Monday, June 28, 2010

The turn out

When, as we almost always ask "How was the turn out?" as the first question after an event, what do we mean?

"How well did you do spreading the idea of what you were doing?"

"What did you learn about the people you were trying to reach?"

"How well do you understand what has value for your team?"

"What are you going to do differently next time you do this?"

"Any good stories?"

"What happened?"

"Why?"

Or it is about something else?

What is this turn out?

And why are we so consumed by it?

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Capacity and Trust

For close to six years, my church's ability to produce ice at a rate over and above what we would ever need was never questioned. Once for a very big event, I knew that we had to "stock pile" ice in bags to make sure we would have enough.

But last week, an outside group our church hosted helped themselves to some ice from our main ice maker. They took every cube of ice in the maker unaware of the ice requirements of our organization. An ice machine panic set in the likes of which we had never seen. The day camps- too of them would need ice. There was a dinner of twenty or so guest that day which would require ice. There suddenly seemed to be ice needs coming from everywhere. Now that one of our four ice machines was emptied, we most likely would never have enough ice. The efficiency of a couple of the other ice machines were questioned. Who knew how long it would take for the ice machine to recoup it's inventory.

I almost expected to turn on CNN and see ICE SIEGE DAY 1 on a screen crawl.

I realize all rational thought about our actual ice needs and our capacity and how to best provide the ice required by our church and other groups would not quell the wide spread panic of the threat to our ice supply.

Trust had been violated.

If they had only asked.

If they hadn't taken every single ice cube.

Or maybe if they explained what they needed the ice for. That it was for the same thing we used the ice for just in a different manifestation. Tell us before you scoop out every last cube about the positive life change that the ice is going to lead to.

If they had just asked how much ice we had versus what our capacity for producing ice was and then determined how their need for ice fit into our ice demand level and production capacity. Perhaps we could have directed them to good suppliers for outsourcing their ice needs to.

But the trust thing.

Often when ministries and groups argue and squabble over resources we point to low expectations for the ministry combined with a lack of boundaries established for operating as an organization.

But it also points to not understanding one another.

And it's not just about ice. It's about facility space, pulpit support, bulletin font size, budget, and general interest by the staff and leadership.

If we don't understand each other and what we do and why, all these things become a zero sum game. And we are doomed to panic, fear, and animosity for one another.

But with clear understanding of one another's needs, desires, motivations, and willingness to produce; our capacity for ministry, positive life change, and yes, ice approaches infinity.

Just when you think there is no way to give everyone even a little bit, there will be more than enough to satisfy everyone with plenty leftover.

But it's up to us to help them find it.

Trust me.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Share the Gospel-use silence when necessary

Which of the following should be disqualified as a scriptural basis for missions?
Genesis 12:1-2. The call of Abram
Psalm 96:3 A Psalmist's declaration of God's glory
Matthew 4:19 Jesus's call to his first disciples
Mark 6:7 Jesus's sending of the twelve disciples
Matthew 5:14 A metaphor about being using salt and light
John 20:21 Jesus sends his disciples as he was sent
Matthew 28:19 The Great Commission
Acts 1:8 ...witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Acts 11:26 Disciples first called Christians
Acts 22:21 Paul's commission to the Gentiles

It is important as missions moves into a new enlightened era where we see our most effective evangelism tool efforts to engage social action endeavors such as construction, medical care, vacation Bible school, and food and hygiene programs in the hopes that those we serve will then ask us why we do these things. This moment will open the door for us to plant the seeds of salvation.

Perhaps any and all of the above scriptural bases for this type of approach.
So when someone asks why we do missions, our reply might be:
God calls each of us in our own way to create a nation, God is good all the time- just try it and you'll see, we are all called by Jesus in one way or another to follow him, we are fishers of men (but are we catch and release?), we have to tell the story or we will be cast aside, Jesus is counting on me, the Bible says it and so I better do it, we have to be God's witnesses everywhere, we are Christians and that's what we do.

So just to make the exercise interesting, James S. Lowry, in his essay in Hope for the World p. 102 asks us to consider one more scriptural basis for missions:

Mark 16:8 News of risen Christ leaves believers dumbstruck.
From which Lowry develops the following approach to missions:

"Into the silence, I was called to wonder and discover what the resurrection of Christ means."

Would you build your next mission trip around that?

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Director of Ministry Success

I heard a presentation today at a college orientation by an individual whose title was Director of Academic Success. It seems her job is to make sure that the 3000 students of the university are...successful, you know, academically.

She pulls out all the stops at it. Charting mid term grades and standing at the ready to email or call students producing unsatisfactory work. She'll talk to resident assistants, professors, parents, advisers, and whoever else is necessary to make sure the students have every opportunity to succeed.

I might try to introduce myself at the staff meet and greet for new members of our organization as the Director of Ministry Success.

I, I'll explain, do every thing within my power to make sure you are successful in your ministry.

What exactly would that mean?

I would have to establish some means of determining how well the freshman church members are doing at their ministry.

What if they don't have a ministry?

What if they don't want a ministry?

Why would students be at a college if they didn't want to learn?

Would people join a church if they didn't have or want a ministry?

What about a calling, then?

Director of Calling Discernment Success.

I'll be visiting with you from time to time to make sure you are finding your comfort zone and then proceeding to step out of that comfort zone sufficiently to allow God's spirit to bring you in to fresh understandings love and grace.

I'll visit you at your home and work to get to know you better so that I can invite you to only the things that I'm sure you will find valuable. I'll ask you to do difficult things. And to struggle. And to take on the sorrows of others for no real advantage to yourself.

If I don't hear from you for a while, I'll email you or call you and say, Hey, what's going on?

I'll talk to your former Ministry Team chair and see if she has any insight into why you shut down sometimes.

We'll keep working at it until we find out what role you play or will play in God's reconciliation to and redemption of the world.

Man, I would love to be a Director of Calling Discernment Success.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Be extraordinary and the extraordinary will happen

When a group of people get together to do something, there often seems to be a period of time where the individuals are doing what they want to do without too much regard for whether or not what they are doing, saying, or thinking is best for the group.

The result is that people often get their feelings hurt, and people become worn down, snap at one another, exclude people and become themselves disconnected.

Usually it seems, something extraordinary happens collectively to the group or individuals simply get to know and understand each other better and a few members of the group start to put what is best for the group over what they feel is best for them and then magic happens.

I've heard in combat situations when soldiers become close and committed to one another that to be wounded or even killed is preferred to causing a buddy to be wounded or killed.

That moment makes the whole thing worthwhile. It seems elusive and happens organically and often unexpectedly.

So we plan for it. Work toward it. And hope it happens.

Oddly, it seems you don't even know it happened until it's over.

Sometimes the hardest position to fill is the first person to put the needs of the group ahead of her own.

There is no guarantee that it'll be contagious, but usually if you can find or be that person, you will have found the extraordinary thing to happen to your group.