CyberTsunami

Book Review: Help, I'm a Frustrated Youth Worker

Case, Steve. Help, I’m a Frustrated Youth Worker! Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 2009 

Steve Case is the director of youth ministries for Windermere Union United Church of Christ, Windermere, FL. He is a frequent columnist for Youth Worker Journal.

This small book is an interesting combination of humor, confession, and help. Case has been known for his humorous columns in Youth Worker Journal. That humor carries over here. Sadly, much of the humor is sophomoric (note the title of the first chapter). Case also uses his own past as illustration of mistakes that youth ministers make and of toxic churches that minister can serve. One begins to wonder how much the past toxic churches have affected Case’s perception of youth ministry.

In the midst of all this, Case does provide a few gems of youth ministry wisdom. Chapters two and three on complaints and complaining are particularly noteworthy. On the other hand, some of the myths of youth ministry (chapter 10) reflect a view of youth ministry as the marginalized ministry that was prevalent decades ago. One hopes that most churches that actually have paid youth ministers have moved far beyond that.

The book is worth a quick read and maybe a review once a year or so as a “pick me up.” The basic outline is below.

1       There’s Always Somebody Willing to Pee in Your Froot Loops

Looking Out for Number One

A)    People who pee in your Froot Loops can’t see the ministry for the trees.

B)     Understanding is the key.

C)    You’ll find complainers no matter where you go.

D)    Don’t start to question yourself.

E)     Remember, God put you where you are.

2       Do You Know What Those @!*# Kids Have Done Now?

Dealing with Church Members’ Complaints

A)    Why Complain?

i)        Some people are born complainers.

ii)       Some people complain toe protect the status quo.

iii)     Some people complain because they are uninformed.

iv)     Some people complain because they feel bad about themselves.

v)      Sometimes there really is a problem worth complaining about.

B)     When It’s Your Turn to Respond

i)        God sent the critic.

ii)       Tag backs aren’t allowed.

(1)   Never respond immediately to an email.

(2)   Say, “Let me see if I’m hearing your right,” then repeat the complaint back to the person.

(3)   Promise a response.

iii)     Two magic words can work wonders: “however” and “therefore.”

iv)     Find the truth in the matter.

3       Oh, Yeah? Well, Same to You

When It’s Your Turn to Complain

A)    The Fine Art of Complaining

i)        Make sure you’re looking at the situation properly.

ii)       Inform your boss.

iii)     Be completely clear and honest about what’s making you unhappy.

iv)     Be completely clear and honest about what you want to happen as a result of your complaint.

v)      Complain to the right set of ears.

B)     How to Complain to a Parent

4       Exit: Stage Left

When It Really Is Time to Go

A)    Consider This

i)        Everyone has a limit.

ii)       It is a job.

iii)     You can have a heart for Jesus and still be fairly compensated.

iv)     They aren’t your kids.

B)     How Do You Know When It’s Time to Go?

i)        Pray…a lot.

ii)       Get advice.

iii)     Listen.

iv)     Don’t ask for advice if you’re not going to pay attention.

v)      Look before you leap.

vi)     You work according to God’s timing, not yours.

vii)   Don’t look back.

5       Getting Fired for the Glory of God

When Leaving Isn’t Your Idea

A)    Losing Your Job Is Not That Different from Losing a Loved One

i)        Denial: Why me, God?

ii)       Anger: Why aren’t you helping me?

iii)     Bargaining: I need a new ministry job, God. Now. Please.

iv)     Depression: Forget it. I’m outta here.

v)      Acceptance: I am Your servant.

6       Do Not Ride This Ride If You Have Back Trouble or a Heart Condition

When You Feel Like You’re Getting Too Old for This Stuff

This chapter just doesn’t outline well. Case talks about the myth of the midlife crisis, but just describes how one often happens. He tells a few funny stories about getting old, then he simply encourages youth workers not to give up just because they are getting older. He doesn’t address the reasons people think about leaving other than “I can’t keep up” or “it’s time.” The only real suggestion he makes it to get someone younger to mentor. This could have been a great chapter, but it’s not one of his best.

7       Religion and the Pomophobic Church

Or, Fear and Loathing in the Board Meeting

This chapter is simply about getting along with other people. The chapter refers to people in the church and from other traditions. The basic response is “try to get along.” Case provides a little help in understanding other people, but his main advice is to just take a deep breath and decide it the ground is worth dying for.

8       Carry My Rat

What? There’s Stress in Your Job?

This chapter doesn’t outline well, either. The phrase “carry my rat” comes from the image of items that cause stress are like rats that run around the office and home. When others try to unload their “rats” on someone, they add stress. Case does a decent job of describing ministerial stress in a like manner. He says that stress is normal in life and in ministry and that youth ministers just need to accept it and deal with it. Learning to say “no” also helps. He doesn’t provide much in the way of dealing with stress except to slow down and rest in and rely on Jesus. Yes, that will help, but he could have provided more. Then, that wouldn’t be keeping with the light hearted nature of the book.

