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March 12, 2008

 

 

 



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In this Edition:
Video: Abraham Joshua Heschel
To the Point
Creative Ministry: Michelle Riley Jones
Book Review: After the Baby Boomers
Resources & Ideas
Calendar of Events
To the Point:

To preach, to shew the extent of our reading, or the subtleties of our wit--to parade in the eyes of the vulgar with the beggarly accounts of a little learning, tinsel'd over with a few words which glitter, but convey little light and less warmth--is a dishonest use of the poor single half hour in a week which is put into our hands. 'Tis not preaching the gospel, but ourselves.
 - Laurence Sterne

Whatever you may be sure of, be sure of this, that you are dreadfully like other people.
  - James Russell Lowell

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."
  - Charles M. Schulz

When I do good, I feel good; when I do bad, I feel bad, and that is my religion.
  - Abraham Lincoln


To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.
  - GK Chesterton


Got a favorite quote? Send it to [email protected]
Michelle Riley Jones
Creative Ministry:
Michelle Riley Jones

A few issues back I mentioned in passing the Ash Wednesday service. I was intrigued when Michelle Riley Jones,
Minister of Music and Worship Arts at Capitol Hill SDA in Washington, DC, told me about her creative adaptation of that service. LGS

As a leader of worship, my pastors and I have come to believe that more visual and tactile experiences have a way of making the Word clearer, and fostering a deeper and more intentional commitment to Christ.  It is in that context that my church has explored creative approaches to worship.

Take for example a service modeled on the Ash Wednesday service that I developed with another worship leader. Our denomination normally doesn't celebrate these liturgical year events; but when I studied Ash Wednesday, it seemed to me that it is rich in meaning. Texts like Matthew 11:21 and Jeremiah 6:26 show ashes are a biblical symbol of sorrow for sin and repentance.

As I helped create this service, God inspired me that the Ash Wednesday service should mark a deep, personal repentance. In liturgical churches, pastors use the ashes of the palms from the previous Palm Sunday. But in our service, members write down on slips of paper the areas in their lives in which they seek God's deliverance. The slips are collected (perhaps during the invitation to prayer period). Before the next service, the slips are burned.  As parishioners kneel in prayer during the invitation, ashes (mixed with olive oil) may be placed on their foreheads in the shape of the cross signifying redemption from those things we had previously held on to, and our new life in Christ whose work on the cross has conquered death and sin. In a variation on this theme, the ashes from the slips can be glued on a board in the shape of a cross (using clear glue) and the board then put on an easel at the front of the church, again to be a visual witness to Christ's death and our redemption from those things we have committed to Him.

I know this isn't a typical kind of service for Seventh-day Adventists. Clearly, we don't want to do rituals for their own sake. Nor would we have services like this every week. Most churches, regardless of denomination, don't. But we needn't throw out the baby with the bath water. We can remain open to creative ways to convey the meanings of our faith.

You can correspond with Michelle at
[email protected].
Cutting Edge Book
After the Baby Boomers

by
Robert Wuthnow

Point:  To
gain a better understanding of the twenty- and thirty- somethings of today, and how they are shaping the future of the church.

Key Concept: 
"Understanding" - We must know who they are and understand their needs to reconnect with this generation. 

Pros: 
Wuthnow gives a clear picture of how today's generation are like the boomers, and their distinctive differences. He defines the challenges we are faced with in trying to reach this generation. Churches could be touching this generation today in a profound way, but we have not stepped up to the challenge like we need to. 

Cons:  You will find no prescription or program in this book to help you implement the changes needed.

Why you should read it: If you want to gain a better understanding of the young adults of today this is a must read.  Wuthnow has done a great job of showing us who this generation is and how they are shaping religion.

-Review by Pastor Lori Whitted

Resources, Reflections, Links and Ideas
by Best Practices Editor, Loren Seibold

Got a tool, resource, site, article, idea or seminar that you like a lot? Share it with us at [email protected].

Comments on "Measuring Success"

The problem of healthy churches is that we Adventists do not value discipling. We tend to define discipling in one of two ways: 1. It is another name for a good devotional life; 2. It is another name for training people to do evangelism. Neither definition is complete. So we have churches full of members who are not themselves growing as disciples. The church is specifically called to "make disciples." It is not called to do evangelism; evangelism is only one tool of discipling. Jane Thayer

Moving the church from merely asking "How many?" and "How much?" as measures of success to other qualitative and quantitative measures is definitely a worthwhile (and hazardous) task. Our attempts to explore this have led us to develop a couple of scorecards - one for the Conference and the other for a local church. We have also attempted to create a more organic approach to the evangelistic mission of the church
. None of these are finished products. They are invitations to conversations and exploration.Raj Attiken

The way much measuring success in ministry is done quite often misses the point! Counting people, tracts, hours, money ("the measurables") is easy. If the numbers are high, then we are successful. If the numbers are low, then we aren't. But this doesn't seem to be the way God measures success. And having high numbers doesn't necessarily mean success. Jesus was successful, but His numbers (disciples, money, etc.) were low. Could it be that our definition of success must be re-defined? Could true success be about consistently doing whatever the Father tells us to do? Philip Williams

I have really appreciated the thoughtful dialogue you presented on evangelism. I found it stimulating, without being condemning. Joey Pollom

You are writing from only an Anglo perspective, as though no one else exists in this church. Wake up, Loren; the church in the NAD is no longer defined based only on one perspective. Frederick Russell

Yes, South Topeka Adventist Fellowship has had great growth, but don't forget The Adventure and Common Ground - both with over 50% non-SDA evangelistic growth and greater attendance than membership. The Adventure holds 3-4 meetings a year and is now averaging attendance of 250-300 at two campus sites.  Common Ground held one a year, but relied more on the cell group/relational model. Gary Walter

Right now I am in the last two weeks of a $38,949.73 evangelistic meeting with one of the Amazing Facts evangelists.  Some of the main interests are those who were already attending, but we still continue to rejoice over those few who do stay. Reggie Phillips

I am in the process of conducting my very first series as an evangelist, beginning March 21st. In studying those who have come before me i noticed that prework and followup have been scarce. My question: what are some things I can do, before, during, and after these meetings to increase the possibility of true success in the evangelism cycle? I don't want to simply do a set of meetings, then pack up my equipment and take off. Mwale

NAD Events of Interest to Pastors
Do you have an SDA-sponsored event that you'd like to invite NAD pastors to? Tell us about it at [email protected].
NAD Church RESOURCE Center
Best Practices is an e-publication of Vervent
NAD CHURCH RESOURCE CENTER
Editor: Loren Seibold
Senior Pastor, Worthington Ohio Seventh-day Adventist Church