I won’t mention the obvious listens like This American Life or Radiolab. Chances are if you don’t listen to them already it’s because you don’t own earbuds.

If you are a Church Planter, Pastor or just a reflective follower of Jesus, you should be listening to the following podcasts:

10. Pray as You Go

About a year and a half ago, I discovered a new level of anxiety I didn’t know how to handle. One of the lifelines I found was the Pray as You Go Podcast. Produced by British Jesuits, this daily Lectio Divina podcast has become central to my daily spiritual practice.

Where to Start: Anywhere! However, I recommend subscribing to the podcast instead of using their website or app.

9. The Liturgists

Unless you have a time machine, you’re probably ministering to “post-Christendom.” Almost everyone I know in my age cohort has had to reconcile the faith they received a very, very different post-modern world. The Liturgists follows David Gungor and Science Mike as they rebuild their faith in Jesus after stints with atheism.

Where to start: Episode 2—Genesis & Evolution

8. Sermonsmith

My co-conspirator at Austin Mustard Seed delves into the process of preparing to preach. As a busy bi-vocational guy, having a clear process is essential for anyone who wants to have something meaningful to say.

Where to start: Brian Zahnd

7. Robcast

Whatever happened to that proto-hipster Pastor who lost his platform for having doubts about Hell? He moved to California, took up surfing and got a job working for Oprah. Rob Bell has spent the last few years surf and deconstructing, now he’s back with a Podcast! This isn’t like the old Mars Hill sermons—it’s more like the notes from Rob’s own therapy sessions.

Where to start: Episode 3 | Receipts

6. Serial

If you don’t know what Serial is, where have you been? Besides just being an incredible feat of true crime storytelling, Serial is a portrait of 21st century, post-white American youth culture. Stop everything you’re doing and listen to it now. Where to start: Listen to the whole thing from beginning to end!

5. Seminary Dropout

Host Shane Blackshear describes it as halfway between seminary and youth camp. Shane talks to brilliant thinkers as an equal, drawing out their hopes and intentions. Every interview is insightful, even if you haven’t heard of the guests.

Where to start: Scot McKnight Part 1 and Part 2

4. You Made it Weird

Pete Holmes has a bit in his stand-up that his natural skill set only allows him to be either a youth pastor or a stand-up comedian. After a painful divorce and a lot of deconstruction, Pete is carving out a comedy career and rediscovering his faith. In each episode, Pete asks comedians to describe their opinion on comedy, sex and God.

Where to start: Zach Galifianakis or Dana Carvey

3. Reply All

Simply put, it’s a show about the internet. The two guys that created TLDR for On the Media jumped ship for Gimlet. The fact is, much of our life takes place on the internet today. It’s crucial to think missionally about the internet.

Where to start: An App Sends A Stranger To Say I Love You

2. Tear Gas and Gumdrops

When I said “Hey Kyle, we should have a podcast. What do you want to call it?” He said “Tear Gas and Gumdrops, because ministry is really tough, but it’s really good, too.” We try to be brutally honest about church planting, youth ministry, and our own—often painful—journey. Take a listen, subscribe on iTunes and tell your friends.

Where to start: Secrets I’m Afraid to Tell My Church or Unwanted? Single Christians in a Church for Married People

1. Startup

If you ever think you want to plant a church, listen to this podcast. If you ever think you want to start anything, listen to this podcast. If you like good stuff, listen to this podcast. Alex Blumberg captures his journey of leaving This American Life to start his own network. He takes the microphone everywhere, captures tons of blunders, and somehow manages to get a his company off the ground.

Where to start: Listen to the whole thing from beginning to end!

What do you think? What else should we be listening to?

The post Top 10 Podcasts Church Planters Should Hear appeared first on Chris Morton.

In you, Lord my God,
I put my trust.
I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.
Psalm 25:1-3

The Poet begs that God deliver him from shame.

