Hello Church,
Sometimes unconditional love is a 2-way street.
I was shown a flyer for our Breakfast With Santa event on Dec. 21st. It was on a red paper with the date and time and a place for RSVP-ing. It had a picture of a little Santa on it too. This red flyer was printed out and handed out to the kids at Holly Hill Elementary. But here is the cool thing....
Emmanuel didn't make the flyer....
As it turns out, Holly Hill made the flyer and took the initiative to pass it out to the kids. The info I received was that 'they wanted to help us out'.
This is affirmation in my mind. Taking risks and spending energy making connections to those outside the church can be worth it. There are those in the world who recognize and appreciate unconditional love. And, wow, how awesome it is when such love is reciprocated.
Now it is Holly Hill who is helping us do what we do.... not just us helping Holly Hill do what they do.
I hope you recognize the significance of this and the ramifications it has on how the church looks upon its work and ministries. I also hope you are able to dream ahead as to what it could look like as unconditional love could multiply with multiple relationships among multiple organizations.
I want to see this effort grow, expand, multiply. I want to watch as the fruit of the work ripens into the growth of the church. It takes time and diligence and patience... but oh so worth it.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Monday, November 25, 2019
Monday, November 18, 2019
Church Is Changing Around Us
Hello Church,
9 new Methodist worship services have been started in the Cincinnati area. All 9 are working and growing.
But here's the catch.... none of them are in church buildings.
A nursing home. An art store. A brewery.... to name three of them...
They aren't huge worship services. Most are 50 or less. That's okay because most of our church buildings are worshiping 50 or less. One difference is that these new worship sites have worked up to 50, not down to 50. This new trend is known as Fresh Expressions. The idea isn't local, but the idea is catching hold.
Church is changing. Perceptions of church are changing. Worshiping congregations who understand this shift are changing how they go about reaching people. They are naming their fears; taking risks and putting it all out there. Relationship building is taking precedence over brick buildings. 9 times it has been tried by the Methodist church in the Cincinnati area. All 9 times it has and still is working. Relationships built; Holy Communion; baptisms, new members, etc.
What does this mean for Emmanuel? I'm not sure, but I would like to have the conversations. I have been to a Fresh Expressions service. I can't say it was really my thing, but I'm not sure that's the point. If we are trying to reach people who are put off by the institutional church, then we need to think outside the institution. As one who was raised in the faith by the institution, this is scary indeed. I would still like to have the conversations.
In the end, God wants people to feel loved and connected to a faith community. What that means today isn't any different than in years past. Yet when and where that happens has often been pigeon-holed to Sunday mornings in a specific kind of building. What does this mean? I don't know, but I'd like to have the conversations.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
9 new Methodist worship services have been started in the Cincinnati area. All 9 are working and growing.
But here's the catch.... none of them are in church buildings.
A nursing home. An art store. A brewery.... to name three of them...
They aren't huge worship services. Most are 50 or less. That's okay because most of our church buildings are worshiping 50 or less. One difference is that these new worship sites have worked up to 50, not down to 50. This new trend is known as Fresh Expressions. The idea isn't local, but the idea is catching hold.
Church is changing. Perceptions of church are changing. Worshiping congregations who understand this shift are changing how they go about reaching people. They are naming their fears; taking risks and putting it all out there. Relationship building is taking precedence over brick buildings. 9 times it has been tried by the Methodist church in the Cincinnati area. All 9 times it has and still is working. Relationships built; Holy Communion; baptisms, new members, etc.
What does this mean for Emmanuel? I'm not sure, but I would like to have the conversations. I have been to a Fresh Expressions service. I can't say it was really my thing, but I'm not sure that's the point. If we are trying to reach people who are put off by the institutional church, then we need to think outside the institution. As one who was raised in the faith by the institution, this is scary indeed. I would still like to have the conversations.
In the end, God wants people to feel loved and connected to a faith community. What that means today isn't any different than in years past. Yet when and where that happens has often been pigeon-holed to Sunday mornings in a specific kind of building. What does this mean? I don't know, but I'd like to have the conversations.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Monday, November 11, 2019
I Have A New Friend!
Hello Church,
I can't help but reflect on Sunday morning's worship experience. For me, it was one of the most rewarding services of the year. We heard the direct results of showing Christ's unconditional love, a very pure consequence of trying to be a pure and simple church.
Erin--someone who is not part of Emmanuel--shared in a most heartfelt way how Emmanuel is showing genuine love (specifically, to the staff of an entire elementary school). Mary Lou--who IS part of Emmanuel--shared how she made a new friend by showing unconditional love. Both talks were clearly authentic and sincere. And, additionally, the staff of Holly Hill sent a great-big 'thank you' which is displayed in the lobby.
