October 27, 2008

Fulfilling the Call: The Difficult Kid

Posted by RO Smith under youth ministry | Tags: , , |
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We all have them. Those few students in our group that simply “drive us crazy”! It seems like no matter what we do, nothing or no one can get through to them. When planning or prepping for an event, we sometimes allow ourselves to think, “I hope he/she doesn’t show up tonight.” Then when they do show up, we instantly go into management mode in which we try and manage their behavior. Inevitably, we pull the student aside and have a talk with them; a talk we feel like we’ve had a million times with them.

Now, before I go on, I must be honest, this is not a “how to” in dealing with the difficult student. Nor is it strategies or ideas to help manage their behavior. This post is simply about God using the difficult child to fufill his calling in our lives.

The last couple of years for our annual volunteer staff training, we have begun the weekend by looking at the call to work with students. Parker Palmer’s book Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation and Henri Nouwen’s In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership have been two major influences when looking at the idea of calling.

Two of the main points of calling are:

  1. Calling comes first and foremost from God. Calling starts with God and is for God. (cf. Mark 1:16-20)
  2. We are called to Christ. No matter what we do, the goal is that God wants to shape us into the image of Christ. (cf. Phil. 3:7-11)

**Obviously, there is so much one can say about this topic, but we would need a book to cover that space.

I share this because recently I was talking to some leaders about a difficult student in their small group. This student seemed to be doing anything they could to keep the leaders from working through the curriculum, and distract the rest of the group from learning. Not only that, but the way in which this student went about it, it was as if the student had no regard for anybody but themselves. As we were discussing the student, we did a good job of coming up with all these explanations and prognosis points for the student, as well as a good game plan for the future. But as we talked about the student, all of our frustration levels were rising as to the behavior of this student. For me, I had this incredulous sense of, “how could they behave that way?”

At the end of our conversation, I said something that I believe was as much for me as the leaders. I said, “No matter what is going on with this student, this students has been brought into your lives for a reason. And that reason might not be for the ultimate benefit of the student? Maybe God is showing you something through the student?” It was with that statement that my issues with students, leaders, and parents got a new perspective: They are put into my life for God to fulfill his calling on my life; to become more like Christ.

No matter what happens in our ministries with difficult students, parents, volunteers, or co-workers, one thing I was reminded of this week: All of our lives should be lived out a sense of calling.

 

October 2, 2008

Pastors and Technology: We Need to Re-Imagine Our Roles

Posted by rhettsmith under Technology, college ministry, youth ministry | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Some of the commenters from my post yesterday got me thinking about some things that I just briefly want to comment on.

I ended my post with two thoughts:

Two things I think pastors, church leaders need to start wrestling with if they haven’t already:

1) Shift from geographical based ministry to online community/networking based. This does not mean people still won’t gather, but how, where and when they gather will change.

2) Technology is allowing the people/congregants to self-organize, collaborate and participate without having to go through traditional means and hierarchies of the church. I think this will change the role of the pastor drastically from the top-down leader, to more of a facilitator. I think that means we will see less and less traditional roles of pastors, and maybe even less full-time positions, etc.

Here is what I’m thinking. And I’m thinking these things not on any official research I have done, but more on conversations I am having, trends I am seeing, what I am reading, etc.

One of the issues about #2 is that people are concerned about a “consumer” mentality in the Church…more than we already have now. Also, what will be the role of the pastor.

Couple of thoughts. And they are simply thoughts, not completely worked out, but stuff I am hypothesizing and thinking on.

I think the “modularity” of Church that Andrew Jones talked about won’t drive more church consumerism, but will actually reduce it.

Why? Because churches used to be the resource for all information (phone numbers, emails, addresses, theology, Christian education, prayer chains, etc.) and churches controlled the market on the ability to gather and organize. Think Sunday worship, Wed. night Bible studies, etc, etc. People traditionally have relied on the Church as the resource to gather people and dispense information.

Because of this, people would drive miles and miles to attend the church that could attract, gather and dispense the information for them. Often this process has pulled people out of community…driving miles and miles to attend a church that is not rooted in their community where they live, etc.

I think that now people can easily organize, collaborate and dispense information themselves, they will no longer need to rely on the Church as needing to fulfill that role. I think there will be a desire for people to organize and gather in their own communities of locality, rather than feeling the need to drive to churches who used to have to do that for them. I am not saying there will not be church or people won’t go to them. They will, but I think church will look different than it traditionally does now.

