought strikes me again: 'If you only knew your Bible better you would have been a lot more help to the people.' ... Life has been an ongoing 'teach yourself while you play catch-up.' At the end of the day seminaries exist not to give authoritative line-by-line interpretations of the whole of Scripture but to provide tools to enable its graduates to do that. That is why, in many ways, it is the work we do, the conversations we have, the churches we attend, the preaching under which we sit, that make or break our ministries. This is not 'do it yourself' but we ourselves need to do it.

"As an observer as well as practitioner of preaching, I am troubled and perplexed by hearing [pastors] with wonderful equipment, humanly speaking (ability to speak, charismatic personality and so on) who seem to be incapable of simply preaching the Scriptures. Somehow they have not first invaded and gripped them. I must not be an illiterate. But I do need to be homo unius libri--a man of one Book [a quote from John Wesley, I think]. The widow of a dear friend once told me that her husband wore out his Bible during the last year of his life. 'He devoured it like a novel!' she said. Be a Bible devourer!"

I know there have been countless times in my own ministry when I have felt just this sense of inadequacy. Not that I think it's the job of a pastor to be only a ready Bible answer-man. But we do need to be reminded again and again that we are to "be ready in season and out of season" to be proclaimers of good news, heralds of gladness, preachers. In any and all situations. And that readiness will only come from hours alone, ingesting the bread of life.

This past summer, while at a pastors conference in London, I was seized by one image in a talk by an Australian seminary president (Peter Adam). He described the Bible as "God's perfect medicine"--an apothecary containing 66 essential medicines. The cure to all human woes is words from God. The job of the preacher is to choose the right medicine when planning preaching. Everything in the Bible is relevant, but what's relevant now? What does my congregation need today? Which medicine do I need?

What a great prod to pastoral imagination! Again, though, we're right back to Ferguson's diagnosed need for us, as preachers, to know the Bible better. Before I can reach into the medicine cabinet and pull down the right medicine, I not only have to know what the malady is; I have to know the essential message of each book, of each section of each book. What is the right word for this people at this time?

How well do you know the Book? What has to change for you to become a man or woman of one Book?

Kids and the Bible

How do you help kids learn to love and use God's Word?

Recently, we presented our second graders with their first complete Bible--a beautiful illustrated edition of the Contemporary English Version (CEV) from the American Bible Society, a translation aimed at new readers. This is one of my favorite "milestone" celebrations, and each year we try to make it a rich experience for the children and their families.

Here's the challenge: How do we help kids hang on to the exuberance and joy they so openly display as they receive these Bibles and begin to explore. Why are we so good at killing off the enthusiasm?

One important step, of course, is to bring parents into the mix. We have gladly borrowed the practice of having parents (as well as grandparents, godparents, et al.) find and underline favorite passages. Then, on the day of the presentation, children come forward in worship along with their parents. After a prayer of blessing, the parents hand the Bibles to the kids. In that particular worship service, instead of the usual Bible translation we use in worship, we read from the CEV, so the kids have the immediate experience of turning to the day's readings in their new Bibles.

The following Sunday, I taught an orientation seminar for the kids and parents. Through a variety of simple exercises, the kids began to make their way around the Book. How many books in the Bible? Who wrote the books? When were they written?  I sent the kids on various sleuthing missions. So, for example, they found the "I Am" passages in the Gospel of John and explored in the beautiful metaphors Jesus uses to describe his identity and work.

Now what? How do we help families build on this? How can we help kids and parents cultivate new "disciplines of delight"--practices of loving and using God's Word? What has worked in your congregation or family?

One more practice I'm looking forward to trying--adapting something I saw in another church, where members are encouraged to memorize a Scripture passage each week. In worship, at the end of the welcome and announcements, the pastor asks for a volunteer to recite the week's passage. On the Sunday when I was visiting, a little girl stood to recite. She belted out the (long) verse without hesitation and full of conviction. And I teared up. Can you imagine that every week? I can. I'll tell you about it later.

 

 

A Bible-Saturated Church

For the next several sessions, I want to explore what it might look like to cultivate a Bible-saturated church. Here are just some of the dimensions I want to discuss:

• Pastors need to know the Bible better
• Reaching into the Bible-apothecary: planning a program of preaching
• Teaching kids to know and love the Bible
• Teaching adults and playing with kids--words from a wise mentor

But, before I get into all that, listen to some voices, Bible-saturated voices I've heard and been inspired by along the way.

Years ago, when I was serving in my first congregation (in Germany), I had gone on a visit to friends outside East Berlin. To spend what was left of the remaining East Germany currency. I headed to the Lutheran bookstore and bought some cheap knock-offs from West German publishers and then found one treasure--a slim paperback on the impulses in Luther for contemporary pastoral practice. Years later, this book (sadly unavailable in English) still fuels my thinking.