I was so glad to be a part of Emmanuel.
So often we get caught up in 'churchy' issues. In-house politics; numerical statistics; public perceptions; personal agendas... go ahead and add to the list.... These are all present in every church. There is no way around it. We are human. We get distracted.
But for an hour in worship at Emmanuel yesterday I felt like I was part of a church that Christ hopes for. During Erin's and Mary Lou's talk, I felt like we were as close to a church in the purest sense as we could get. Showing and receiving and feeling love for no other reason than that God loves us.
Being a church doesn't have to be complicated.
So I will keep this blog simple.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
I can't help but reflect on Sunday morning's worship experience. For me, it was one of the most rewarding services of the year. We heard the direct results of showing Christ's unconditional love, a very pure consequence of trying to be a pure and simple church.
Erin--someone who is not part of Emmanuel--shared in a most heartfelt way how Emmanuel is showing genuine love (specifically, to the staff of an entire elementary school). Mary Lou--who IS part of Emmanuel--shared how she made a new friend by showing unconditional love. Both talks were clearly authentic and sincere. And, additionally, the staff of Holly Hill sent a great-big 'thank you' which is displayed in the lobby.
I was so glad to be a part of Emmanuel.
So often we get caught up in 'churchy' issues. In-house politics; numerical statistics; public perceptions; personal agendas... go ahead and add to the list.... These are all present in every church. There is no way around it. We are human. We get distracted.
But for an hour in worship at Emmanuel yesterday I felt like I was part of a church that Christ hopes for. During Erin's and Mary Lou's talk, I felt like we were as close to a church in the purest sense as we could get. Showing and receiving and feeling love for no other reason than that God loves us.
Being a church doesn't have to be complicated.
So I will keep this blog simple.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Monday, November 4, 2019
Why Easter Egg Hunts and Trunk-Or-Treats Don't Work (and what to do about it).
Hello Church,
Question: Why should a church get connected with other organizations?
This is a question I have asked myself many times as we have refocused our attention on connectional ministries this calendar year. It has been a shift away from stand-alone, annual Emmanuel events. Some of you will note that past seasonal, stand-alone events haven't been implemented this year (trunk-or-treat being an example). Instead, we have invested our energy into connecting with an elementary school, an animal shelter and are working on other partnerships with groups such as Eastern Stars, Camp Allen and Cub Scouts.
Outreach events sponsored by Emmanuel and only Emmanuel can certainly have a lot of value. People can come to the church building and meet us. We have had great and not-so-great turnouts for these events. We've had as many as 400 community people and as few as just a handful. It's exciting to hold a well-attended event. It makes us feel good. But here is what we have learned over the years in terms of our task of 'making Disciples of Jesus Christ': they are not effective.
Annual, stand-alone or seasonal events don't work. Baptisms, new members, worship attendance, small group attendance, Youth ministry and Childrens ministries (all measurements of spiritual and numeric growth in 'making disciples of Jesus') are not affected positively or negatively because of stand-alone annual or seasonal events.
Why?
In my conversations with other Pastors and church leaders, large stand-alone outreach events (Easter Egg hunts, Halloween, Christmas events, car shows, special meals, etc) don't work because the key to making disciples is establishing long-term, consistent relationships. It's extremely difficult to establish relationships when you see someone only 1 or 2 or 3 times a year (I would say 'impossible'). There isn't enough consistency of contact to gain trust, garner interest, make friends and invite to worship.
So what is the solution? The solution is to put ourselves in a position to make consistent contact with a group of people so that relationships can be built over time. This can lead to gaining trust, garnering interest, making friends and inviting people to worship or youth group or a study group... now we have the foundation for Disciple-Making.
Now... why should Emmanuel get connected with other organizations? Answer: to establish consistent contacts with people to establish relationships, build trust, garner interest and eventually to extend invitations to be a part of the church.
I understand this is a major shift. It demands more commitment of time and energy and money. However, Jesus sets the example. He invested in the same people over and over again until some of them committed themselves to His purpose.... then the Church was born.
Yes, sometimes the Gospels suggest that Jesus had some magical touch...that He asked a person once and they dropped everything and followed Him. Well we aren't Jesus and people are perhaps living in a much more cynical world-view today. Combine the two and we have to work much harder to make disciples.