9       Stuff Happens

What to Do When the Worst Thing That Can Happen…Does

A)    Start Here: You Have No Idea What You Are Doing

i)        Do not panic

ii)       If the student is in danger of any kind, respond immediately

iii)     Your students see you has someone who has answers.

iv)     Don’t case the wide blanket of “everything’s doing to be okay” over everything.

v)      If you’re dealing with a massive tragedy, expand the invitation.

vi)     You can’t for students to talk, unload, or spill their grief.

B)     Invite God

C)    God Is Not to Blame; God IS in Charge

D)    You Are Not Alone

10  Myth-Understanding

Some Lies and Truths about Youth Ministry

Myth	Truth
Youth ministry is about numbers.	Youth ministry occurs in small, quiet, one-on-one settings.
Youth ministry is about office hours.	You have to go where the teenagers are.
You can “fix my kid.”	You can’t fix a kid.
Students are servants of the church.	Students are servants of God.
Youth ministry is about helping youth become nice people	Youth ministry comes from the Greek for “messy noise.”
Youth should be present for all youth activities.	There’s no such thing as an inactive member.
Youth ministry is about giving the kids answers.	Anyone who says he has all the answers is either lying or selling something.
Mission trips are about serving others.	Mission trips are [also] about turning teens into disciples.
Youth ministry is a stepping stone to real ministry.	There is no higher calling than ministering to youth.

Case has presented some nice ideas here. Many youth workers do deal with a lot of these “myths.” At the same time, Case reveals a lot about his own mistakes and toxic situations of the past. A grounded youth minster knows that “office hours” of some sort gives credibility, stability, and connection for a youth ministry. And sometimes there just had to be rules. But, all in all, Case has presented some good arguments against some of the most common myths.

11  It’s Better to Burn Out Than to Fade Away

The Art of Winnowing

A)    The 18 Month Myth

i)        Case points out that this data has not empirical backing

ii)       The average paid youth minister (according to Group) has been at the same church for 3.9 years and in ministry for 4.2 years.

B)    Signs of Genuine Burnout

i)        No Vision

ii)       No Heart

iii)     No Prize in the Cereal Box (disappointment)

   

C)     Fixing the Hole

i)        Monitor your own spirituality.

(1)   You must carve out your own prayer time.

(2)   You must be part of church, not just a leader.

(3)   You must continue your education.

(4)   You must network.

(5)   You must take time off.

ii)       Remember that this is a calling.

iii)     Understand that youth ministry does not involve a method or formula. [Case maintains that while office work is necessary, it is not an office job.]

iv)     Remind yourself what your not in this business for.

(1)   Not to make money

(2)   Not to “fix” kids.

(3)   Not as a stepping stone to “real” ministry.

Book Review: Breakout Churches Part 2

Rainer, Thom & Sam Rainer. Breakout Churches. Grand Rapids: Zondervan. 2009, 252 pp

BV652.25.R365 2004                                 ISBN #0-310-25745-X

Continued from previous post

6.     The VIP Factor

This chapter is similar to the Hedgehog Concept in Good to Great. The VIP factor is the “Vision Intersection Profile.” Rainer opens with the shocking statement that breakout churches do not seek to discover their vision. The key phrase is “seek to discover.” These churches all have a clear, compelling vision, but in Rainer’s words, it “was a vision that discovered them.”

When the vision of the leader can be matched with the gifts and passions of the congregation, then the church can find what community needs it can adequately meet. Most often, the leader’s passion came first, then the people’s passions were molded to his.

Rainer states that of the 427 church’s his team looked at, only 6% of the pastors were passionate. The others were motivated by survival, conflict avoidance, self-promotion, tradition, or fear.

For the congregation passion, the church didn’t rely on spiritual gift inventories or surveys. They created an atmosphere were people’s passions bubbled to the top and gave the people permission to follow them. What isn’t clear is how they filtered out the passions that did not align with the leader’s.

7.     A Culture of Excellence

This chapter is patterned after Collin’s “Culture of Discipline.” Closely tied to the VIP Factor, breakout churches found the intersection of the leader, people, and community and demanded excellence in every ministry that fell within that intersection and usually let other ministries die. These churches also gave ministry leaders and workers, both staff and volunteer a high degree of freedom, but with a high degree of expectations. Rainer came up with a quadrant similar to Collins discipline/entrepreneur quadrant, but Rainer’s is expectation/freedom. The chart below shows the quadrant arrangement. All the breakout churches were in quadrant 2. The comparison churches in each of the other quadrants are listed in the quadrant.

1 High Freedom Low Expectation 7 Comparison Churches	2 High Freedom High Expectation 13 Breakout Churches
3 Low Freedom Low Expectation 25 Comparison Churches	4 Low Freedom High Expectation 7 Comparison Churches

The breakout churches also had a generally acknowledged “do not start” or “stop doing” list. They simply didn’t do things that didn’t fit their VIP Factor or that they could not do well.