Eberhard Winkler wrote [my translation]: "The true work of the church, as the congregation of the coming Lord, is to pass on the gift of faith to people trapped and bent in a world of hopelessness. That will only happen as God awakens missionary workers, men and women to whom the truth of the Word of God has become so important that they want to pass it on in word and deed." The work of ministry is to build that kind of church.

John Stott quotes David Read, who had lamented a lack of conviction among people today about the gospel. "Have you anything to declare?" is the question often posed at customs check-points. An apt question, Read thought, for reluctant evangelists today. Stott goes on: "I thing there is no chance of the church taking its evangelistic task seriously unless it first recovers its confidence in the truth, relevance and power of the gospel, and begins to get excited about it again. For this, however, it Will have to return to the Bible in which the gospel has been revealed."

My friend, Steve Lund, passionate teacher of English literature and lover of Bach, encourages his Lutheran high school students: "Don't 'read' the Bible. Ransack it like a thief going through the drawers of a jewelry box."

The Gospel and Our Culture Network outlines the contours ("empirical indicators) of a 'Missional Church. One core missional conviction is: "The Bible is normative in this church's life. What it looks like: The church is reading the Bible together to learn what it can learn nowhere else--God's good and gracious intent for all creation, the salvation mystery, and the identity and purpose of life together. There are two commonly held expectations [in such missional congregations]: that we will seek to know the Scriptures, and that we will seek to become obedient to the Word which is revealed in the Scriptures."

One of my favorite Bible commentators, Dale Bruner: "Let us forget every other priority ...  until we read our Bibles daily and devotionally in the biblical languages [!], until our every sermon and lesson is the full translation, in words and spirit, of a paragraph of Scripture. Then both we and our people will be in the full windstream of the Spirit, who inspired and still inspires Scripture. ... If believing Christ is the way we ourselves are filled with the Spirit ... then interpreting Scripture is usually the main way that pastors are means of grace to the greater part of their people each week." Then he cites the great Luther scholar, Gerhard Ebeling: Luther's Reformation became a reformation in deed, not just in words, because Luther trusted only in the Word and not at all in deeds.

Oh, I dare not forget that other voice, the one we all heard as children: "Jesus loves me, this I know; for the Bible tells me so."

Next time, I'll start loking at some strategies for saturation.

More on an Anniversary

So, how does a congregation appropriately mark a pastor’s 25^th ordination anniversary? I don’t want to be ungracious. I’m genuinely appreciative of all the effort in putting together what turned out to be a wonderful day for me and my family. But every time a congregation sets out to do one of these “thank you moments,” there is huge risk of turning what is always supposed to be a public celebration of the gospel into an in-house Hallmark moment. It’s too easy already for churches to turn inward and ignore the guests and seekers we hope are showing up, too easy for public worship to be only a family moment. Listen to your announcements sometime and ask how many of them are intelligible to a first-time visitor. Now, think about what’s it’s like when the whole service becomes that kind of insider moment.

To even face the dilemma is probably a good thing. It means that the congregation cares about you, wants to acknowledge your ministry. In my case, they invited the bishop to preach. They wanted the whole thing to be a surprise. The original idea was to let me prepare to preach, indeed start my sermon and then have the bishop burst into the room to interrupt me. My associate intercepted that brilliant plan (reminding some leaders a sermon takes just a bit of time and preparation and can’t always just be stockpiled for any Sunday). So, in Plan B, the associate, who had just received the preaching schedule from me, came into my office and sheepishly asked if he could switch Sundays—said his grandma was coming into town and had never heard him preach. I bit. It turned out to be one if the funniest moments of this whole deal. I told the congregation, from now on, I’m watching it out if someone says grandma is coming—it could mean the bishop is on the way.

Bishops’ visits are usually “hold your breath” moments. I don’t mean that in the sense of fear and trepidation. Rather, you always wonder what the bishop is going to say. Will this be just another boiler-plate denominational stump speech or a travelogue from the ecumenical/ecclesiastical/interfaith junkets bishops seem to be on perpetually? In this case, my bishop acquitted himself nicely. On the one hand, it is surprising how little he seems to know about me—even stuff he could read in my files. But he covered himself by interviewing my wife ahead of time … and then asking my mother questions in the middle of his sermon. As I say, it’s hold your breath time! By the way, it was a wonderful thing for the congregation to fly in family for the weekend. Thankfully, my wife was able to overrule their idea of putting everybody in a hotel until the “surprise” Sunday morning.