In Short: Technology=Ability to Organize and Collaborate=Congregants Taking the Responsibility Into Their Own Hands.

What about the pastor? I think there will always be the need for a pastor, but what is a pastor is my question? Have we possibly gotten away from the Biblical role of the pastor?

In the NT we see the correlation between the shepherd and pastor. I have been told before by some pastors that we are to be ranchers…not shepherds. That has a whole other connotation in my mind.

One commenter said that it’s actually not the pastors who do the shepherding anymore, but the small group leaders, etc. I agree with him. It’s hard to find a pastor who shepherds.

I believe that with the ability to gather, organize and collaborate that technology affords us, it frees up the pastor to do the work of actually shepherding, rather than being the CEO, rancher, etc. I used the word facilitator in yesterday’s post, and what I mean by that is that the Church is beginning to have the ability to organize on their own, which frees the pastor up to facilitate the movement and truly shepherd the people.

In Short: Technology=Ability to Organize and Collaborate=Congregants Taking the Responsibility Into Their Own Hands=Pastor Can Truly Be a Shepherd.

Of course my own theology and praxis is shining through there, some of which you may agree with, and some which you may not agree with.

But for any of this to take place (which I think is a great thing for the Church), churches, pastors and ministry leaders are going to have to let go of the “power” they have traditionally held, and instead be a church and people that walk humbly amongst the people they are there to serve. Even questioning their roles as pastors in the Church.

In closing, I’m aware that some traditions/denominations already seem to embody this theology and praxis. I wonder if Wess Daniels can shed some light on these thoughts in light of the Quaker tradition that he is a part of.

If you are wondering what to read on some of these issues, here are a few suggestions. There are a lot more, but here are some that I have found helpful and challenging. Please add to this list and let me know what you are reading that has been helpful in thinking about the issues of technology in redefining the role of pastors and the Church, especially as it relates to gathering, organizing, collaborating, etc.

Check Them Out

The Starfish and the Spider: The Unstoppable Power of Leaderless Organizations by Ori Brafman and Rod A. Beckstrom.

Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations by Clay Shirky.

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Dan Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams.

Facebook for Pastors: How To Build Relationships And Connect With People Using The Most Popular Social Network On The Internet by Chris Forbes

The New Media Frontier: Blogging, Vlogging and Podcasting for Christ, edited by John Mark Reynolds and Roger Overton

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies by Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

 

September 25, 2008

Are Church Leaders Inhabiting Offices Fit for the gods?

Posted by rhettsmith under Church Leadership | Tags: , , , , , |
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I want to say something about collaborative space, and then leave you with a quote from Leonard Sweet.

First, I think our workspace is a very important piece. It says something about what we believe in regards to leadership, collaboration, theology, etc. For example corner offices where upper leadership reside often give the image of non-collaboration, or hierarchical decision making. That then says something about views of leadership. Top-down, not a bottoms up, or leading within style.

Second, when I look around at many different workspaces, I’m struck by the fact that many churches still promote a non-collaborative environment where hierarchies are distinguished by the sizes, privacy and luxuries of the office. Not all churches promote this environment though, as I see more and more churches creating office spaces without doors or walls, and some where every office is the same size, or everyone is in a cubicle style workspace.

Third, workspaces in what we would call secular environments seem to have caught onto this idea of collaborative space more quickly than the Church. I remember my experience in a community mental health clinic where all the interns shared office space with all the directors, and no one was allowed to address the Ph.D. with the title Dr. You see, their views of leadership flowed over into their workspace.

If there is any organization that should promote servant leadership, and that should reflect those views in their architecture and workspace, I would think it should be the Church.

Why aren’t we, the Church, leading the way?

And if we are, give me some examples?

What are some churches you know of that do a good job of fostering a collaborative, non-hierarchical workspace?

