Best Practices
| February 23, 2011
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 Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;
For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.
Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell;
And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.
- John Donne, Divine Sonnet X
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Editorial
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 The Decline of Civil Discourse
by Loren Seibold, Editor, Best Practices for Adventist Ministry
About a week ago a pastor friend went to hear Elder Ted Wilson speak in Redlands, CA. Afterwards, Pastor Jared approached a man who'd asked Elder Wilson a question during the Q&A that Jared wanted to clarify. He introduced himself and told the man he was writing an article for Spectrum magazine. At the word "spectrum" the man went into a rage, and after threatening to take him outside and beat him up, settled for punching him in the mouth - right in the church sanctuary. (You can read about Jared's encounter here.)
This could be written off as just one isolated person who needs anger management - except that this isn't the first story I've heard of out-of-control anger in the church. One conference had to hire security for a constituency meeting because of threats against the conference administration. There have been several high-profile shootings in churches of other denominations in the United States in the last several years.
Perhaps I'm just nostalgic, but it seems to me that our capacity for courteous discourse has diminished. We seem less able to disagree without being disagreeable. And is it any wonder? Someone said to me recently that the church follows the culture, and we're all aware that respect and civility are hard to find in public conversations. A politician threatens "2nd amendment remedies" when speaking about rival politicians. Another holds up a picture of the Speaker of the House, and after some verbal mockery, slaps it as though he's striking the person in the face. Another, addressing a rally, says, "Let's beat that other side to a pulp. Let's take them out, let's chase them down."
So should we be surprised that the rhetoric of violence - not to mention actual violence - filters into the church, too?
Most frightening of all is that my friend's attacker thought he was doing a righteous thing: in his diatribe he invoked the example of Phinehas - who, you'll recall, ran a sword through a couple who was sinning (Numbers 25:1-9), and was commended for his holy zeal. (Which should remind us how careful we must be about using stories from the Israelite theocracy as models for contemporary church life.)
I'd love to be able to say that the church has the advantage over culture in that we not only preach against violence and division, but consistently demonstrate peacefulness and harmony far beyond what the world around us is capable of. But if there are those whose goal is the purification of the church (rather than, as it should be, to make others want to accept Christ by our words and Godly example) things like this will happen. No matter who you may accuse of being against the best interests of this church, Jesus insisted we not weed the field, but wait for Him to do it at the harvest (Matthew 13:24-30).
Have you experienced threats or actual violence in your ministry? What can we do to bring peacefulness and civility to our church discussions? Talk about it on our Facebook page. 
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Communications & Media
| | What's Your Reputation? Part 2:
How to protect your brand
By Rajkumar Dixit
Organizations and churches should carefully "troll" the Internet to see how their reputation is perceived. Here are some suggestions to use as you protect your brand:
Respond promptly: I once tweeted that I received great customer service with the internet giant, Godaddy.com. Within twenty minutes, Godaddy responded to my tweet thanking me for the compliment. By responding to my tweet, they let all of my Twitter followers, as well as their followers, that they were paying attention and customer service mattered.
Let them know you're working on the problem: Shashank Nigam is a well-known airline marketer and blogger. He was trying to reach out to JetBlue on Twitter to inquire about a delayed flight. JetBlue send him one message, but seemed to ignore him on subsequent request. Nigam decided to reach out to Southwest airlines to see if he could get faster service and find a way home. Southwest returned his Twitter message, and continued to stay in touch with him under the matter was resolved.
Don't Have a One-Sided Conversation: One of the cardinal rules of social media is conversation Rather, a two-way conversation. Blogs are not supposed to be short articles, but rather a forum for discussion. During a recent snow storm, the Howard County Executive used his Facebook and Twitter pages to update residents on the snow removal. The propaganda was heavy from the local city government, with verbose messages assuring the residents of the fantastic job. The problem was it was only a one-way conversation. Many residents (including me) responded to his messages asking questions and making suggestions. There was no response. Apparently, his PR staff didn't understand the how important it was to have a two way dialogue.
Next Best Practices: What's Your Reputation, part 3: More on how to protect your brand
Rajkumar Dixit is a pastor, and the author of Branded Faith: Contextualizing the Gospel in a Post-Secular World. You can read more at rajkumardixit.com.
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Media
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Youtube for Ministry is a webinar series is presented by web video CHEFS in March. Each webinar is approximatle 15 minutes and although there is no charge for the presentations, registration is required. Subjects include: How to launch & customize your YouTube Channel, Getting subscribers and promoting your ministry. YouTube Channel Design & Social Media Integration, Your YouTube Questions Answered, You Tube for Pastors and Ministry Leaders.
"What if instead of just feeding the homeless we gave them an opportunity to grow their own food?"  That driving question forced the Community Services of Auburn Seventh-day Adventist church re-examine their highly successful homeless ministry. For years they fed and clothed those living on the margins of Auburn, but what if they could offer an opportunity for the homeless to give back to the community? That vision eventually lead to the Auburn Community Garden, a one acre plot that produces tons of produce for the Auburn community. Watch The Auburn Garden and get to know Moss, the master gardener; Cyrus, Vey and Ryan, the apprentice gardeners; Steve, the logistics guy, and others as they face unforeseen external and internal obstacles on their way to realizing the dream of a vegetable garden fertilized by faith. .