8.     Innovation Accelerators

Patterned after “Technology Accelerators” in Good to Great, the key idea of the chapter is that breakout churches use innovation as aid to growth, not to cause growth. The concept seems a little subtle. Is it really possible to say that an innovation did or did not cause the growth? The real issue seems to be one of how the church filters innovation and how much it relies on innovation.

Rainer states that most churches are either Traditionalist/Resistors or Innovator/Embracers. The first is troubled by change and generally resists all change. Twenty four of the 39 comparison churches fit this category (69%). The latter see innovation as the “magic bullet” or panacea. They blindly follow the latest innovation. Fifteen comparison churches fit this category (31%). Like the little bear in Goldilocks, breakout churches had the “just right” approach to innovation. Again, the difference seems to be not on the speed of innovation, but on the wisdom and discernment of the leadership.

Rainer finally addresses this when he comes back to the VIP Factor. The church has to evaluate technology with regard to how well it fits within their vision intersection.

The book digresses into a discussion of how innovation could become “the tail wagging the dog.” True, but Rainer uses this section to drive home more importantly how that most of the comparison churches didn’t have a dog to wag. The dog, of course, would be the main mission/vision of the church and leaders. There’s the problem. It’s not the innovation.

The book also includes the old warning that innovation can be a trap. What you use to bring them is what you have to use to keep them. Rely on innovation and you could get stuck with the innovation long after it ceases to innovative.

9.     Big Mo or Blind Erosion?

This chapter is based on Collin’s chapter The Flywheel and the Doom Loop. The big mo is, of course, momentum. Rainer says that the momentum is caused by a variety of things including the longer tenure of breakout pastors. Other factors include, preaching, Biblical authority, and prayer.

Blind erosion, on the other hand, stems from lack of accountability, poor theology, and ignorance and resistance on the part of the leaders. In the comparison churches, the laypeople had little understanding of their doctrinal beliefs and little evangelistic zeal. Many concluded that there were alternate ways to heaven.

Rainer lists six types of leaders who have the resistance to change that leads to erosion.

Ø      The burned leader is demoralized and hurt. He is unwilling to try great things for God out of fear of conflict.

Ø      The ignorant leader lacks interpersonal skills and basic leadership abilities.

Ø      The lazy leader takes advantage of low accountability.

Ø      The theologically weak leader has doubts about some basic tenets.

Ø      The conflict avoider is like the burned leader except that conflict avoidance is a basic personality issue and not the result of previous conflict.

Ø      The accolade seeker lives for recognition. He spends time on pastoral care and things that will increase his value in the eyes of the people.

1o.        To Become a Breakout Church

The last chapter is Rainer’s wrap up to reinforce salient issues one more time. The most beneficial section is the final chart on page 200.

Some steps toward breaking out

Acts 6/7 Leadership

Ø      develop core biblical values.

Ø      Pray for Christlike Spirit in all areas.

Ø      Decide in God's power to love the people of the church no matter what.Seek to lead your church to an outward focus, beyond the walls of the congregation.

Ø      In God's will make a commitment to stay with the church long-term.

The ABC Moment

Ø      Seek outside counsel to help you see the church from an outsider's perspective.

Ø      Be a lifelong learner through numerous media.

Ø      Pray for your critics and maintain an attitude of love toward them.

Ø      Be prepared for the reality that most crises will be the result of conflict with Christians.

Ø      Pray that God will allow you to see beyond the crises and see His work in the difficult moments.

Who/What Simultrack

Ø      Deal quickly but compassionately with a major people problems.

Ø      Develop a high expectation culture in the church that will attract more of the right people.

Ø      Work on major structural needs in the church will simultaneously working on the people issues.

The VIP Factor

Ø      Discern your passions for ministry is a leader.

Ø      Discover the gifts and passions of the members of your congregation.

Ø      Discover the needs in the community.

Ø      See where the above three factors intersect, and focus many resources at this vision intersection.

Culture of Excellence

Ø      Attempt to do all things with excellence in God's power.

Ø      If the church cannot do something with excellence, consider discarding or discontinuing the effort.

Ø      See innovation as a means, not as an end.

Ø      Carefully evaluate each innovative opportunity; be open but cautious with innovations.

Big Mo

Ø      Learn that the success God gives is often a beginning point for another opportunity for success.

Appendix A: Frequently Asked Questions

Most of the questions answered here have already been addressed in the body of the work.

Appendix B: Selection Process and Research Steps

1.      Determine the Criteria for Selection

Ø      26 conversions in at least one of the past five years.

Ø      Maximum of 20:1 evangelistic ratio in the past five years.

Ø      Five years of sustained growth.

Ø      No change in senior pastor during the decline, breakout and growth.

2.      Locate a Database of Churches

The team gathered data on 52,333 churches.

3.      Apply the Two Evangelistic Screens

The evangelistic screens reduced the number of churches to 1,936.

4.      Seek Other Screening Data from Remaining Churches

The team asked the 1,936 churches for more extensive data over the past 10 years. Only 881 churches responded.