I find it interesting that he does not ask outright for success. He doesn’t beg God for a win. He says don’t let me be ashamed.

The Fear of Shame

What is it about shame that is so terrible it sends us begging for God’s help?

What he’s describing here is a public humiliation. Think Hawthorne’s The Scarlett Letter, where the protagonist Hester Prinn gets pregnant out of wedlock and is marched down the street with a red letter A sewed to her bodice. Perhaps a more relevant example comes from dogshaming.com.

The poet is begging God for victory so that he won’t be humiliated.

Shame begins as a social construct. It’s used by families, communities, churches, schools and anywhere you can find a group of people to respond when someone behave the wrong way. But it doesn’t stop there.

Shame buries itself deep in our psyche. The scars of previous shame experiences can cause us to avoid opportunities of lead us down dark road.

Fear of being shamed leads to lying. We withhold our opinion or desires because of the fear of shame that someone will disagree and ridicule us.

Fear of shame leads us to isolation. I knew a woman who was very involved in a church community until she lost her job. She stopped showing up because she was afraid of the shame of having to answer the question “what do you do?” Fear of shame leads to inaction. I’ve known single men and women who were afraid to ask someone out on a date for the fear of the shame of rejection. I’ve known married couples who avoid sharing their true selves for the same reason fear of the shame of rejection.

Finally, shame and the fear of shame lead to numbing. We get sucked into wasteful behaviors and addictions to avoid the quiet moments where we hear the voice of shame.

Defining Shame vs. Guilt

If you can’t tell, I’m leaning hard on the work of Dr. Brené Brown, a well-known shame researcher.

Here’s how she defines shame:

“Shame is the intensely painful feeling or experience of believing that we are flawed and therefore unworthy of love and belonging.” Illustrate

The fear of shame has shaped much of my own life. I have felt ashamed to talk about my youth or my college experience, because I some of it was difficult or embarrassing. I’ve often been ashamed because of my finances. Throughout my 20s, I accumulated debt, had a hard time finding jobs or keeping them. I survived on beans and rice and the grace of strangers who took me in off the streets. I struggle with the shame of relationships. Making close friendships and romantic relationships have never come naturally to me.

While the poet speaks of being publicly shamed by his enemies, you only have to be marched through the streets once for this feeling to stick with you the rest of your life. My shame is often triggered when I’m alone. A memory of a failure or embarrassment pops into my head and I find myself reliving the shameful moment, mumbling aloud what I wish I had said. My heart races and blood rushes to my head. It can be worse than the actual moment of shame.

For me though, the biggest problem with shame is that I avoid risk. Any good opportunity requires risk, risk means becoming vulnerable to the shame of failure. Therefore, risk and vulnerability become a problems to be avoided and managed.

I find myself ducking around corners because I’m not up to talking to people. I don’t apply for jobs I should. I avoid building friendships that I need. Over time, I start to even avoid things that would bring me joy, because as Brené Brown says, When we lose our tolerance for vulnerability, joy becomes foreboding.

The Power of Absolution

Because shaming is a social response to certain behaviors, we need a social mechanism to counteract it.

The alternative to shame is not to avoid judgment or take on some “anything goes” attitude. The alternative to shame is guilt.

Brené Brown describes the difference between shame and guilt this way:

Shame is a focus on self, guilt is a focus on behavior.

Shame is, “I am bad.”

Guilt is, “I did something bad.”

How many of you, if you did something that was hurtful to me, would be willing to say, “I’m sorry. I made a mistake?” How many of you would be willing to say that?

Guilt: I’m sorry. I made a mistake.

Shame: I’m sorry. I am a mistake.

So what does it mean for Austin Mustard Seed to be a community that addresses shame? There’s a tradition of the church called absolution, that goes all the way back to Jesus. In one of the books about Jesus teachings called Matthew, he says this: “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

A little later he says:

“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

It’s a crazy thought, but Jesus is saying that you and I have the ability to address, and somehow absolve others of their shame! Brené Brown has an absolution of sorts that she mentions in her book Daring Greatly.