If we are serious about making disciples and will not exist only to entertain the community a few times a year, then we need to reflect that attitude in how we plan and implement ministry. Otherwise we will find ourselves doing the same ineffective events over and over again, expecting different results. That's literally an insane Church.
Instead, let's work hard to be the vital, growing church that Christ calls us to be. Let's get into position to be a trusted, friendly, inviting and welcoming church with whom others will feel connected.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Question: Why should a church get connected with other organizations?
This is a question I have asked myself many times as we have refocused our attention on connectional ministries this calendar year. It has been a shift away from stand-alone, annual Emmanuel events. Some of you will note that past seasonal, stand-alone events haven't been implemented this year (trunk-or-treat being an example). Instead, we have invested our energy into connecting with an elementary school, an animal shelter and are working on other partnerships with groups such as Eastern Stars, Camp Allen and Cub Scouts.
Outreach events sponsored by Emmanuel and only Emmanuel can certainly have a lot of value. People can come to the church building and meet us. We have had great and not-so-great turnouts for these events. We've had as many as 400 community people and as few as just a handful. It's exciting to hold a well-attended event. It makes us feel good. But here is what we have learned over the years in terms of our task of 'making Disciples of Jesus Christ': they are not effective.
Annual, stand-alone or seasonal events don't work. Baptisms, new members, worship attendance, small group attendance, Youth ministry and Childrens ministries (all measurements of spiritual and numeric growth in 'making disciples of Jesus') are not affected positively or negatively because of stand-alone annual or seasonal events.
Why?
In my conversations with other Pastors and church leaders, large stand-alone outreach events (Easter Egg hunts, Halloween, Christmas events, car shows, special meals, etc) don't work because the key to making disciples is establishing long-term, consistent relationships. It's extremely difficult to establish relationships when you see someone only 1 or 2 or 3 times a year (I would say 'impossible'). There isn't enough consistency of contact to gain trust, garner interest, make friends and invite to worship.
So what is the solution? The solution is to put ourselves in a position to make consistent contact with a group of people so that relationships can be built over time. This can lead to gaining trust, garnering interest, making friends and inviting people to worship or youth group or a study group... now we have the foundation for Disciple-Making.
Now... why should Emmanuel get connected with other organizations? Answer: to establish consistent contacts with people to establish relationships, build trust, garner interest and eventually to extend invitations to be a part of the church.
I understand this is a major shift. It demands more commitment of time and energy and money. However, Jesus sets the example. He invested in the same people over and over again until some of them committed themselves to His purpose.... then the Church was born.
Yes, sometimes the Gospels suggest that Jesus had some magical touch...that He asked a person once and they dropped everything and followed Him. Well we aren't Jesus and people are perhaps living in a much more cynical world-view today. Combine the two and we have to work much harder to make disciples.
If we are serious about making disciples and will not exist only to entertain the community a few times a year, then we need to reflect that attitude in how we plan and implement ministry. Otherwise we will find ourselves doing the same ineffective events over and over again, expecting different results. That's literally an insane Church.
Instead, let's work hard to be the vital, growing church that Christ calls us to be. Let's get into position to be a trusted, friendly, inviting and welcoming church with whom others will feel connected.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Monday, October 28, 2019
Emmanuel Is Growing A Younger Church
Hello Church,
It's happening before our eyes... we are growing younger...
Over the past several weeks we have watched young people participate more in the life of Emmanuel. The Children's Message is back as part of worship and we had 10? kids younger than 12 in worship.... most of which went to Children's Church..... thanks to Amanda Forsee... a relatively younger person who decided to take on the challenge.
And if you haven't noticed, our praise band ministry is younger with the addition of Mckenzie Uhl. Add Hope and Morgan and Russ's higher age category is brought down a few notches. And don't forget Owen Boone is helping with the slide show.
And don't forget the refurbished youth group. For 3 weeks now we have had a consistent group of 8 meet on Sunday evenings.... led by a young Morgan, a relatively young Kevin, and ... well... Chad (who is still younger than Russ).
Another note is that the Youth group is deciding to take on the challenge of a Christmas program to be held on December 22nd. More details to come very soon.....
What do we take from this? It isn't just kids getting more involved. It is the blessing of having relatively young leaders step forward and take charge.
I can't overstate the opportunity to grow from this. We need to be ecstatic at what is happening and take full advantage. So many 'kid-friendly' churches are seen as the big kind that have big budgets and numerous paid staff with off-the-chart facilities. This doesn't have to be so. Spread the word. Emmanuel is growing younger.
We need to look for and invite those who could fit into a church that is growing younger. We need to continue to allow, teach and guide young people into leadership and encourage them to keep learning and growing. We need to celebrate youth in a Church that too often dreams of young families.... but only dreams.