5.      Apply Breakout Screen

This screen reduced the number of churches to 211.

6.      Apply Consistent Leadership Screen

The senior pastor stayed the same in only 17 churches.

7.      Begin Intensive Research on Screened Churches

Detailed scrutiny ruled out 4 more churches.

8.      Research the Breakout Churches

1.      Gathering internal and historical documents on the churches.

2.      Gathering published material on the churches where available.

3.      Conducting interviews with staff and laity.

4.      On site observation.

5.      Testing according to Good to Great.

6.      Testing against comparison churches.

Appendix C: Selection Process of Comparison Churches

This is a brief explanation of how Rainer’s team picked the comparison churches for each breakout church.

Ø      Size: the comparison church had to have an average attendance within 10% of the breakout church’s.

Ø      Geography: The comparison church had to be in the same state or a contiguous state.

Ø      Demographics: The two communities had to be with 20% in size.

Ø      Doctrine: If the breakout church was part of a denomination, the comparison church came from the same denomination.

Appendix D: Synopsis of Churches Selected

This section gives a short synopsis of the 13 breakout churches. Most of the information has already been anecdotally mentioned within the main body of the book. They are listed below for easy reference.

1. Bethel Temple Community Church, Evansville, IN

2. Calvary Memorial Church, Oak Park, IL

3. Central Christian Church, Beloit, WI

4. Fairfield New Liife Church, Farfield, CA (Nazarene)

5. First Gethsemane Baptist Church, Louisville, KY

6. Grace Church, Christians and Missionary Alliance, Middleburg Heights, OH
7. Grace Evangelical Free Church, Allen, TX

8. Grove City Church of the Nazarene, Grove City, OH

9. Korean Central Presbyterian Church, Vienna, VA

10. Lenexa Baptist Church, Leneza, KN

11. Southwest Baptis tChurch, Amarillo, TX
12. The Temple Church, Nashville, TN
13. Xenos Christian Fellowship, Columbus, OH

Appendix E: Church Readiness Inventory

This 50 question inventory is one that Rainer’s former organization, Church Central, uses in preparation for a consultation. It covers many areas of church life including prayer, strategy, evangelism, fellowship, staff, vision, leadership styles, relationships, and conflict. Permission is granted for the survey to be used in the book purchaser’s local church.

Book Review: Youth Ministry 3.0

Oestreicher, Mark. Youth Ministry 3.0: A Manifesto of Where We’ve Been, Where We Are, and Where We Need to Go.

Grand Rapids

: Zondervan. 2008.

 

Mark Oestreicher is the president of Youth Specialties.

 

Over the brief history of youth ministry, several people have attempted to trace the history, show where we missed it, and get us ready for the new iteration. My exposure to this was in Mark Senter’s Book The Coming Revolution in Youth Ministry. Oestreicher plainly states in the title that he believes he has the handle on the next, the third, iteration of youth ministry.

 

The brief introduction gets one at least partially interested because it recalls the days when youth ministry gurus actually endorsed the use of the hot seat (a stool with a mild electric shock) as an acceptable, fun apparatus for youth group meetings. Mark asks the question of was it really okay then? If so, why isn’t it okay now? If it wasn’t okay, why did so many thinking people (including parents) not rise up in arms against it? Perhaps it is a good metaphor for youth ministry and the uncertainty we face with what we are doing now.

 

The introduction also introduces a unique literary tool Mark uses. The margins of several pages are peppered with comments from youth workers. These have probably been gleaned from Youth Specialties events where Mark was formulating the basis for the book.

 

The first two chapters form a basis of Oestreicher’s view of youth ministry and its history. He draws greatly on a work by G. Stanley Hall, Adolescence: Its Psychology and Its Relations to Physiology, Anthropology, Sociology, Sex, Crime, and Religion (Appleton. 1904). He refers to Hall’s three key elements that were common to all adolescents: conflict with parents, mood disruptions, and risky behavior. In the endnote, the author states that this idea “was popular for a few decades, but then it fell out of style.” [129] He mentions that recent attention to it has been relegated to being a “blip” on the adolescent radar. I find this a little hard to accept. It seems to fall right in line with some of the recent findings in teenage brain development.

 

Then the author makes an unexpected turn. He returns to the idea of Hall’s three themes of adolescents, but this time they are different. He spends the remainder of the chapter discussing identity, autonomy, and affinity. While he spends several pages unpacking these themes, his point (seen only at the end of the chapter) is that early youth culture (and, by extension, youth ministry?) emphasized identity. Later youth culture emphasized autonomy. Now it is the time to address the area where he believes youth ministry has failed: affinity.

 

The next three chapters compare Youth Ministry 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0. Oestreicher traces a quick (and admittedly incomplete history of youth ministry. He really starts in the 1950s almost a decade after the rise of Youth for Christ and YoungLife, totally ignoring the Youth Movements of the late 1800s and pre World War II. Nor does he really deal with the local church aspects of youth ministry like 3rd

Baptist

Church

,

St. Louis

.

