SCD Ideas

On Tuesday I had one of those road warrior days where I pushed it on the edge of my travel schedule.  It started at 5:00 am with my drive to the airport in Nashville to get my flight to Chicago.  Once I arrived at Midway I had 90 minutes to get to the location for my meeting but I did not factor in the long line at the car rental counter.  Forty minutes later I was on my way and ended up 35 minutes late.  The meeting went well but being late is never a good idea. 

After a dinner meeting I headed back towards Midway and 90 minutes later found the hotel after a nail biting drive through unfamiliar freeways and city streets.  By end of the day, I was a frazzled, road weary traveler who was a victim of his own folly of putting too much into one day.

Finally, I got to my room only to find out it was occupied by another being.  At first I was startled — this had never happened to me before but then I saw the note.  It explained that Mr. Bubbles, a little gold fish swimming in a standard gold fish bowl, would be spending the night with me.  I was not to do anything for the fish as he had already been fed; I was just to enjoy his company. Strangely it worked.  Mr. Bubbles calm nature as he casually swam back and forth was a blessing. 

This week’s scripture reading has to do the Noah and the Ark.  While children think its a great story about animals and such, a careful  reading of the text points to its focus on obedience.  On the one hand there were those who had strayed so far from God that their every thought was immersed in violence and retribution.  Noah, on the other hand, was found to be a person of God and in the midst of the chaos of the world around him he listened to God and did as he was asked.  The ark saved his family and the animals that came aboard.  A new covenant was established and a new era of God’s relationship to humanity was begun.  In that story there is something to be said about our connection to nature — in our increasingly urban enviornments it seems we become too disconnected to the land and the world upon which we live.  Mr. Bubbles was a gentle reminder to me to give myself a break, to calm down, and to look at those things that both bring beauty into my life and connect me to God’s creation.  I hope some day when you are on  the road a Mr. Bubbles will remind you that God is with you, no matter where your feet may trod.

As United Methodist leaders gather in Fort Worth, Texas for the 2008 General Conference they will focus on a number of key issues related to the ongoing vitality of the denomination.  While the number of United Methodists has grown outside the United States, the U.S. Church has continued to decline in numbers.  In a paradoxical way, this ongoing loss of members is bringing leaders to a critical juncture in the life of the largest of the mainline denominations with just under 8 million members and over  34,000 local churches in the United States.  In order to connect with a younger, more diverse population it will need to have a major focus on starting new churches and revitalizing existing congregations. 
If you already have thousands of churches, why would you need more?  Because the population of the United States will grow by over 100 million people by 2050 and without new churches the UMC will not have an opportunity to offer ministry to a population that increasingly lives in urban America.
In 7 Myths of the United Methodist Church, I point out that in the best-selling book, The Tipping Point, the strategy of the John Wesley is highlighted.  Wesley realized that in order for people to grow in faith and practice as followers of Jesus Christ you have to create a community around them that would nurture them and encourage them in their faith journey.  Because of his strategy the Methodist movement exploded in the 1780s from 29 thousand to 90 thousand in the course of six years.  This principle holds true today.  Whether we are talking about Christian discipleship or educating our young people, without a community of people who care individuals easily get lost in our rapidly changing society.
The UMC is at another tipping point in its history.  While it is still strong and has great resources, by focusing on sharing the gospel to new generations of people both in the United States and around the world, it can create communities where individuals can flourish and mature in faith.  A choice for the future means focusing our efforts in a way that creates new faith communities that embrace newcomers with the grace and love of Jesus Christ.
For additional resources go to www.gbod.org\7myths

Its the week that High Seniors and their parents both anticipate and dread — they find out the colleges where they are accepted.  And for many more than in the past, who were rejected. 

A recent report in the NY Times says this year the elite colleges received the most applications in their history.  For example, the applications at Yale went from 12,000 in 1998 to over 22,000 in 2008.  As a result it accepted only 8.3 of its applications.  Harvard’s rate of acceptance was 7.1 or to put it another way, they rejected 93 out 100 applications.

Why the high numbers?  Because we are now entering the third year of the Youth Boom years of the Millennial Generation.  Millennials, born from 1982 to 1999, form our largest generation and next year the number of high school seniors will peak.  Today there are more children and youth in K-12 than at any time in our nation’s history.  As a result colleges are now reaching a numbers crunch when it comes to meeting the needs of this population.  In an ironic twist, the same thing is also happening in our prisons, as record numbers of young people under the age of 25 are now incarcerated in overpopulated jails and prisons.