“You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging.”

Many churches traditions incorporate absolution into their liturgy. My favorite is this one:

First, there is a confession, maybe a public one, like the one we did earlier. Or perhaps this is in a private conversation. After the confessor finishes, they use the following dialogue:

Listener:The Lord has put away all your sins.

Confessor: Thanks be to God.

Listener Abide in peace, and pray for me, a sinner.

Shame is a social construct, and we have the capacity to release others from it.

The post Can Humans Absolve Shame? appeared first on Chris Morton.

Part One: The Context and Challenge of Missional Leadership

Part One opens with an overview of the issues at hand and a description of how Missional Leadership compares to pastoral leadership. They argue that God is not finished with the church, it his means of reaching the world. They explain the different phases of transition that a church will go through as it navigates from the models that served it well in the past to a missional model. The authors also describe what makes a missional congregation different, and why leading it is a unique task.

Part Two: The Missional Leader

Part Two focuses on descriptions of what makes a good leader including features like maturity and self-awareness. It also discusses how to create a coalition that will help build momentum in a missional direction. This requires creating a culture where the leadership listens to the church and the church listens to the surrounding community.

Quotes

“Missional leadership is about creating and environment within which the people of God in a particular location may thrive.”

“Today, in discussion about the nature of church leadership, there is little theological wrestling with the questions of how to form or socialize a people into an alternative community. On the contrary, there is growing emphasis on how to help seekers feel they belong in a congregation without any expectations or demands on their lives.”

“A missional church is a community of God’s people who live into the imagination that they are, by their very nature, God’s missionary people living as a demonstration of what God plans to do in and for all of creation in Jesus Christ.”

“We have forgotten that God’s future often emerges in the most inauspicious places. If we let our imagination be informed by this realization, it will be obvious that we need to lead in ways that are different from those of a CEO, an entrepreneur, a super leader with a wonderful plan for the congregation’s life. Instead, we need leaders with the capacity to cultivate an environment that releases the missional imagination of the people of God.”

“We are in a period that makes it impossible to have much clarity about the future and how it is going to be shaped. Therefore those leaders who believe they can address the kind of change we are facing by simply defining a future that people want, and then setting plans to achieve it, are not innovating a missional congregation. They are only finding new ways of preventing a congregation from facing the discontinuous change it confronts.”

Two Takeaways

One great takeaway is the “Three Zone Model of Missional Leadership.” It is a great tool for helping leaders of established churches comprehend the changes that must be made for a church to envision and carry out any new endeavor (not just “missional” ones.) Reading this, I began to see where various churches I have been a part of fit on the spectrum. It also helped me understand the difficulties many church leaders I interact with are having. Most importantly, it gave me a vision of what pitfalls to watch out for as my church matures.

Another valuable takeaway from the book is the interplay between the personality and the strengths of the leader and the nature of the congregation. The book seems clearly written to the average dwindling mainline church, whose leadership has been chosen for their ability to maintain the status quo. This is why the author’s discussion of “imagination” is valuable. It seems there are two ways to move forward: either start over with new leadership and a new endeavor or cultivate imagination. They rightly point the leaders toward remembering what God wants to do in the world, and who their neighbor is.

This to me is the most important lesson from the book: Missional Leadership must be relentlessly focused on the context of their congregation and personally entrenched in lives of those they are hoping to reach.

A church or a leader will never be missional if they haven’t met those to whom they are sent.

The post The Missional Leader: Equipping Your Church to Reach a Changing World – A Review appeared first on Chris Morton.

We believe that Jesus is God, yes, but we need to be careful that we don’t make him “too sacred.” By that, I mean that Jesus is not set apart from the world.

Some religions look at their founders and heroes as people who escaped the darkness and pain of the world. Jesus embraces dirt, disappointment, disgust and disease.