 

Oestreicher uses the Beatles to illustrate how youth culture came into it’s own in the 60s. In the early 60s the Beatles wore suits and had longer than usual, still short, hair. By the late 60s they had transformed into the “hippie” movement look. At this time church begin to high youth ministers in earnest. This was also the time of the birth for Youth Specialties. Since it is Oestreicher’s organization, he has some humorous insights into the creation in his endnotes.

 

Oestreicher does not hide his frustrations with the failing of 2.0. He blames it for the internalization of youth ministry, making it isolated, numbers driven, and too tied to cultural models. Though he does admit that it was in this kind of youth ministry that he grew up and it worked for him at the time.

 

The author almost “begs the question” as he describes what youth ministry 3.0 should be. He seems to suggest that 1) it is possible to know and understand a movement while one is in it, 2) that youth culture is a deeper and more mysterious thing than it was in the early years and 3) that affinity is a new principle. I’m not sure it ever had been. Just the affinities have changed and perhaps become smaller units, less based on geography and less hierarchical.

 

Yes, communion and mission seen to be taking a larger role in this general, but I’m not sure that we can yet call them the themes. Even if they are, programs certainly have sprung up to support them.

 

Here is his chart comparing the three iterations.

	Youth Ministry 1.0	Youth Ministry 2.0	Youth Ministry 3.0
Youth Culture Fixation	Identity	Autonomy	Affinity
Cultural Influence on Youth Minister	Language and Topics	Models and Success	Contextualization
Key Themes	Evangelism and Correction	Discipleship and Creating a Positive Peer Group	Communion and Mission
Driver	Proclamation	Programs	Not Driven, but Present
Theme Verse	Matthew 7:13-14 (the narrow and broad gates)	Matthew 28:19-20 (the Great Commission)	Acts 2:44-16 (the early church and the five purposes)

While Youth Ministry 1.0 may have helped youth culture establish identity, I’m not sure that Youth Ministry 2.0 helped establish autonomy. In fact, it may have done more to establish identity than 1.0 did. The main area where autonomy may have been an issue is in the buying power of the youth culture. It became the secret desire of every marketing plan (as it is still somewhat today).

 

Oestreicher at least attempts to make the book practical with the last chapter. He suggests three options to answer the question of how we get there. Alignment – the arrangement of the ministries, program, and staff around the same simple process.

1. Multiple Youth Ministries to Multiple Subcultures – this might be the easiest response and is easily visible in the life of churches with multiple ethnicities.
2. One Youth Ministry with a Bream of Supra-Culture, Kingdom of God Culture – Oestreicher seems to doubt that this might be possible, tending to migrate back to multiple groups. This might also be limited to the larger church.
3. Some Hybrid of the Two

• One group for some stuff, smaller subculture-specific groups for other stuff.
• One group most of the time, but with some specific, contextualized efforts to create space for the subcultures to which your ministry is called.

Oestreicher also suggests that these approaches mean that churches have to cut programs. This is a little of a straw man. Programs are not the problem. The problem is that churches hardly ever cut programs after they have run their course. In any iteration of youth ministry (or any ministry) programs need to be re-evaluated. This includes programs that don’t look like programs including mission trips, third space gatherings, and small groups.

Oestreicher ends the chapter with a warning against being “driven.” Driven, as he defines it is bad, but he doesn’t define it like Saddleback would. Again, he sets up a little of a straw man. His “driven” is more like George McDonald described King Saul in Ordering Your Private World.

 

The epilogue is more of a motivational tag at the end. Oestreicher gives his kudos to several youth workers he has met you illustrate the benefits and struggles of “getting” what he is saying.

For each of the youth ministry iterations, he provides a set of themes and drivers.

Book Review: Raising the Bar

Reid, Alvin. Raising the Bar.Grand Rapids: Kregel. 2004

BV4447.R42 2004       ISBN #-0-8254-3632-x

195 pages

 

Alvin Reid is the Bailey Smith Chair of Evangelism professor at Southeaster Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake Forrest, 

NC

This book was recommended to me a couple of years ago by Alan Jackson, a youth ministry professor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (not the county music artist).

 

Admittedly, I read the book a full four years after it was published, so I might be a little harsh when I say that much of the book is already a little outdated or at least not new. Reid says little that hasn't been said several times already.

His general premise is that current youth ministry is too much fun and games and not concerned enough with the spiritual maturity of teens. I wholeheartedly agree. I am associated with about 2,000 churches in California and work directly is about two dozen youth ministries each year. I more often see ministries that set the bar too low.

 

Reid also makes a strong case for the formal education of youth ministers. He rightly says that many youth ministers learned youth ministry from other youth ministers who learned it from their youth ministers. In other words, youth ministers who don’t have formal training will tend to duplicate the youth ministry they grew up with. I would add that youth ministers who have a senior pastor who mentors them also get mentoring based on an older, outdated form of youth ministry that their senior pastor used when he was a youth minister in his early years.

