The blog will probably be pretty quiet this week. I am going to be heading out for Pepperdine on Monday and I plan on absorbing as much as I can. In all likelihood I will throw some helpful things up via twitter through the week. I am going to be presenting two classes with Eric Brown entitled, “Where have all the 20s & 30s gone?: Practical ministry to a missing generation.” (Thursday and Friday at 8:30)
Thursday – Who they are, what they value/believe that has contributed to their departure from many congregations (the growing culture gap)
Friday – How to bridge the gap and reach out to this missing generation in ways that are meaningful and effective. It is hard to make disciples of people who don’t know (or even like).
I will also be doing a panel discussion on Thursday at 9:45 called, “Where are we going? A Conversation with Young Ministers on the Changing Nature of Church and Ministry”
If you are going this year I hope to see you there! If you want some good reading this week have a read through the Gospel of John 🙂
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Looking forward to meeting you in person Matt!
Several of us from the University Church of Christ in Tuscaloosa were planning on going, but we’ve all decided to stay here due to the tornados. Shon Smith, our preacher, was to teach a series of lessons, but he’s staying here to help with the disaster recovery.
Jay,
I was just thinking about you this morning at breakfast. I hope all is as well as can be expected in such a difficult time. I am glad to hear you are ok. I just had a look at your blog and got a little more updated.
God bless
Have a great time! I’m sure you’ll do a superlative job. Did I see correctly you are getting to be on a panel with Randy Harris? Too cool!
Maybe before deciding to change it we might define the church: since its curriculum and purpose has not changed just because of evolution and the Heisenburg uncertainty principle. 🙂
Hey Ken,
Any change we would endorse would just be about making the church more like the church of the New Testament, not less like it. Thanks for stopping by.
I know you don’t really know me, but i’m a long time follower of your blog and have utilized several of your small group lesson plans in our church. I’m looking forward to attending your class at Pepperdine. Its a topic our church greatly needs assistance with.
Lane,
Glad to hear you will be there! It seems like we knew some similar people like maybe Grant A? I can’t remember the exact connection. I look forward to meeting you!
Honestly, i don’t even remember the connection. I may have just found you from a couple of blog rolls, not sure. Whatever the connection, you’ve been a blessing to me.
I wish I could be there. I have to wonder if we would accept it if our quest toward a more biblical church and ministry led us away from what we’re doing now … what we’ve always done … because of our fear that it would condemn our current long-time practices as absolutely wrong rather than just best practices based on our knowledge at the time.
We have such a crippling fear of being wrong in a mindset where everything is either right or wrong and nothing is unspoken by God, left to our preference, weighed by effectiveness or considered in terms of whether it glorifies God and reaches people with the gospel.
I think the right/wrong thing is all about fear. If we could have been doing something or should have been doing something better or different the whole time it implies we had it wrong. We are bred to fear being wrong and so we often aren’t able to open up our eyes enough to make necessary, godly adjustments along the way. There can be a difference between being wrong on a particular issue and being outright sinful. To sin is to transgress the law. I can’t find the verse that says if we don’t all agree 100% that we are sinning.