Some religions look at their founders and heroes as symbols that must be venerated, never questioned or mocked. Jesus doesn’t need to be protected, he asks to be followed.

Some religions aim to achieve a sort of God-ness. Jesus was a man, and call us to live fully into our humanity.
Some religions provide a license to demote other people to less than ourselves. Jesus invites us to join the lowest of the low.

If we take Jesus identity seriously, we need to as ourselves “who or what do I despise?” We need audit our hearts and our actions and ask: Who did I ignore? Who did I avoid? Who did I mock? Who do my choices hurt? Chances are, those are the kind of people that would line up with Jesus at the river with John the Baptist.

The post Don’t make Jesus “Too Sacred” appeared first on Chris Morton.

All death is tragic. Suicide especially.

The death of Robin casts a particular shadow on those of my generation. Aladdin and Hook are the stories of our childhood. Patch Adams, Dead Poets Society and Good Will Hunting taught us how to grow up.

Depression is tragic. When it affects someone like Robin, we are all hurt.

Depression is also normal, natural and must be responded to within the church.

We can’t eliminate depression or suicide. But we can, and we must, become a refuge for those who experience it.

Let’s admit we have a problem

Depression has been a lifelong companion for me. It makes up some of my earliest and strongest memories. It hovers on the horizon of my future.

The first time I remember something akin to depression was an intense loneliness I experienced around age eight. Like many High Schoolers, I struggled with a sense of hopelessness and self-hatred. I lost all motivation and moved lethargically for most of my junior year.

In college, depression got in the way of my relationships. When I was down, others felt the need to withdraw. I was cynical, angry and very, very dark. Who could blame them?

When I get depressed, it’s incredibly obvious. I start wearing dark clothes. I stop caring for my body. I duck around corners to avoid friends. I stay awake all night and sleep all day.

When I was 23, a mentor of mine told me “Chris, we like you. You are very broken right now. We want to find you some help.” They made some calls and helped me find a counselor.

It was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Which is why it strikes me as complete and utter insanity that so many churches have no idea what to do with the depressed.

The “D” Word

Why was I 23 years old before someone helped me get help?

I cannot tell you the level of frustration that this question holds for me.

Depression is woven throughout the story of scripture. David wrote about depression. Jesus prayed through depression.

Depression is common. Depression is physiological. It can begin as a natural response to difficult circumstances. Unaddressed, it can become a lifestyle. In time, it can rearrange your brain and become your new normal.

Depression is not, by definition, demonic. (Although I’m sure they don’t help.)

Depression is not cured by just reading your Bible and praying.

Depression is also not a bad thing.

The (other) reality that the church can no longer ignore

There’s a lot of talk about what the changes in culture that the church can no longer ignore. Much effort (my own included) has been put into helping the church think missionally. Such teaching has been mostly theological (explaining the Missio Dei or mission of God) and somewhat ecclesiological (forming missional communities.)

There is another more functional reality that the church can no longer ignore: Our society is moving towards greater emotional openness.

People want to know and be known. This is why Louis C.K.’s disturbingly authentic brand of humor rings true. This is why Tina Fey can be open about all the awkwardness of her life as a woman. This is why Brené Brown can talk about shame and vulnerability and get millions of Youtube views.

The internet allows for both anonymity and broadcasting. Our world now has endless safe havens for people to share fears and air grievances.

The culture is revising its expectations for “putting on a good face.” We’re rethinking what it means to make a good impression.

We are becoming collectively aware that life is hard. We are championing those who know how to articulate that.

Or to put it more coarsely:

We’re tired of the bullshit.

We need places to tell it like it is.

Five Features of a Safe Church

1. A Theology of Darkness

Scriptures are full of a theology of darkness, although it seems vague or completely absent in many churches. God created out of darkness. The psalmist claimed that the darkness was his closest friend. Jesus’ ministry often led him to places of darkness.