 

Beyond these points, Reid tends to write all across the board. He shows a comprehensive understanding of the history of contemporary music and the youth movement in the contemporary church, but his discussion of it seems to be more of an exhibition of his diverse knowledge rather than a help to his major premise. Indeed, many of his chapters come across like talks he has given to parents, youth leaders, youth, Sunday School teachers, or the whole congregation during a DiscipleNow Weekend.

 

Indeed, Reid is quick to point out that he has spoken at many churches and youth camps. He actually comes across as a little enamored with Student Life and InQuest Ministries.

 

One other comment of note, when Reid touches on theology or social issues, his language clearly reflects the Southern Baptist party line. If he doesn’t travel in the same circles with the “movers and shakers” of the Southern Baptist main players, then he at least knows who influences his paycheck at the seminary.

 

So, do I recommend the book? Yes, especially if one is looking for help in encouraging an youth ministry to move from fun and games to spiritual formation. But, if one has much background in formal student ministry or has done much reading on the subject, it might be a waste of time. The book is a great secondary source for an introduction to student ministry class.

Book Review: Vibrant Church

Rainer, Thom and Daniel Akin. Vibrant Church. Nashville:LifeWay Press. 2008                                                                                    160pp.

When this book first crossed my desk I decided to drop what I was currently reading and take on this book. It seemed to deal with where my church is right now and as a church consultant, I use several books and resources by Thom Rainer and LifeWay (where he is the president).

The book is really a group study guide. It is about 1/4 learning activities and includes the teachers guide at the back of each chapter. I know this saves money, but it really seems to damage some of the "mystique" of a group session when all the participants can see how much of the group study lesson plan the leader uses.

As for content, I think the book could have some great usefulness to my church as we are facing some changes, but it doesn't appear to be the kind of study that will we widely used among churches.

The writers' agendas are more obvious than in most books. While they demonstrate a good bit of scholarship at certain points (historical documents and word derivations, for example) the discussions fall short at many points. They don't deal with the vast differences in many Southern Baptist churches to whom this is really written. This is especially true in the areas of pastor, elders, and women in ministry.

It looks like the book was written with churches in the deep South in mind. These might be churches that have a long history of SBC polity but have lost an understanding of why they do what they do. Perhaps the authors are also thinking of churches that have been swayed by contemporary practices with examining the theological underpinnings. The result is, I wouldn't recommend this to just any church.

As I said before, I may use it in my own church, if the current leadership desires. It can be helpful, but only as a starting point for discussion.

Book Review: The Comeback Congregation

Frazee, Randy. The Comeback Congregation.

Nashville

: Abingdon. 1995

BR560.A78F73  1995                                                                                           131 pages

Randy Frazee is the pastor of Pantego Bible Church in Arlington, TX. and a mentor in the Teaching Church Network,Eden Prairie, MN. 

Those familiar with the work of Aubrey Malphurs (Strategic Planning for Churches) may see many similarities. Malphurs refers to the church many times. The church is connected with Dallas Theological Seminary where Malphurs is a professor and it is a Bible church which is Malphurs original denomination

Frazee was a member of the church which had experience great growth and a recent decline. The founding pastor left and it took the church two years to call Frazee. The book is the story of the turn around the church made.

One of the best aspects of the book is Frazee’s assessment of the kind of person who can be the “change agent” who can help a church make the comeback. It does take someone who is an activator and influencer. Sadly, this means that many current pastors may be unsuited and possible unable to affect a comeback.

Frazee gives a lot detail about the transition. Not enough to guide a church through the process, and too much detail about some elements, but overall, the reader can get a fairly clear understanding. Some of the elements include how the elder board was reorganized, how the staff was hired and reassigned, and how the foundational documents (by laws and mission statements) were re-written. Many of the ideas will not work with churches of different makeup, denominational backgrounds, or polity, but the general ideas are work a look.

How the church determined a disciple making process will be new to many churches and worth the time to digest.  The most unique aspect of Pantego's discipling process (which was later found in Reggie McNeal's book, Present Future) is the idea of helping members develop their own Spiritual Fitness plan.  The appendices have examples of a Spiritual Fitness Plan for both one's self and family and a Spiritual Fitness Resource Card which lists the various resources the church provides for individuals, small groups, and the entire church.  The church also supplies a Spiritual Fitness Coach for any individual or family that desires one. Finally, Appendix C has a staffing chart which shows how the staffing fit the discipling process.

The chapter on volunteers is also helpful. The church developed a useful taxonomy for volunteer positions based on four letters and a level number.

1 – Leadership ability: C = Contributor, M = Manager, I = Influencer

2 – Work style: S = Self (likes to work alone), T = Team (likes to work on a team)

3 – Closure style: O = Open (likes open ended projects), C = Closed (likes projects with quick completion) [Meyes-Briggs J/P?]

4 - – Relationship style: T = (likes to work with) Things, P (likes to work with) People [Meyers-Briggs E/I?]

Levels 1 – 3 refer to the level of spiritual maturity and church commitment (membership) needed. This must be totally subjective.