Back to the bishop. I really did appreciate his use of my ordination texts to remind the congregation of our common calling as followers of Jesus. He ended up reiterating a theme I’ve tried to lift up repeatedly—our partnership in the gospel. That was nice. Whenever we resist the temptation to turn worship into something besides a time to hand on the good news, that’s reason to celebrate!

As it turned out, the best moments for me were the little surprises. When one woman came up to me and quietly thanked me for “touching my heart,” it was one more reminder of how God uses us in the most unexpected and hidden ways. How cool is that? Just when we’re whining again about how some big, splashy initiative isn’t garnering rave reviews or producing big numbers, we get a subtle nudge to remind us that the gospel is really about one life change at a time. Later, I read a note in a remembrance book from the same woman and was moved all over again. In a funny moment, one young girl sidled up to me and declared, “Pastor Art, you’re only 53 (who told?); that’s not so old. So, why does everyone keep calling you ‘senior’ pastor?”

 The day was soon over, and we all got back to just being the church, which is a really good thing. If it were up to me, if I were asked how I wanted such a milestone marked, I think I would want to just do what I do—gather with my brothers and sisters in Christ, sing a lot, preach the good news, share the Supper, and then, by all means, observe one of our very best traditions—the potluck!

Here’s how I’m marking the moment away from the public hoopla. I’m writing to each of the congregations I’ve served over my 25 years of ministry to say thanks to all the “Priscas” and “Aquilas” who helped me get it right along the way. One of the best things I’ve learned in recent years is from paying attention to the prayers of Paul. It’s so good we get to eavesdrop as he tells his friends and fellow Christians how he is regularly thanking God for them as he prays for them. So much better than just passing on compliments!

 

 

Evangelizing Our Kids

October 7, 2006

I've been thinking a lot about evangelism.

It's October, the month in my congregation when a lot of wonderful gospel celebrations come together. For us, everything in October points forward toward Reformation Sunday, the last Sunday of the month. It could be just a kind of Lutheran "4th of July," a time to look back, have a potluck, and be nostalgic about a day long gone when Lutherans had a higher public profile and more influence. Or, we can seize the opportunity to celebrate the continuing truth, power, and relevance of the gospel of God's grace. We can dream about and pray about "open door" opportunities for that gospel in the area we serve.

Even before we get to Reformation Sunday, in the middle of the month we'll welcome new members. They will stand up and reaffirm their desire to be faithful followers of Jesus and members of his church. We'll remind them of our mission to delight in the Lord. And we'll challenge them to pour themselves into spreading that delight.

On Reformation Sunday, we'll also celebrate confirmation--the day when our ninth graders stand up and publicly affirm their faith and commit themselves to following Jesus. AND, on the day when we remember the Reformers' stand for the gospel and devotion to the "Scriptures alone," we present a children's Bible to each of our second graders.

What a wonderful collision of gospel events! A whole month devoted to evangelism--a month for "giving away the gospel." as my colleague, Richard Webb, puts it. That's what all these events have in common. They're all about giving away the gospel. That's how kids get faith. That's how adults come to faith. And faith created by the gospel is what the Reformation was all about.

As I've been reflecting on this wonderful challenge of handing on the gospel, I've been drawn back to a favorite book: Walter Brueggemann's Biblical Perspectives on Evangelism. Brueggemann focuses on three different constituencies for evangelism:

• Helping outsiders become insiders (what most of us think of when we discuss evangelism).
• Helping forgetters become rememberers (the essential task of re-evangelizing members of the church, "insiders to the faith who have grown careless, weary, jaded, and cynical about the faith."
• Helping beloved children become belief-ful adults.

Get this book and devour it!

If you've tracked the thinking about youth and family ministry, you know how central Deuteronomy 6 is to the vision of passing on faith to our kids. It's fun to think about creative applications of this ancient counsel to use every time and every opportunity to give away the gospel to children. Have you looked, however, at the later verses of Deut 6? Brueggemann cites the work of Daniel Fishbane, writing on Deut 6:20-25, where we find yet another instance of a son asking a parent the reason for a worship celebration of a past event. The son means to distance himself from his parent--that shows up in the pronouns. "What is the meaning of the commandments which Yahweh has commanded you?" The parent answers, remembering the miracle of deliverance, "We were slaves."

Brueggemann: "The answer of the parent ... refuses the distance,and wants to extend the claim of the miracle so that it includes the child into a more comprehensive us. ... The strategy of the parent is important. The parent does not insist or coerce or assume too much. the parent continues instead to make the witness inclusive, choosing to ignore the son's distancing, and proceeding on the affirmation that the miracle is for "us." ... It is likely that the parent's insistence will prevail with the son only if and when the son has a personal experience which gives vitality to the category of miracle." (p. 102)

So, a whole month for rehearsing the gospel and for handing on the gospel ... and for reframing our ministry to our kids as evangelism.