It's happening. Emmanuel is growing younger. What are we going to do about it? We need to share the news and invite, invite, invite. We are growing younger and growing up.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
It's happening before our eyes... we are growing younger...
Over the past several weeks we have watched young people participate more in the life of Emmanuel. The Children's Message is back as part of worship and we had 10? kids younger than 12 in worship.... most of which went to Children's Church..... thanks to Amanda Forsee... a relatively younger person who decided to take on the challenge.
And if you haven't noticed, our praise band ministry is younger with the addition of Mckenzie Uhl. Add Hope and Morgan and Russ's higher age category is brought down a few notches. And don't forget Owen Boone is helping with the slide show.
And don't forget the refurbished youth group. For 3 weeks now we have had a consistent group of 8 meet on Sunday evenings.... led by a young Morgan, a relatively young Kevin, and ... well... Chad (who is still younger than Russ).
Another note is that the Youth group is deciding to take on the challenge of a Christmas program to be held on December 22nd. More details to come very soon.....
What do we take from this? It isn't just kids getting more involved. It is the blessing of having relatively young leaders step forward and take charge.
I can't overstate the opportunity to grow from this. We need to be ecstatic at what is happening and take full advantage. So many 'kid-friendly' churches are seen as the big kind that have big budgets and numerous paid staff with off-the-chart facilities. This doesn't have to be so. Spread the word. Emmanuel is growing younger.
We need to look for and invite those who could fit into a church that is growing younger. We need to continue to allow, teach and guide young people into leadership and encourage them to keep learning and growing. We need to celebrate youth in a Church that too often dreams of young families.... but only dreams.
It's happening. Emmanuel is growing younger. What are we going to do about it? We need to share the news and invite, invite, invite. We are growing younger and growing up.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Monday, October 21, 2019
Angels, Demons And What You Can Do About Them
Hello Church,
For those of you who have listened to me for the past 10 years (or 23 years), you know I talk very little about Satan. I also don't preach or teach a lot on the belief that there are cosmic battles taking place around us unseen. Angels and demons who fight for the right to take human souls or cause or prevent human tragedy make a great book or movie, but does it really fit biblical theology or a Christ-centered belief system?
There are other reasons I don't talk much about it, but the main one is that Free Will is a big deal to me. A popular excuse people have for doing bad, wrong, immoral or unethical things is that 'the devil made me do it'.... or that is to say, someone or something else is to blame for our actions. It's an easy out. We shy away from taking responsibility for our choices when we could just confess the truth.....
I was mad
I was in a bad mood
I was in a hurry
I didn't notice
I didn't listen
I didn't care
I was selfish, self-centered, self-absorbed
I just made a bad decision
Biblical Theology is, at times, far away from our cultural perceptions of the 'underworld' or 'heavenly realms'. As we have discussed in Bible Study, how we understand angels has been influenced heavily by various cultures over the centuries. How we market and make money off of them just reinforces these understandings.
My take covers a couple of layers. First, my decisions or the decisions of others -- be it informed or misinformed decisions-- say a lot about how our days go. Sometimes those decisions are mine and sometimes a decision that a stranger makes can impact my life in wonderful or tragic ways. We live in community, like it or not. All of our decisions weave themselves around one another causing endless domino effects that we sometimes are not ever aware of.
Second, God created a Universe that is always changing and renewing itself. Some would say, for example, that the tornadoes in Texas last night were spiritually motivated by either God or Satan. I say when we build our homes in tornado alley, we understand the risk we take by our decisions. Just as if we build our house by the Ohio River, we understand the risk of flooding.... or if we walk under a dead tree during a windy day, we understand the risk of getting hit on the head from a falling branch... or if we walk down hard-wood steps in our socks we take the risk of falling on our butts (personal experience notwithstanding).
This belief system might make some uncomfortable. It makes me more comfortable. Having the gift every day to make good decisions that matter to myself and others is something to look forward to. It beats waking up every day and wonder what others are going to do to me.... something I can't control anyhow.
Live the gift. Make good decisions. Satan won't like it and he can't do anything about that either.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
For those of you who have listened to me for the past 10 years (or 23 years), you know I talk very little about Satan. I also don't preach or teach a lot on the belief that there are cosmic battles taking place around us unseen. Angels and demons who fight for the right to take human souls or cause or prevent human tragedy make a great book or movie, but does it really fit biblical theology or a Christ-centered belief system?