What happened next? What do you do if you begin to find inroads into the homeless community? Watch the follow up video as Steve and Cyndee Holms experiment by providing a spiritual community for the homeless without disrupting the existing church worship structure. Fiddletown Faith is produced by Pacific Union Support Services.
-Dave Gemmell
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| Reading for Pastors | Thanks to Pew Research, a conversation between brothers Christopher Hitchens (an outspoken atheist) and his brother, Peter (a believer), about whether civilization can survive without God. A bit long, but worth reading.
Controversies continue throughout the country over whether communities will allow the building of mosques and Islamic centers. If they can't build mosques, churches may be next! (Does anyone know whether our own religious liberty department is weighing in here?)
Should parents be forced to get medical care for their children, even if it is against their religion? Oregon lawmakers are about to rule on the topic.
From the dean of evangelical homileticians, Haddon Robinson, "My Theory of Homiletics." Quote: "Those who have studied and practiced public speaking over twenty-five hundred years have agreed that the most effective way to structure a speech is to build it around a single concept."
Are the things discussed in small groups protected by privacy laws? Apparently not. Quote: "Small groups are not private for legal purposes. Anyone present can be compelled to tell what happened. There is nothing you can do to prevent this possibility."
Sam O'Neal has had in the past year had a good series on learning styles: a concept many of us learned years ago, but well worth going through again.
A church takes a hit and comes out fighting: a great piece on church conflict from Leadership magazine. This page adds an analysis of church conflict detailing attack and escape reactions.
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| To the Point | Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.
- Ed Gardner
What we think, or what we know, or what we believe is, in the end, of little consequence. The only consequence is what we do.
- John Ruskin
Humor is also a way of saying something serious.
- T. S. Eliot
Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.
- Oscar Wilde
I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.
- Jane Wagner The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat.
- Lily Tomlin We are inclined to believe those whom we do not know because they have never deceived us.
- Samuel Johnson Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
- Martin Luther King Jr.
People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.
- George Bernard Shaw
Imagine if every Thursday your shoes exploded if you tied them the usual way. This happens to us all the time with computers, and nobody thinks of complaining.
- Jef Raskin
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| Upcoming NAD Events |
Do you have an event you'd like to invite NAD pastors to? Send details to BestPractices@Ameritech.net.
Ohio Ministry University. March 19-20, 2011. Dr. Leslie Bumgardner "Helping People Get Serious About God." Ray Tetz, "Marketing Your Ministry." Sabbath afternoon workshops on Vacation Bible School, Helping Your Church to Respond to Local Disasters, Reaching High-school Students, and Friendship Evangelism. Call 740-397-4665 x165 for more information. Andrews University Music & Worship Conference. Mar 24, 2011 - Mar 26, 2011, Andrews University, 100 US 31 Highway, Berrien Springs, MI 49104. The eighth annual Andrews University Music and Worship Conference. If you're interested in exploring worship and worship music in ways that are theologically profound, practical, and inspiring, you will definitely want to join us. Sponsored by the NAD Church Resource Center and Andrews University's Department of Music, Department of Christian Ministry and Center for Youth Evangelism. Phone: 800-968-8428 x4 or 269-471-8352. For more information, email: worshipconference@andrews.edu. United Youth Congress 2011 - iServe. Apr 6, 2011 - Apr 9, 2011, Orange County Convention Center, 9860 Universal Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819. Youth, young adults, youth leaders and parents/chaperones are invited to attend. We will have inspiring worship, training seminars, service projects in the community, an evening at Universal Studios, Saturday night concert, recreation, and much more! This package includes hotel and meals. For those who do not want hotel and meals, click here. For Sabbath Only, click here. Phone: 800-732-7587. For more information, email: events@adventsource.org Parents, Educators, Supervisors, & Ministry Leaders Invited to Attend IGNITION. Discover key principles for working and ministering with today's young adults at IGNITION Summit, April 4-6, 2011, Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX. Dr. Tim Elmore, president of Growing Leaders, will be among the featured presenters. To register and for more information, follow www.IGNITIONblog.wordpress.com. From Walt Williams, Andrews University InMinistry Center Director, the list of Spring 2011 InMinistry intensive classes for each union - April 3-14 STANDOUT. Apr 15, 2011 - Apr 17, 2011, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, MI. STANDOUT is a spiritual retreat for high school students, hosted on the campus of Andrews University. Throughout two days of spiritual exercises and group activities, we'll challenge you to tap into the amazing power of God so that you will STANDOUT and set your faith in motion! Phone: 269-471-6372. For more information, email: standout@andrews.edu Nonprofit Leadership Certification Program - Basic Curriculum: May 15 - 19, 2011 Northeastern Conference in Jamaica, NY. Here is a link for more information: http://www.communityservices.org/article.php?id=124 |
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Best Practices is a Vervent publication of NAD CHURCH RESOURCE CENTER. Editor: Loren Seibold, Ohio Conference. E-mail:
Best Practices. You are free to republish pieces from Best Practices in your own
newsletter or blog, with attribution to the Best Practices newsletter and the
author of the piece. |
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