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As an essential part of the revitalization process, Pastor Albers and other congregational leaders have been asked to read several books that will inform and guide our visioning process. Each month Pastor Albers is also required to read a book in preparation for the monthly Learning Community of which he is a part. One leader suggested a book review might be helpful. Reviews are currently being prepared for the books listed. Reviews should be complete by May 13. One should be added at least once a month as a result of Pastor Albers participation in the Learning Community. If any of these books looks interesting, you are encouraged to check out Pastor Albers' copy, or order one for yourself.
Church Unique: How Mission Leaders Cast Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement Essential Church? Reclaiming a Generation of Dropouts
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Winning on Purpose: How to
Organize Congregations to Succeed in Their Mission
Read as a critical piece of the Revitalization Process. The primary issue throughout this book is "accountability." The author, John Kaiser, seems almost frustrated by a church that would continue doing what it has done for generations, simply because that is what they have done for generations. Or, even worse, is doing whatever they do so that the organization (in this application a local congregation) can continue to exist (so-called "sustainability"). Kaiser seems to write out of a conviction that God's church should have before it a much more important mission, God's purposes. The best part of the resource would have to be the more "practical" sections focused on the "how-tos" of organizing a congregation for success; of implementing what he refers to as the Accountable Leader model for church governance. It is a model that is similar to that used in other successful not-for-profits and plenty of for-profit businesses. Kaiser is not shy about "borrowing" from those models and seeing how they could be put to work in a local congregation. The mission, the purpose for which God's people are organized as a congregation is critical to Kaiser. Although he does believe his model for church organization and governance has broad application, he seems always to come back to making sure the congregation keeps before it the basic purpose of bringing to Christ those who do not yet know Christ's love. I have asked that Rev. Tom Eggold, our Revitalization Facilitator, to do some significant teaching on this Accountable Leader model for church governance. Moving to this structure is critical to the Revitalization efforts. Helping to make sure that each of us is "on the same page" will be very important. Pastor Albers Would you like to write a review of "Winning on Purpose"? Read the book and email a review to revitalization@faithmemorial.net.
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Church That Works
Read for the May 13, 2009, Learning Community. More of a collection of ideas than anything, Church That Works is an easy read ... at least if you don't stop in mid-chapter and start to develop a particular idea a bit more for your particular context. Although the chapters are organized somewhat into a logical sequence, most chapters can stand on their own as a collection of ideas for congregations who want to work on a particular area of ministry. Unlike other tools, it is not necessary to put into place the ideas from the 1st part (Building Foundations) before implementing ideas from the 3rd part (Church Visitors). In fact, if a church member or ministry board would like to consider how Faith Memorial might more effectively receive visitors into our fellowship on Sunday morning, the chapters on Church Visitors, especially the chapter on "Attracting Guests" (Part 3, chapter 7) and the chapter on "Visitor Follow-Up That Works!" (Part 5, chapter 15). In other words, many pieces and parts of the book fit together to make a helpful "whole," but it is not necessary to buy into everything the author presents in order to make use of the resource. In fact, there is at least one part of the book that matches our congregational ministry board structure and other committees. For the Board of Eduation and Youth Part 9 focuses on "Developing Ministry" including chapters on "Children's Ministry." The Board of Property and Planning would do well to read up on the short chapter on "What Guests See" (Chapter 11). The Board of Social Ministry may be interested in reading Part 15, "Service" including chapters on "Creating a Culture of Service" and "Putting People First" and "The Needs of the People." As noted above, there are several chapters on responding to visitors that might interest the Board of Stewardship and Evangelism. I found it encouraging the the chapters on "Pastoral Compensation" nearly mirror what has already been available to us through the Indiana District and their Salary Scale for Church Workers. The book is not a very in-depth resource. It will be necessary for folks to add their own details to many of the ideas that McIntosh presents. Then again, Faith Memorial members are pretty good at doing just that! Pastor Albers Would you like to write a review of "Church That Works"? Read the book and email a review to revitalization@faithmemorial.net.
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Church Unique: How Mission Leaders Cast
Vision, Capture Culture, and Create Movement
Read for the April 22, 2009, gathering of the Leadership Team. Will provide the outline for the vision process in the coming year. Step by step, piece by piece, Mancini lays out the process by which congregations like Faith Memorial can work through the process of creating a vision that has a chance of working. My struggle with most "visioning" processes is that they seem to focus so on simplicity that they leave out the wonderful diversity that is evident in the people of God. Manicni, on the other hand, seems to focus on words that make a bit more sense and allow for the evidence of that diversity in congregations. These include "clarity" and "focus" and, most importantly, "unique." From the beginning I appreciated the authors focus on "uniqueness" because his ongoing assumption is that the uniqueness that is already evident in congregations is itself a gift of God. Instead of lecturing me on what our focus should be or what must be discovered, the author seems much more comfortable with the prospect that congregation's will be able to discover their own unique gifts and challenges and opportunities. That does not mean that following this process will be easy. I am convinced, however, that it will be and exciting and powerful experience, if we but put our collective energy and enthusiasm ... our collective spirit which is is inspired by the gift of God's Holy Spirit ... into action. This review includes very little by way of "concept" since this will serve as our guidebook for the vision process in the coming months. Take a look at more specifics on the "Vision" page of this site. Pastor Albers Would you like to write a review of "Church Unique"? Read the book and email a review to revitalization@faithmemorial.net.
