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How to Keep those Pesky Megachurches from Stealing Your Sheep

Chris —  March 7, 2013 — Leave a comment

Over at the Reclaiming the Mission blog, I’ve thrown in my two cents in an debate between David Fitch & Ed Stetzer. This disagreement is over Ed’s data about megachurches and sheep stealing. Stetzer claimed that

about 44% of new members at megachurches are from other local churches– not 60%, not 70%, and definitely not 95%. I hear people saying 90% and I agree that’s a myth. (But it is still way too high… just like so many other churches.)

I wish it were 0%, and every person that joined a megachurch was formerly without Christ, but the fact is that people do transfer between churches. Yet, I don’t know of any research or real evidence (beyond “but I KNOW it is true, Ed”) that megachurches transfer more out of local churches, destroying them while benefiting their own growth.

Fitch argued that the data was suspect, but ceded the point that small churches are just as guilty.  His larger point was that

The real proof that mega churches are merely playing in a game of Christian musical chairs is the fact that on a macro basis, the percentage of Christians attending a church over the whole country is still on a slow decline.

So in their friendly debate, they could agree that there were too many church transfers.  The immediate question I asked is why is it people don’t want to stay?  Why are they not so passionate about their community and their role within it that they can’t imagine being anywhere else?

Fitch and his team over at the Reclaiming the Mission blog have been kind enough to post my thoughts on “Three Ways to Keep Your Sheep From Getting Stolen.”  Here’s a slice:

It would be easy to write off church hopping as a cultural phenomenon.  You could even cite the individual for a lack of spiritual maturity.  But churches have a responsibility as well.

Imagine if your sheep were so deeply committed to your church that it would be hard to accept a job offer in a new city.
Imagine if there was such a level of commitment that they would be willing to put up with poor preaching and bad music.

Church hopping and sheep stealing doesn’t have to be inevitable.  But it will require doing at least three things differently.
(Read the rest here.)

What about you have you ever left a church?  Why did you leave?  What would make a church worth staying at?

Updated: The article was reposted here by churchleaders.com, which inspired a great discussion.

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50/50 is a Great Movie if You Wear One of Those “I ♥ Boobs” Bracelets

Chris —  October 12, 2011 — Leave a comment

Seth Rogen has made a name for himself with a series of comedies that prove to be both thoughtful and raunchy.  50/50 ups the ante, by taking on a subject that may be one of the last taboos in our society: cancer.  It follows the story of Adam, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who is diagnosed with spinal cancer in his late 20s.

Cancer simply serves as the catalyst for the movie’s real focus: adult relationships in the 21st century.  Rogen plays the same foul-mouthed-over-sexed manchild that he plays in all of his movies.  Gordon-Levitt’s character is a likable, nerdy, introverted guy who tries to “fix people.”  The movies is a series of awkward moments focusing on people’s inablity to deal with the elephant in the room: impending death.

The charm of the movie is also it’s fatal flaw, it introduces a number of difficult issues, without really dealing with them.  Gordon-Levitt is cheated on, yet bounces back with a sweeter girlfriend.  His estranged relationship with his parents ends in him learning to pity them, rather than reconciling.

But most of all, the movie somehow fails to address it’s premise, the tragedy of mortality.  Gordon-Levitt never tries to set his house in order, and barely grieves over his lost dreams.  In choosing to make the movie about winning the fight against cancer, it fails to reach the depth intended.  The movie reminds me of those pink “I ♥ Boobs” bracelets, that may be a great fundraiser, but also make light of a heartbreaking reality.

The movie’s shortcoming fits well into a generation that has left nothing sacred.  We convince ourselves that sex is just about fun and commitment is out of fashion, yet we find ourselves alone.  When we choose to run away from roots and families to hip cities (yes, I know I’m blogging this from Austin), yet we struggle to find solace in communities based on hobbies or partying.  And death?  Don’t worry about it.  We’ll beat that eventually.

Philosopher Stanley Hauerwas talks about how, in a secular world, we have replaced spiritual communities with “churches” of sports or television or beer.  These “churches” may provide distraction and relationships, yet they don’t have the ability to deal with the realities of life and death.  And despite being the fact it’s probably the funniest movie ever mad about cancer, neither does 50/50.

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Life is Good.

Chris —  October 3, 2011 — Leave a comment

Life is Good.

It’s true that life is tough. And when you realize that it’s tough, it gets a little better. It’s hard not to get lost in the darkness. Suffering is immediate rich and important in a way that our small daily joys pale against.

Which is why it is essential to remember that life is good.

As I was leaving the Emmanuel Orphanage in Delhi, Lakshmi, a six year old girl with piercing blue eyes clung to me and cried “Uncle, Uncle!” She, and all those around hre had been abandoned and persecuted their entire young lives, but they still knew how to love deeply, in a way I struggle to remember. Life is good.