God is light, and in Him there is no darkness.

We are not God.

Therefore, in us, there is darkness.

Many churches try to avoid darkness. We sing happy songs. We tell stories of victory. We hide our fears and shortcomings.

Accepting the darkness inside of us is not the same as sinning. Being tempted is not a crime. Feeling depressed is not a sign of failure.

Why does David call the darkness his only friend? Why did Paul describe the agony of this thorn in the flesh? Because ignorance of our darkness is how we become captive to it.

We need to name our darkness. We need to feel its prickly coldness. We need to surf along its edges.

Knowing our darkness is key to knowing who we are. It is crucial to knowing what to pray for. It is often the place we meet God.

2. Vulnerable Leadership

It’s hard these days to be a charismatic leader. You just have to look to Seattle.

It’s often said that if you want something to be found at the core of your church, it has to be championed by the senior leadership. If you want church to feel safe, your pastors, elders and ministers have to set the standard for vulnerable openness.

This doesn’t mean telling everyone everything. Some struggles should be private. However, it does mean that you must discuss your own growth trajectory.

Rather than telling the congregation “This is what the Bible says,” you say “Here’s what I have learned/am learning/need to change because of the teaching of Jesus.” Knowing the church is safe means leadership demonstrating a willingness to risk vulnerability.

3. Emotional Intelligence

Remember how Jesus said, “let your yes be yes, and your no be no?” This is pretty hard to do. Some of us are bad at saying no. Some of us are afraid of saying yes.

One step to improving this ability is improving our overall emotional intelligence. While there is a lot to this process, it begins with knowing and articulating your emotional state.

A safe church community must include those who have matured past the point of being ruled by their emotions. They know how to respond appropriately to explosive moments, overwhelming tragedy or pure joy. They also model this for others.

If you want to be a safe church, display emotional intelligence and disciple others to do so as well.

4. Storytelling

One key to knowing that you are in a safe place is knowing you can tell your story.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. We’re conditioned to describing ourselves as our jobs, our families or our conversion experience. We are full of unwanted insecurities.

Telling stories requires both bravery, forethought, and believe it or not, structure.

Bravery is institutional, not individual. It comes from seeing others tell their story and knowing that people will respond with appreciation and love. Bravery is developed by seeing this modeled by leaders and friends.

A little (but not too much) forethought is necessary. Good stories have a beginning, middle and end. Preparing is also a sign of respect for the listener.

Structure is a time and place set aside for storytelling. This could be a formal prayer request time at the end of a small group meeting. It could be an invite to lunch with the expectation that “we will share stories.” At Austin Mustard Seed, we spent this summer telling stories and asking discipleship related questions in gender specific groups. Our hope is to instill a desire for storytelling.

5. Safe Spaces

If our churches are to become safe, we’ll have to create safe spaces intentionally.

A safe space is a time and place that welcomes. It avoids putting people on alert and is relationally appropriate.

For insiders, already accustom to a church’s ways, a small group can be a safe space. For outsiders, having deep conversations in a stranger’s home is likely unnatural and unsettling. Since so many in the west have preconceived notions or even toxic baggage about the church, it can be very hard to make traditional church buildings a safe space.

Vox Veniae, a church in East Austin, intentionally set out to create a safe space. They took over a small boarded up building. Later they found out it had been the location of a deadly shooting.

Instead of moving right in, they took a year to clean the place up, and offer open houses for the community to discuss how the space would be used. On Sundays now, the space features dark ceilings, low lighting, both chairs and couches and calm music. It still feels like a club, but now, it’s a safe one.

They’ve also helped plant two churches in the last year, in order to stay small. It’s hard to feel safe in a crowd.

Robin Williams death should remind the church that if we do not learn how to respond to depression, we will all suffer the consequences.

How is your church becoming a safe place?

Get the word out! Please 

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The post What Will It Take to Become a Church for the Depressed? appeared first on Chris Morton.