Outsourcing God - book excerpt #21

In light of BLACK FRIDAY and CYBER-MONDAY, I thought it would be appropriate to share an excerpt from my book in progress, Outsourcing God. How does consumerism effect the church?

----------------------------------
(c) 2011 Ross Christopher Donaldson - Outsourcing God.

What is it about the weekly encounter we label “worship,” that causes such a stirring, such life change, or conversely nothing at all?

I believe that in our consumer-driven, materialistic society, we fall prey to the habitual re-creation of an entertainment encounter. And just because I use the term “entertainment,” doesn’t mean I’m referring to a particular style of encounter; contemporary, progressive, traditional, post-modern, blended, etc. Rather I’m referring to the fact that we try and dish out what gives “our people” what they want.

We spend an amazing amount of time calculating what will drive the numbers up and try and meet those expectations unequivocally. If that’s a rock band or pipe organ, we’ll do what brings in the numbers. After a season of positive encounters, we say that things are going well, budgets are in the right place, staffing is secure, and things are generally healthy. However, when these encounters leave us uneasy, we quickly blame the ministry staff, begin questioning the church’s stewardship, and eventually go down the road of, “oh, remember how things used to be…”

It’s a natural place to go. This line of thinking is very normal. However, the fact that we got there in the first place illuminates the real failure. The fact that we can, (in one week and one worship encounter), determine the encounter’s success by the ministry staff’s hard work, excellence and spiritual maturity, and the next week call it a failure, without any hesitation that just perhaps the encounter has something to do with how we arrive, the preparedness of our hearts, and the willingness of ourselves to be challenged, moved, and disrupted, shows how far the church has gone and how we’ve allowed the gods of culture to infiltrate.

Peace,
Ross

Borders = the Church (sort of)

I loved going into Borders bookstores, perusing books, magazines, and CDs. There was a two year stretch where I toured and performed at a lot of the Borders stores across the Midwest. But those days are over. Borders is closing (or rather, CLOSED).

Why?
And why devote a post to its closing?

Because I see a direct correlation between Borders and the Church...

Borders didn't close because it was selling the wrong books and CDs. It didn't close because the coffee bar wasn't as good as its competitor. Borders closed because it lost the battle of language.

Culture moved in the way(s) it communicated (if only by a small percentage) and Borders didn't speak the language. It lagged in its ability to communicate, and now its closed because of its obsolescence.

Okay, delete Borders and insert Church.

For years now we have been provided data and sobering statistics regarding the future of the Church.

It's dwindling. Church attendance is primarily generational and familial. So what's wrong with that? The generational drop and departure from the Church is nearing 90%. The family is getting exponentially smaller, and a generational approach will not last.

So, am I saying the Church will die?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!

Because the Church is not defined by fancy buildings, stained glass windows, contemporary services, or traditional liturgies. The Church is a movement that cannot be defined by brick and mortar.

HOWEVER, I believe the future will look vastly different than what comes to mind today. It will look vastly different because the language has changed. And just like Borders, the Church has lagged in the language game.

Though Borders closed, people will continue to read books (though the format may change, and change again). Borders was simply the brick and mortar behind literary and artistic distribution.

The Church that emerges (I believe) will be a healthier and more vibrant force that is about living the gospel through relationships, justice, and grace.

Many will say that the Church died. But the Church can't die.
Buildings can. Styles can. Denominations can. But the Church will not.

The Church was birthed by 12, and we must never forget that.

Let's use Borders as a cultural lesson that language, pace, and context is of vast importance. The vibrance of the local church will be defined by its ability to speak the same language of its city.

The future of the Church will be in creating culture, not merely responding to it. And for that, I am hopeful!

Peace,
Ross

The Inseparability of Mission. [PART 1.2]

A couple of weeks ago I promised a series of entries on the concept of mission. We've had a couple posts, but I promise more now that my writing is finished. (I just dropboxed my final papers for my Spring semester classes, so now I have a bit more time to roll this out) Whew!

I believe that as a member of humanity, we cannot be separated from mission. I believe mission is occurring all around us, has been occurring since creation began, and is the inevitable consequence of time and creation.

We can however be unaware as well as participatory-antagonists to the mission; to restoration and shalom.

But we are ALL players!

Check in, and chime in with your thoughts...

Peace,
Ross

Book Excerpt #14

Here's another quick excerpt from my upcoming book, Outsourcing God. In this excerpt we can see the all-to-familiar problem of what outsourcing responsibility and roles within the context of the Church can do the body.

-------------------------------------------

...It is far too easy for us to parcel out our ministry responsibilities, tasks, and voices to staffed, paid, professionals. We make no distinction between faith and consumerism. And if we’re not careful, we wind up treating our leadership positions as if they were telemarketing firms or IT consultants.

But this doesn’t happen over night. It’s a culmination of culture, movement, laziness, vision, and pace, all working in tandem over time to affect every single aspect of how people see and follow God. Because God is inextricably linked to the way the Church behaves, it ineffectually becomes the same.

This is a conundrum of the Church.



Peace,
Ross

Book Excerpt #13 (Vision)

It's been WAY to long since I've posted a book excerpt from Outsourcing God. This one takes us into the 3rd part of the book. Part 3 focuses on Vision (possibly the most important thing discussed). So here ya go...excerpt #13 from my upcoming book, Outsourcing God.

© 2010 Ross Christopher Donaldson. Outsourcing God.

In the book of Proverbs it warns, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18). There’s no beating around that bush. It’s about as clearly stated as anything I’ve read in the bible; and that’s because it’s absolutely true.

It’s funny (or sad) to me how many churches, organizations, and businesses have these huge, well-written, almost poetic, vision statements. These statements should be leading the charge and directing the strategies and motion of the masses, but from my observations, typically the vision is only understood by a very select few at the top. And the effect is dissatisfied and frustrated leaders and confused members, employees, and patrons.

You see, without a clear vision, everyone is left up to their own interpretations, gimmicks, causes, and eventually you’ll find yourself spread so thin you’re accomplishing nothing. In saying that, I fully understand that the causes can be really great causes; that the gimmicks may really work; and that the interpretations may be pure. But in the end, lack of clear vision will disrupt true progression, unity, and you’ll be left sorting out a mess.

Thanks Walt!

What can we learn from Walt Disney?

Mind you, this/he isn't my normal litmus test for learning or leading or dreaming or anything really. But today I heard a story about Walt (can I call him Walt?) that resonated and really hit home.

Apparently when Walt Disney introduced a new idea to his board, if at first there was no big push-back, he dumped the idea. That was his cue that it wasn't bold enough!

Brilliant!!!

How easily we fall into plateau and mediocrity, because we're afraid of conflict, ruffling feathers, and the unknown. This stale-ness of inaction and limited dreams is intoxicating and cripples us day after day, week after week, and year after year. It slowly lulls us into an abyss of comfort that we'll never recover from.

So, unless we dream big, vision-cast exponentially, and are willing to take big risks (even at the cost of failure), we will fail to live truly bold lives. I don't know about you, but plateau, mediocrity, and status quo kill me, and leave me empty and robbed.

Thanks Walt!

-Ross