I know a guy who begrudgingly gave the keys of his car to a single mom he barely knew for two weeks. They are good friends now.  Life is good.

A friend of mine has often thought that the only way he could ever get a “good girl.” He felt like the only ones interested had different values and would treat him poorly. Then he met a girl, and has been attached to her at the hip ever since. Seeing them together is life seeing something that was always meant to be. Life is good.

Another friend of mine went to a foreign country to work with an NGO. His work was interupted when his teammates were captured, and he had to spend to next few months there negotiating their release.  As heartwrenching as that was, he also sees it as the most important thing he has ever done. He took a furlough to recover, and is returning calmer, closer to God, and more excited about discipleship than ever. Life is good.

I get depressed sometimes. This summer was one of those. In the midst of that, I got a small, unexpected gift that helped shake me out of my myopic viewpoint. Life is good.

The scriptures teach when God created the world he called it good. When he created man, he called man really good. Then, sin wrecked all of that. Twisted and misshapen, like a fun house or a computer photobooth. But when we look behind the brokenness, we get to see that there is a heart wrenching beauty to it all.

The scriptures teach that this is not the way it was meant to be. Life is meant to be good. God has restored, is restoring and eventually will restore in full.

In time, the heartwrench will be over, and all we will see is that Life is Good.

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Three Things Twenty-Somethings Need From Church

Chris —  July 5, 2011 — 10 Comments

I was recently taking part in a discussion at David Fitch’s blog, and was posed the following question: Why is that twenty-something seminary types (such as myself) have trouble stomaching being on staff at a traditional church? Here’s my brief answer that I may expand on later:

Are you familiar with the concept of “brain drain?” It’s when a small town’s best and brightest go off to college, never to return. They are overqualified for their small town’s job market, and accustomed to a broader world. In a very real way, they “can’t go home again.”

That’s my experience with church. Growing up I was taught a very specific set of legalistic doctrines. Now, I have a few college degrees, a taste for beer, an understanding of evolution and more than few homosexual friends. My generation needs a church that wrestles with my reality.

Briefly here’s 3 things I need from a church:

1. Why not How. Donald Miller once said something along the lines of “we were asking questions like ‘why am I here?’ and getting answers like ‘here’s how to have a great marriage.’”

2. Action Oriented. Most of my generation would agree with Gandhi’s infamous statement “I like your Jesus, not your Christians.” I would like to be a part of community that is more concerned with doing what Jesus said than some of the unsavory things the church has been known for lately.

3. Deep Community. Keller said something along the lines of “chastity is impossible outside of community.” There is no reason nor foundation to live like Christ if you do life alone. Cool music and a good small group isn’t enough. We need sacrificial, intensely interconnected relationships.

Do you agree?  What would you add to the list?

 

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MAGL Review

Chris —  May 18, 2011 — 2 Comments

My last two weeks were spent in Colorado Springs, Colorado at the campus of Fuller Colorado, an extension of Fuller Theological Seminary.  The time was spent participating in two courses as a part of my Master’s of Arts in Global Leadership.  The MAGL gathers students from Churches and Mission Agencies across denominations and around the world.  The degree plan focuses on leadership, adult education and organizational dynamics.  Because the degree is aimed at practitioners in the field it is made up of a unique combination of online classes and week long intensives.

Our first week was a class called “Character, Community and Leadership.”  The majority of the time was spent hearing the stories of our fellow cohort members.  Stories about growing up in Liberia, or Korea or France.  Stories about faithful parents that raised kids to be missionaries.  Stories about drug dealers that met Jesus.  Stories about moving across the world because of a sense of calling.  In light of our own journeys we discussed what makes or breaks a leader, and how to help people grow to look more like Jesus.

The second week was spent relearning how to read the Bible in a class titled “Biblical Foundations of Mission.”  We looked at the over arching story of how God interact with his creation.  We saw that he loves the nations of the world and the world itself.  We followed how Abraham and his children displayed God’s kingdom to their neighbors.  We studied Jesus fulfilled the role of Abraham’s children to be a blessing to all nations.  We delved into Paul’s message of how all people are reconciled to each other through Jesus.  We glimpsed God’s grand plan to renew all things in a fresh, grand garden.

As good as the classes were, any of us would tell you that the academics had very little to do with what they got out of our time together.  Our cohort is made up of people who believe that there is more to life than the American (or Korean, Liberian, Libyan or Canadian) dream.  It is made of people who live as aliens and strangers in this world.  We’re committed to the belief our neighbors, friends and communities would be better off if they knew about Jesus.  In many ways, it is made up of lonely people, who have followed a calling that has taken them far from home.

Perhaps the biggest take away was the sense of relief when you realize “I’m not crazy!”  There are people who are also passionately living out their faith in a way that leads them to the ends of the earth.  Now, we know who those people are, and we can pray for them by name.

 

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