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Essential Church? Reclaiming a
Generation of Dropouts Read for the April 22, 2009, Learning Community. Although I was not familiar with the work of Thom Rainer, I found myself immediately engaged by what he and his son, Sam, were trying to share in this book. They most obviously have a heart for young adults who are either in danger of "dropping out" of the church, or who have previously dropped out, the "de-churched." What is most telling is the results of surveys indicating that those who dropped out did not see church as being essential to their lives. Alternatively, those young adults who have stayed in the church or who have come back to the church have found some sort of essential connection.
1. Simplify ... Get the structure right ... make it easier to become "connected" to the ministry of the church. The author's experience is that churches have become too complicated, and have "unwanted barriers to entry." 2. Deepen ... Get the content right ... the essential church, the authors insist, will be biblically grounded and seek to deepen members' faith. Their research indicated that young adults who come back to the church do so, at least in part, because the congregation hasn't "sold out" to hypocrisy or relevancy. 3. Expect ... Get the attitude right ... increase the expectations of membership, especially in the areas of worship, bible study, involvement in small groups and mission work, and financial support according to a member's ability. The author's insist that a "low-expectation" environment that has become normative for many churches must be changed if we are to reclaim many of these dropouts. These dropouts see hypocrisy and respond by going the other direction. 4. Multiply ... Get the action right ... the essential church intentionally reclaims the "dechurched" young adult. Even more important, the authors discovered in their research that "one-half (50 percent) of the rechurched are back in church because of the encouragement of a friend or family members.
As I read the book, I found myself looking forward to the next page, and being challenged concerning my own ministry at Faith Memorial Lutheran Church. I am, as a result, actively seeking ways to engage college students as they return home for the summer. My prayer is that the large number of FMLC college students away at school, will not only be in church on Sunday morning, but will find new meaning and purpose in their involvement as an essential member of the congregation. Pastor Albers Would you like to write a review of "The Essential Church"? Read the book and email a review to revitalization@faithmemorial.net.
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Discover Your God-Given Gifts
Read for the April 19, 2009, Breakfast and Bible Study gathering and is the basis for the Spiritual Gifts Inventory to be completed by Faith Memorial members as a part of the Revitalization process. The revitalization process is pushing my typical Lutheran "boundaries" a bit, and this book is an example of that very thing. That being said, I found the work of Don and Katie Fortune very interesting and helpful. In their introductory chapters I especially appreciated their focus on the promise of God's grace: everyone has a gift. They focus on God's plan, and how that plan is uniquely revealed in each of God's children. Their other introductory observation is that all gifts are equal, but not all gifts are equally represented in the family of God's people. In fact, their observation, based on the use of their own gifts inventory, is that the gift of compassion is more often observed in Christians. Their guess is that the gift correlates to the need for love and compassion in the world. If they are correct, then it is interesting that God would provide the gift necessary to the need. And if that conclusion is correct, it cannot be far behind to say that at Faith Memorial God has provides the gifts necessary to the need we face. The challenge is identifying the gifts and putting them to use. Although I found myself disagreeing with some of their conclusions, I found the structure of the middle section of the book very helpful. In 21 chapters the authors explore each of the seven gifts outlined by Paul in Romans 12:6-8 (prophet/perceiver, server, teacher, exhorter, giver, administrator/leader, and compassion). The section was divided into three chapters for each of the seven gifts. The first of the three chapters reviews the characteristics of persons with the specific gift being discussed. I was not always sure where the authors drew their conclusions concerning each of the gifts, some are obvious and others are most clearly drawn from a study of the scriptures. Others do, it seems to me, fall into the area of "opinion." The second of the series of three chapters was devoted to the problems usually evident with those who exhibit a particular gift. I found this most helpful. It is a reminder that gifts are evidenced not only in the way they are applied positively, but in what is particularly frustrating and difficult for a person with a particular gift. I found the third chapter in each series so engaging that I prepared a two-month bible study series exploring them. The third chapter explores the specific spiritual gift by doing a bit of a character study on one or more biblical characters who, at least as far as the authors are concerned, exhibit the specific spiritual gift. It provides for a fascinating study. Although the conclusions of the authors are not always in line with our typical Lutheran understanding, these conclusions did offer me some fresh insight into what St. Paul might have been trying to share with the Christians in Rome and, by extension, with us. Pastor Albers Would you like to write a review of "Discover your God-Given Gifts"? Read the book and email a review to revitalization@faithmemorial.net. |
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Faith Memorial Lutheran Church + 753 N. Calumet Ave., Valparaiso, IN 46383 + (219) 462-7684 |
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I also found
very helpful the authors' insight into the focus of the essential
church.
