Monthly Archives: October 2007

A Humble View of The Gathering

I love this quote from a Wittenburg Door Interview with Rob Bell, pastor of Mars Hill church in Michigan.

We say, “This isn’t the church, this is a church service. It’s just an hour where we have some teaching, some singing and you’ll hear about things in the community.” If there are 43 “one anothers” in the New Testament‚Äîserve one another, carry one another’s burden’s, confess to one another‚Äîyou can only do a couple of those in a church service. Until you have a community that you are journeying with, please don’t say you are a part of this church. You just come to a gathering.

Wow, isn’t that true. Our church services are just “a gathering.”

Who is it that I’m journeying with? Well, there’s my wife, Pam. I’m sure our joint ministry takes in a good number of those “one anothers.” (I spent a good deal of time trying to figure out how to word that sentence without eliciting smirks from people with dirty minds; if you smirked, then I obviously under-estimated your depravity.) The worship team at Anchor is the group I’m closest to, the people I’m most likely to open up with. So perhaps our Thursday night practice is more “church” than what happens on Sunday morning.

Anyway, we all need to not think too highly of what happens at the Sunday Morning Big Show, and to recognize that what happens in people’s lives the rest of the week is what really counts. Of course, we all know that, so unlike most of my posts, I’m not delivering any Grand New Insight.

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Random Monday Catchup Thoughts

  • On Friday I had lunch with Evan McBroom, who heads a Christian communications consulting firm called Fishhook, out of Indianapolis. It’s always fun talking with someone else in my field. I’ve spent my whole career working, basically, alone when it comes to people in my areas of expertise. Nobody with whom to talk shop. Evan’s a great guy with lots of expertise and what sounds like a first-rate staff.
  • I really like Bruce Springsteen’s new album. Downloaded it from iTunes.
  • The Colts are doing a lot better than I expected this year, considering all the folks they lost. But they’re humming right along.
  • Pam and I are watching the third season of “The Office,” which came out on DVD a few weeks ago. That is such a hysterical show. Last night I dreamed that I was working for The Missionary Church denomination, and that Jim (from the Office) was their bookstore manager. No sign of Pam the receptionist.
  • A terrible injustice occurred last week on “Dancing with the Stars.” The fellow who got booted, some model whose name I don’t even know, was among the best and certainly the most entertaining. And they kept Wayne Newton? He of the plastic face, the result of way too many facelifts?
  • On Saturday Pam and I traveled to Mason, Mich., to attend one of the Lay Training Events our denomination is holding in six different regional settings. Probably 40 people attended, plus another dozen in the youth tract. Pat Jones, our Director of Healthy Church Ministries, led the sessions, and he had lots of good stuff and superb stories.
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Discomfort in Foreign Pews

What is most important to a first-time visitor to your church? David Zimmerman, writing on Church Marketing Sucks, says, “First-time visitors care most about not embarrassing themselves.” He then gives some examples of what a visitor might fear:

  • How they are dressed. Too casual, or too dressed-up?
  • Will their kids acts up and make a scene?
  • Will they get confused and stand up at the wrong time?
  • When the offering is taken, will they feel pressured to give?

Zimmerman mentions how some churches ask visitors to stand. I haven’t seen that since college, when a UB church here in Huntington had visitors stand and introduce themselves (for the record, it didn’t make me uncomfortable then, but would now). He also mentions attending a church that reversed it, asking the regulars to stand and the visitors to remain seated. He then found himself “surrounded by towering members in this intimidating church, each hanging over me as they offered me an obligatory welcome and handshake.” Yeah, that would make me claustrophobic.

Here are some other things that can cause a visitor some anxiety or awkwardness.

  • As you enter the church, someone shakes your hand and states a boilerplate welcome, and then goes on to the next person. You’re left standing by yourself, feeling conspicuous and wondering, “Where do I go now?” Contrast that with a greeter who sticks with you, shows you around, and genuinely takes an interest in you.
  • Uh oh, they’re doing communion. What’s the procedure? Do I need to get out of my pew and go somewhere? Can visitors even take communion here or do you need to be a member? Do I drink and eat as soon as I get the elements, or do I wait? I need to watch everyone closely to make sure I don’t screw it up.
  • Standing around by yourself, waiting for the service to star. Nobody comes up to speak to you, even though it’s obvious you’re a visitor. You feel sooo conspicuous.
  • As a lifelong church attender, I know that people stake out regular pews. I’m afraid of sitting in someone else’s “personal” place. At a UB church some years ago, an older couple gave me a bothered look, because I apparently took “their” pew. Hey, I’m sorry.
  • If the church has a greeting time during the service, this can be a nice thing. But it can also be terribly awkward if you’re a visitor and people still ignore you. Or if they give you a quick “Nice to have you” welcome, and then turn to someone else–a regular, someone they know–and begin talking about how their week went.

At any event, I’m always hyper-conscious of how I’m dressed. Am I over-dressed, or under-dressed? I need to get over that, but at age 50, it’s pretty ingrained and I’m not sure my apparent low sense of self can conquer this persistent insecurity.

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Isiah Thomas – Beyond His Abilities

Isiah Thomas was a phenomenal basketball player with an engaging personality. But his post-NBA career has been an example of living above your competency. He hasn’t shown success in anything he’s done–a couple GM positions, a couple coaching position. He killed an entire basketball league when he helped buy it (the Continental league, which had a team here in Fort Wayne). And now his stupidity has cost his employer $12 million. And he’s still young, with many years in which to wreak further havoc.

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