While the mainline church as a whole is aging, a focus on ministry to young people and their families is essential as this new youth boom reaches its full bloom.  For its during youth booms that each new generation finds its voice and has great influence over the whole culture. 

If our passion is to create faith communities where people can discover the joy of following Jesus, we must engage our young people with the message of God’s redeeming grace and love.  Most people make decisions about faith and practice before the age of twenty-five.  This is not about saving the church, this is about connecting with a generation that is struggling with its place in our world and with individuals who find themselves devalued by institutions who are not equipped to meet their needs.  There is little time to waste.  Let us hope that it is not said in the future that in the first decade of the 21st Century the church rejected a whole generation at its greatest time of potential and opportunity.

Opening day with Vince Scully has been a Dodger tradition since the Dodgers moved to Los Angeles and had its first season in 1958.  For fifty years his golden voice has been the heart beat of the Dodgers.  From Sandy Koufax’s no-hitters to Steve Sax’s no-throws to first base, he has told it all.  One of the last of the old-time baseball announcers, he grew up in an era where the story was more important than the action on the field.  While baseball can be seen on TV, in many ways it is best experienced on radio.  As a kid there was nothing like settling down for the evening as I heard Scully’s voice reverberate with reference and passion as he decribed the game that was bigger than life.  

Many have wondered what unites Los Angeles, the huge metropolitan area that is bursting at the seams with millions of fans from around the world.  Baseball is now more than Americas game — it is truly international with some of its best players coming from Japan, Korea, and the Dominican Republic.   The team that brought Jackie Roberston to the field of play, the first American-American allowed into professional baseball, has a roster that spans the globe.  At 1:00 pm Pacific Time, Dodger fans across the world, whether in offices in Century City, or cars on the 101, or in Internet cafes in Tokyo will know the boys of summer are in action when they hear Scully announce the game.  While politicians, preachers, and stars have risen and fallen, one voice has remained a constant, making baseball more than just a game — in Scully’s hands it comes with parables about life.

One aspect of this can’t be ignored, this 80-year-old announcer has a lot to say to kids of all ages.  We may think that those over 70 have little to offer.  But in fact, when Scully reflects on the plays and players he has seen over the days of his career, he puts today’s game into a context that gives it meaning and purpose beyond the slide into second base or the single that sends home the winning run.   There is something to be said for those around us who can put our daily existence into a larger context of history and perspective.  So as you relish the opening day of the season, look for those around you who have lived a long life for they may have something to say to you that will put your life into perspective.  Words of wisdom, from whatever the source, should be cherished and held tight. 

This last week I had a planning session with the leaders of the New Church Tracks for this year’s school.  It was great to see how excited they are about teaching their tracks.  Candace Landsberry, who in now in the second year of her second new church start in Las Vegas, made the observation that the world has changed since she  started a church in Phoenix eight years ago.

Others in the group agreed.  Here are a couple of things they noted:

1.  People are more fearful — they are not willing to come to a stranger’s house to meet people.  This makes it hard to start small groups in people’s homes.  So you must look at Third Places — like Starbucks to meet people.

2.  Relationships are key — to gather people you must take the time to connect with individuals, like key leaders in the community to develop contacts. 
3.  Timing is important — people aren’t willing to wait too long before you launch worship.  12 to 15 months seems like the longest you can wait.

4.  People are suspicious of religion in general.  So just saying come to church does not attract.  You must give them a reason to want to be part of a faith community.  So saying you are United Methodist (this is my thought) can be a positive because it shows you are part of a larger organization — not just a fly-by-night operation.

These same comments can be heard by owners of movie theaters (see blog on the Oscars), restaurants, and malls  — people seem to be more and more reluctant to leave the safety and comfort of their homes.  About ten year’s ago we called this cocooning. Think about it — through the Internet and your home entertainment system you can bring the world to your home without having to leave.

So even if you are an experienced new church starter, you can’t keep doing the same things over and over again.  You need to adapt to climate of your community and create new ways to connect with people — not for the sake of building a church, but for the purpose of giving people the opportunity to hear of the love of Jesus, the love that truly transforms.

So what other changes are you seeing?  Help make a list by adding your comments.