Frazee devoted one chapter to the children’s ministry. While this may have been a significant change, it also shows signs of “taking the easy road. They were dissatisfied with the traditional approach because it used too many volunteers: 200 volunteers for 450 children. This seems to be ridiculously high. They also believed that most of the recruits did not have the gifts or skills to teach children. Frazee also makes the audacious statement “Children’s curriculum is almost totally useless.” How absurd when he has already admitted that their recruitment process resulted in many unqualified teachers. In their defense, one can only point out that they did also try to involve parents in the teaching process more.

Aside from the criticism above, the book can provide a older (mid 90s), but still relevant profile of a church in the process of renewing rather than dying, ignoring, or planting, which are the most common responses to a church in decline.

Book Review: Is God Calling Me?

As a student worker, I often have conversations with students about whether God may be calling them into the ministry. This is a nebulous, and therefore, difficult question. Jeff Iorg, president of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in Mill Valley, CA

tackles the question of God's call much like a conversation with a youth or young adult.

The two recurring themes in the idea of “call” according to Iorg is that it brings new information and new responsibility. He relates the various uses of the word “call” in the English language and shows how they mostly fit these themes. Iorg's his own definition of call is

a profound impression from God that establishes parameters for your life and can be altered only by a subsequent, superseding impression from God. [8]

The second chapter discusses three different kinds of call by God.

Universal Call to Service and Growth – God calls every believer to serve in the Kingdom and to grow as a disciple.

General Call to Ministry Leadership – Iorg does not like the term “vocational Christian service” as a bivocational call is equally valid. Nor does he like “full time Christian service” as all Christians are called to serve full-time. He prefers the term “ministry leadership.”

A Specific Call to a Ministry Assignment – Iorg begs the question a little here. He says that some may ask if ministry assignments are not just jobs like any other. He says “no,” but doesn’t say why. In short, this idea of call is simply like the call of a pastor to serve in a local church.

Chapter three lines out three ways that God calls someone: through sudden experiences (crisis), through reasoned decisions (contemplation), and through the prompting of others (community). Iorg illustrates each of these with examples of his own experience of calling.

Next, Iorg describes the kind of person God calls using examples from the lineage of Jesus in Matthew. God's call includes people who are unexpected, immoral, anonymous, and inconsistent. Of course this is not the checklist God uses to call people. Iorg simply is trying to expand the field of choices.

How one discerns God's call is difficult to define. Most called people say they "just know it." Iorg makes a brief attempt in chapter five. One can discern the call through inner peace, confirmation by others (particularly spiritual leaders and family members), effectiveness in ministry (not necessarily success in everything), and joy in the ministry (particularly when working with people).

In chapter six, Iorg states that a real call gives one confidence, perseverance, authority, and humility. Confidence comes from the fact that God is with one in the process and he would not choose someone who could not do the job. Perseverance comes because the call supersedes any adverse circumstances. Finally, God’s call leads to humility. The best line is “your ministry is a received ministry, not an achieved
ministry.” [83] (italics mine)

The last two chapters addresses to calls that Iorg believes stand out: missions and senior pastor. He doesn't really expand the understanding of the calls. He spends more time instilling a sense of importance, purpose, and seriousness in these to calls.

Summary Evaluation
Iorg has done a decent job of trying to clarify some of the nebulous aspects of God's calling. In the long run, he really doesn't help one do a better job of answering the question "Is God Calling Me?" I'm not sure anyone really can. Many times Iorg's arguments seem to be more experiential rather than Biblical. They aren't unBiblical, they just draw more from his own experiences rather than on chapter and verse. Still, he provides clarity on some issues of calling and provides the reader with a decent platform from which to begin evaluating the question, "Is God Calling Me?"

Book Review: Christ-Centered Coaching

Coaching is one of the new buzz words. My office (the Healthy Church Group) has started coaching groups for pastors to help them with strategic envisioning. What we call coaching is vastly different from what Jane Creswell calls Christ Centered Coaching. For her Christ Centered coaching is.

• Finding answers, not providing them.
• a vehicle for moving one forward.
• focuses on identifying and strengthening strengths.

The Benefits of Christ Centered Coaching revolve around:

•  Orienting around Strengths
•  Clarity/Focus
•  Confidence
•  Learning
•  Intentional Progress
•  Coaching Others
•  God Sized Goals

She unpacks these benefits and the main chapters of the rest of the book. Each chapter starts with a real life example of a Christian leader in a coaching situation. Creswell says that the example are all aggregate examples taken from her own experience. Each chapter ends with tips for coaches and for those being coached. Most are excellent, practical suggestions. A few seem to be unrelated to the chapter that they close.

Creswell also makes use of an abundance of Scripture. While it is great to be Biblically based, many of the Scripture references border on prooftexting.

In spite of some awkward writing and marginal Biblical interpretation, the book is probably the best contemporary work on coaching for the mass Christian leadership market. Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary uses the book as a text in its D.Min program in coaching.