Collaborative Space: Leaders need spiritual design as much as “smart design” in their use of space. A “sick building syndrome” can afflict the soul and mind as well as the body. Healthy space is team space, shared space, not a hierarchy of space with royalty inhabiting offices fit for the gods while everyone else lives in convict cubicles. Already in the business world the walls are coming down in the office space. More and more senior managers now sit in open offices with no doors. The dimly lit cubicle with one’s own private space is become more rare. Pittsburgh’s Alcoa has banished all private offices, even for its CEO. The future is “teaming rooms,” “common areas,” “playrooms.” People need their own personal spaces, their cliff dwellings, but personal space is basically electronic space (laptops and portable phones) conjoined with team space–hangouts like water coolers, living rooms, and snack bars dominated by casual learning, casual dress, and casual connectedness.
Leonard Sweet
Aqua Church: Essential Leadership Arts for Piloting Your Church in Today’s Fluid Culture
pp. 200

 

September 23, 2008

Technology and the Future of the Church

Posted by rhettsmith under Technology, college ministry, youth ministry | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |
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There are a lot of amazing things happening in the world of ministry and technology. So much so that it’s hard to keep up with all of it. Some churches are on the leading edge of innovation, while others are still trying to get a website put together. Wherever you fall on the spectrum, below are four links that might interest you from this past week.

First:
Author, blogger, video guru and Church 2.0 leader Greg Atkinson has a great post which basically introduces the Digerati Team from LifeChurch.tv, SPOTLIGHT: LifeChurch.tv’s Digerati Team. Many of you don’t know that there exists such a team on a church staff. But I think that trend is changing, and as you read the article you will definitely see their fingerprints all over the world of ministry and tech.

Greg says:

You might be wondering: “What in the world does “digerati” mean?” To get to the bottom of something, I go to Wikipedia. Wikipedia reads:”The digerati are the elite of the computer industry and online communities.” From what I know of my friends Terry Storch and Tony Steward (and the rest of the Digerati Team) this fits them very well.

Maybe you don’t recognize the team, but you may recognize their work. Here is what the Digerati team has been up to and is responsible for:

* YouVersion (Web, Mobile, and iPhone)
* OPEN
* ChurchMetrics
* Internet Campus
* LifeGroups
* LifeShare
* OnePrayer

Second:
If you can make it to Pasadena, CA this Friday, then you need to so that you can attend Church Tech Camp. It’s the first in what I think will be a growing group of church leaders who are on the innovative edge of integrating technology and ministry, especially as it relates to social media, web 2.0 tools. If you can’t make it, then watch the live stream of the get together. Not only is the technology and its use in ministry innovative, but the organization of the camp itself is on the leading edge. Check it out and you will see.

Third:
Check out Andrew Jones’ Powerpoint presentation from his talk at GodblogCon, The Missional Church in the Internet Age. You can listen to Andrew’s podcast as well at Podcasts of Godblogcon 2008, as well as all the others from there.

Fourth:
Godbloggers Prepare to Invade ‘Sin City’

 

September 19, 2008

The Dark Side of Living Online–Are You a Slave to Your Technology?

Posted by rhettsmith under Technology | Tags: , , , |
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A few weeks ago I read a Twitter by social media guru Chris Brogan. His twitter was a link to the blog of Terry Starbucker. The post was titled Danger Will Robinson! The Downside of our Digital World.

And…it scared me to be honest.

Am I a slave to my technology is what I kept asking myself?

That’s a question we should all be asking ourselves. If Terry’s article was not enough, then read the article that spurred his post….you will have a lot to think about.

Connected, Yes, but Hermetically Sealed by Ben Stein

“MAN is born free, and everywhere he is in chains,” said Jean-Jacques Rousseau.

What would Rousseau have made of the modern-day balls and chains with which we shackle ourselves? They are not made of steel or iron, but of silicon and plastic and digits and electrons and waves zooming through the air. These are the chains of all kinds of devices, like the BlackBerry, the iPhone and the Voyager. These are the chains with which we have bound ourselves, losing much of our solitude and our ability to see the world around and inside us.

and

But try a day without that invasion of your privacy. Or a week. You will be shocked at what you discover. It’s called life. It’s called nature. It’s called getting to know yourself. I have a close friend who is in prison. He used to be imprisoned by his P.D.A. He has many stories, but the most haunting one is about how, without his phone, without his P.D.A., he has come to know, for the first time, who he is.

 

September 19, 2008

Identity–>Boundaries–>Self Care

Posted by rhettsmith under Technology, college ministry, youth ministry | Tags: , , , , , , |
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I’ve had a lot on my mind recently, and during that time I’ve been pretty convicted about several issues that I see interrelated.

It originally arose because of my dismay at the real lack of boundaries in ministry and what affect that has on those caught up in that boundary-less zone.

Boundaries can mean many things and cross many areas of our lives from the physical, the emotional, the psychological and the spiritual. In the area of psychology the lack of boundaries can often lead to a lack of differentiation between people, or the total opposite, enmeshment.