There are other reasons I don't talk much about it, but the main one is that Free Will is a big deal to me. A popular excuse people have for doing bad, wrong, immoral or unethical things is that 'the devil made me do it'.... or that is to say, someone or something else is to blame for our actions. It's an easy out. We shy away from taking responsibility for our choices when we could just confess the truth.....
I was mad
I was in a bad mood
I was in a hurry
I didn't notice
I didn't listen
I didn't care
I was selfish, self-centered, self-absorbed
I just made a bad decision
Biblical Theology is, at times, far away from our cultural perceptions of the 'underworld' or 'heavenly realms'. As we have discussed in Bible Study, how we understand angels has been influenced heavily by various cultures over the centuries. How we market and make money off of them just reinforces these understandings.
My take covers a couple of layers. First, my decisions or the decisions of others -- be it informed or misinformed decisions-- say a lot about how our days go. Sometimes those decisions are mine and sometimes a decision that a stranger makes can impact my life in wonderful or tragic ways. We live in community, like it or not. All of our decisions weave themselves around one another causing endless domino effects that we sometimes are not ever aware of.
Second, God created a Universe that is always changing and renewing itself. Some would say, for example, that the tornadoes in Texas last night were spiritually motivated by either God or Satan. I say when we build our homes in tornado alley, we understand the risk we take by our decisions. Just as if we build our house by the Ohio River, we understand the risk of flooding.... or if we walk under a dead tree during a windy day, we understand the risk of getting hit on the head from a falling branch... or if we walk down hard-wood steps in our socks we take the risk of falling on our butts (personal experience notwithstanding).
This belief system might make some uncomfortable. It makes me more comfortable. Having the gift every day to make good decisions that matter to myself and others is something to look forward to. It beats waking up every day and wonder what others are going to do to me.... something I can't control anyhow.
Live the gift. Make good decisions. Satan won't like it and he can't do anything about that either.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Monday, October 14, 2019
.... Those People Who Are Never Happy.....
Hello Church,
Things are looking up (it's what churches do). What a wonderful baptism yesterday to top off a week of optimism!
It's odd how fast life can change. I think a word that finance advisers would use is 'volatility'. The ups and downs can come fast and furious. In other times, they can come subtle and gradual.
I've learned not to let the volatility of life decide how I approach my day or week or month. It isn't easy. I try to let my faith in a consistent God guide me. Yet emotions do get the best of me at times.
When bad stuff happens, I am tempted to have a grumpy week. When good stuff happens, life becomes fine and dandy.
The truth is, if I let others depict how my week goes, then does it not minimize my faith in a consistent God? If I believe that God supplies all I need to live forever and ever in a state of grace, then isn't that good enough for every one of my days to be good? You would think?
So we come to those individuals who never seem happy or satisfied or content. It makes sense to me if there is no faith in a consistently loving God. However, what about those who claim the Faith? What about those who say they believe in the saving Grace in Christ and freely talk about the joy that God offers to everyone who believes? What if some such people never seem happy?
I've never been one to question a person's state of salvation. It isn't my job. Yet I struggle with those who are genuinely and consistently unhappy even as they sing 'I've Got The Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down In My Heart'.
Is this you? If so, I encourage you into doing some soul searching. God is too good to walk with him with your head down all the time.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
Things are looking up (it's what churches do). What a wonderful baptism yesterday to top off a week of optimism!
It's odd how fast life can change. I think a word that finance advisers would use is 'volatility'. The ups and downs can come fast and furious. In other times, they can come subtle and gradual.
I've learned not to let the volatility of life decide how I approach my day or week or month. It isn't easy. I try to let my faith in a consistent God guide me. Yet emotions do get the best of me at times.
When bad stuff happens, I am tempted to have a grumpy week. When good stuff happens, life becomes fine and dandy.
The truth is, if I let others depict how my week goes, then does it not minimize my faith in a consistent God? If I believe that God supplies all I need to live forever and ever in a state of grace, then isn't that good enough for every one of my days to be good? You would think?
So we come to those individuals who never seem happy or satisfied or content. It makes sense to me if there is no faith in a consistently loving God. However, what about those who claim the Faith? What about those who say they believe in the saving Grace in Christ and freely talk about the joy that God offers to everyone who believes? What if some such people never seem happy?
I've never been one to question a person's state of salvation. It isn't my job. Yet I struggle with those who are genuinely and consistently unhappy even as they sing 'I've Got The Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down In My Heart'.
Is this you? If so, I encourage you into doing some soul searching. God is too good to walk with him with your head down all the time.
God is Good,
Pastor Joe
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