Tuesday, January 23, 2007

Meet the Millenials

Meet the Millenials

Very interesting article from Christianity Today! Here's some quotes that caught my attention:

"• For a while, I stopped going to church, and just decided I'm going to read my Bible, and that's going to be my church. Every time I went to church, I just felt like a stranger standing among strangers.

But I finally found a church. … I did everything I could there because I really felt like they were family. I felt like there was a reason for me being there. And I knew that the pastor cared about me and my life. If I ever missed, I'd have people calling me to make sure everything was okay … asking if there was anything they could do. ... —Jen (senior)"

"Our parents succeeded if they made a lot of money and owned things," says Jen Clark, a 2005 graduate of Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. "While our age group likes money and things too, we measure ourselves more by how we make a difference in the world."

"Unfortunately, says church researcher Thom Rainer, many church leaders don't challenge their flocks. Content to stay status quo, they create worship services that are merely watched and stale ministry programs that require little sacrifice or effort from those who participate in them."

"• In 2006, the iPod surpassed beer as the most popular thing on campus."

So this leads me to wonder:
as a leader how am I doing at, really caring about those that come out to our ministry/ church?

What more can be done to make a difference in the world and not just "do church"?

How can invite people to grow from being "watchers" of church, to being willing to participate and even sacrifice in serving?

When can I upgrade and get a real ipod (or iphone *drooling*) instead of my shuffle!

posted by Jesse @ 12:14 p.m. 0 comments

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Where is your "home"

I'm in the process of reading a book by Erwin Mcmanus called Soul Cravings". I made this comment on his website about an idea in one of his chapter/ entries:

"I just finished Entry 8 on “Love Lost and Abandonment” and I must say the idea of “home” being found in our relationshipes really hit home to me (no pun intended lol). I think there’s incredible truth to that idea. For me, my sense of “home” the last few years has been found in the Young Adults group that I led, and in the pastoral team we had at our church in Vernon BC. In the last year numerous things have come to disrupt those things in my life, and I couldn’t quite nail why it was that I was feeling “lost” being the only staff member to remain, while everyone else was gone, and seeing young adults leave for college, and being the one still at home. I guess I’ve realized that I was finding my sense of home in those relationships, and without those - the sense of loss/ lostness (if that’s a word) was quite great. I’m not to sure how to resolve this yet, but I just wanted to say that this Entry made me realize in part what I’ve been going through this past year. So thank you for that!"

If we find our sense of "home" through our relationships, maybe that's why some people find it easier to move around. Their relationships aren't geographically based, as I think has been the way things have been in the past. So location doesn't necessarily equal "home". It's a interesting thought for me.

EDIT: Here's a good quote from Erwin's book "Home is ultimatly not about a place to live but about the people with whom you are most fully alive. Home is about love, relationship, community, and belonging, and we are all searching for home."

posted by Jesse @ 12:53 p.m. 14 comments