And what I have discovered in some of my teaching and training is that boundaries are connected to many things.

For example:

  • I see boundaries connected to our identity. How we see ourselves, or how we believe God sees us affect what kind of boundaries we set in our lives.


  • Our boundaries determine how we are then caring for ourselves.


  • And when we don’t care for ourselves, well, we often lack boundaries, and something is wrong at the root of our identity.


So you see, these things are interrelated and it’s important that we think and discuss them.

Over the next couple of weeks I want to explore these themes, and would also like your input and help.

  1. I want to discuss these things (identity, boundaries, self care) in the context of ministry. I am finding that those of us involved in ministry are often the worst at setting healthy boundaries, caring for ourselves, and often more confused about who we are.


  2. I want to discuss these things (identity, boundaries, self care) in the context of technology. Mainly social media. I think that those of us who are online a lot often don’t set proper boundaries, not caring for ourselves and those around us, and ultimately our identity is confused as we live in a state of flux between our online lives and those we live in person with our friends and families.



What do you think? Does this make sense? Am I way off target here, or do you see these things as issues as well?

What kind of boundaries do you see violated in ministry? What kind of boundaries do you see violated in regards to technology/social media?

 

September 16, 2008

Who to Hire on Staff of a Church in a New Media World?

Posted by rhettsmith under Technology, college ministry, youth ministry | Tags: , , , , , , |
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In light of much, much discussion about social media and ministry, and in light of many writing on online church community, I was wondering what you think of the post below, taken from Collide Magazine’s blog.

I Wouldn’t Hire You

If in some bizarro parallel universe I was an executive pastor (or whoever does the hiring at churches these days) and I was interviewing candidates for a ministry position that involved working with people between the ages of 12 and 30, I’d ask you about your vision and strategy for the ministry (youth ministry, college ministry, young adults ministry, whatever). I’d listen with great interest as you talked about discipleship, community, service, outreach, etc. I’d even ask you good questions about how you see those things fitting together and how you’d develop each of those initiatives. Then, when it was all said and done, and I’d heard your vision and strategy, I don’t think I’d hire you if you failed to mention your plan for leveraging social media. At the very least, I’d keep interviewing candidates in hopes of finding someone with similar passion and qualifications who was also social media-literate.

The ways in which 12-30 year-olds communicate and connect has radically changed in the last few years, and frankly, as someone who wants to minister vocationally to that demographic, I’d expect you to understand that. On top of that, there are too many free or inexpensive tools out there—ROOV, Twitter, Facebook Groups & Pages, MyChurch, Flickr, Vimeo, Ning, and on and on—for me to be enthusiastic about a job applicant who is unaware of them and their potential for ministry application.

If I’m choosing between several equally-qualified candidates, I wouldn’t hire you unless without a competent plan for leveraging social media in ministry to emerging generations.

What do you think? Am I overrating the importance of social media-literacy among would-be church staffers? If you are a would-be church staffer, have you thought through your social media strategy?

I was thinking about this issue and realized that there has always been criteria for employment in ministry. Those requirements vary depending upon church, denomination, ministry, etc., etc.

For example, when I was hired as a college pastor they were looking for someone with a Master of Divinity which I was just about to complete. Having that degree told the church hiring me that I was sufficient in areas such as Greek, Hebrew, Church History, Systematic Theology, etc.

But over the years I realized that things that weren’t required of me, nor my degree were necessary. Money management. Administrative skills. Counseling skills. Web 2.0 skills.

The questions for us are, “What is required for us to do ministry in certain contexts?” “What is required in the context of today’s ministry climate?”

Today, I think a certain proficiency in social media/web 2.0 tools is required for ministry, especially as we head into this new century. Now we can debate which skills are required for which ministries, and do all ministries require a certain minimal skill set.

But all things being equal (as Scott noted in his post), I would hire the person who had more social media/web 2.0 skill set, or who at least was willing to experiment and learn in that area. That may seem like a no brainer with all things being equal, but maybe it isn’t.

There are certain intangibles in ministry, and certain gifts that we all have that can’t easily be taught. Preaching, teaching, writing, management, conflict skills, etc. But,

Can social media/web 2.0 skills be taught?

And do you hire based on the possession of those skills or not?