Jane Creswell is the founder of the IBM Coaches Network and a master certified coach from the International Coach Foundation. She works closely with George Bullard.

Review: What Got You Here Won't Get You There

It's not often that I get to read and review an entirely secular business book. I ran across What Got You Here through an executive summary service that I use. It intrigued me so much that I had to buy it. The first part of the book deals with 20 habits that people in leadership often have. These habits are quite often perceived as strengths: therefore, they are "what got you here." At some level in a person's growth, the habits begin to hold them back. I was immediately able to see several habits that I have and can see how I need to begin to change them.

Goldsmith also provides some suggestions for fixing the habits, but the solutions are minimal. Fortunately, the second half of the book reveals  seven new habits that can help leaders change in general: feedback, apologizing, advertising (ones change), listening, thanking, follow up, and feedforward.

Since I work mainly with pastors and other church leaders, let me evaluate it from the perspective of the pastor. The books is worth the $24 price tag just for the list of the 20 habits. Some habits that may likely end up in a pastor's repertoire are #3 - Passing judgment (people expect that from a pastor, they are in the change business), #6 - Telling the world how smart we are (in biblical and spiritual matters, pastor's usually are the smartest), #20 - An excessive need to be "me" (if a pastor has been at the church long enough, it takes on his personality and the normal constraints on "being me" begin to disappear).

More importantly, the seven new habits have a great potential to enhance pastoral leadership, especially in a larger church.

• It is so difficult for many Christian leader to apologize. We have this sense of needing to be a above reproach. Apologizing can't happen unless we are wrong and many pastors are afraid to admit that especially in the small things.
• Advertising our desire and efforts to change seems like self aggrandizement and so we shy away from it. Goldsmith helps one see how advertising the change not only helps one change, but also helps the followers see and accept the change.
• Follow up with staff members and with volunteer leaders is a necessity considering the mission critical nature of the church, yet many leaders hand off assignments, check it off their to do list, and forget about it.
• As communicators, pastors aren't taught how to listen without prejudice. It is a skill that takes practice to develop. Goldsmith suggests that one practice counting out loud to 50 without letting other thoughts in. It is more difficult that it seems. Yet, we one cannot listen to oneself with being distracted, how can one listen to the people one leads?
• Thank you ought to be easy for a pastor or church leader, but Goldsmith points out many ways that one can say thank you in meaningful and creative ways.
• Feedforward is a great, proactive way to get advice and suggestions on how to improve in the future. Best of all, it is a somewhat self-fulfilling prophecy. Just by getting feedforward, leadership relationships improve.

In summary, much of the book can be skimmed, but take the time to land on the salient points for your ministry and take the suggestion actions to improve. I believe it can help you and your ministry get there.

Direct Hit

According to author, Paul Borden, in 1997, the American Baptist Churches of the West had less than 20% of the churches growing. In the 50s and 60s, many of these churches had over 500. In 1997, most were under 100. Over the next four years the growth rate increased to 70% of the churches. Many are between 300 and 900 in attendance. Aggressive church plants have with over 300 in attendance. Direct Hit is the summary of what the denominational leaders discovered through the process.

Borden first explains why he believes most churches do not grow. The key factor is that the churches either have no leadership or leaders who wanted to lead change could not communicate it. While Direct Hit is about how pastors can prepare for change, it really does not address many details on how to communicate change. Issues Borden does address include

· Factors that help make someone a church leader

· Vision (with some suggestions on communication)

·  Building a sense of urgency (to help make people dissatisfied with the status quo)

· Building a transitional team. Borden suggests three teams: prayer, envisioning, and implementation. The teams caught my attention because of this quote from page 69.

Most pastors fail in this war because their army is too small when the conflict is engaged. They have too few officers. They are usually outsmarted by better generals who are fighting on their home turf.

· Living between two worlds – being the visionary leader and still fulfilling the role of pastor/chaplain/teacher.

· Dealing with opposition to change. Again, here’s a great quote [page 90]

As the pastor gains more and more influence and as more new people come, the congregational bosses realize that they will soon be outnumbered and out voted, thus losing control. This realization will produce passive-aggressive and, in some cases, openly aggressive behaviors against the pastor and those perceived as the “pastor’s people.”

· Using a consultant to help implement change. This is a great chapter for any pastor who is doubtful about using a service like the Healthy Church Group provides. Borden describes his consultation process in detail.

 

The appendices include a congregational self study which will help a congregation prepare for change and help a consultant to quickly understand the church culture and some of the issues the church is facing. There is also a great summary of church life cycles as delineated by George Bullard. Finally, there is an outline for pastors to train their boards and staff members.

At only 150 pages, Direct Hit isn’t a long read. Much of what Borden describes is conventional wisdom in church health and follows closely with what the Healthy Church Group is doing among California Southern Baptists. Still, for any pastor who is ready for a change but is unsure if the church is ready or if the time is right, Borden’s books can provide a framework through which pastors can evaluate the situation. It can also help a pastor decide if the time is right to call on an outside consultant like the Healthy Church Group.