As we become a people that live more of our lives online, I think the expectation will be there in ministry for pastors and leaders to be able to navigate themselves in that world. Just as pastors are to understand the context of the text and the culture of those sitting in the pew, they will be required to have as a language skill set that of social media/web 2.0. It will be like taking Greek and Hebrew, though I have a feeling Greek and Hebrew will be less and less taught due to the availability of online tools.


What skills set are looking for today if you were to hire for your ministry? And is social media/web 2.0 skills one of them?

 

September 8, 2008

Walt Mueller’s Observations of the VMAs

Posted by RO Smith under Youth Culture, sex, sexuality | Tags: , |
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Walt Mueller is the president of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, and I think he has written a good post called Random Thoughts on the VMAs…Britney’s Back…What Did You Think? wrapping up the Video Music Awards that were aired on MTV last night. I think Walt does a good job identifying the trends and messages being communicated to our kids of “what is right” according to the culture surrounding them. I watched the VMAs “off and on”, and what I did see of it was very interesting, especially when it comes to the issue of my previous post on who is going to tell our kids about sex and sexuality. It reinforces that if we are not talking to our kids about sex, someone is!

Here is an excerpt from his post:

Unlike past VMAs, this show didn’t present a one-sided message on sexuality. . . . although it looked like it might from the beginning. Between Russell Brand’s mocking commentary on the Jonas Brothers and their Promise Rings, to the overt visual and lyrical titillation of many performances, a do-anything culture was promoted (Kid Rock singing about his own adolescence in northern Michigan). But then there was my favorite moment of the night. . . Jordin Sparks. . . and her brief, unscripted, to the point commentary on Promise Rings and sexuality. Gutsy and great! Our kids desperately need voices that speak God’s wonderful life-giving sexual ethic into the culture. I found it interesting that Russell Brand came out soon after and, well sort-of, issued an apology.

I think this illustrates how we cannot have our “head in the sand” when it comes to sex and messages out there. We need to be informed and be able to speak back to the culture, as Jordin Sparks seemed to do. (I did not see this portion of the show, but I wish I did.)

 

September 8, 2008

Who’s Gonna Tell Them About Sex?

Posted by RO Smith under sex, sexuality | Tags: , , |
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Our church, Bel Air Presbyterian Church, just recently did a two week series called “Pure Sex: Where Do You Draw the Line?” In our youth program, we thought we would take advantage of this, and discuss issues of sex and sexuality with our middle school and high school students. We are doing a 5-week series talking about the theology of sex and sexuality in an age-appropriate way. The emphasis being on “age-appropriate”. We have communicated with parents about the topics of discussion, and have even sent the parents a copy of the lesson plan with questions for them to use to begin the discussion with their kids. We do not talk about the explicit details of sex or the “birds and the bees.” We simply discuss the theology behind sex and sexuality, and provide an opportunity for parents to lead the discussion.

I guess I should not be, but I am stunned by the response we get from parents who do not want their children to participate in the discussion. I am not talking about 6th grade parents because I understand that a child may not be ready to have “the talk” yet. (Not my belief, but I understand the reasoning). I am talking parents of 7th and 8th graders. While I understand the “uncomfortable-ness” of the subject, my sense from what the research is saying and what kids are saying is: The culture our kids are growing up in has plenty to say and is communicating sex and sexuality, even if we as parents and a church, are not talking to our kids about it.

Xxxchurch is a website dedicated to challenge individuals on their stance on the issues of pornography and begin to provide hope and healing for those affected by pornography. Here are some stats I found at xxxchurch.com that are mind boggling:

  • The average age of first exposure to internet pornography is 11 years old. (With the age of technology kids are growing up in, many believe this number is sure to drop.)
  • The largest consumer group of internet pornography is the 12-17 year old age group
  • Pornography generates worldwide annual revenues of $59 billion–more than the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL combined

Now, I understand that some of these stats may be inaccurate, and the numbers might be a little higher or lower, but I think the message is clear: If we don’t talk to kids about sex, then who is? If there is a $59 billion industry ready to teach these kids there idea of sex and sexuality, can we afford to stick our head in the sand?

  • So how do we get parents in the discussion who are not only hesitant, but resistant?
  • For youth pastors and parents, do you have any suggestions of what could be done differently from our end?
  • Am I over-reacting?…Definitely a possibility
 

August 26, 2008

My 9 Posts for Formulating an Online Strategy for College Ministry (and ministry in general)

Posted by rhettsmith under Technology, college ministry | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Formulating an Online Strategy for College Ministry

 

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