like a fire

I have been putting this off for some time, though I’m not sure why. I have been looking forward to Mark Oestreicher’s new book Youth Ministry 3.0 for a while and finally got a copy of it. Mark previewed a lot of the book on his site before its release, so I was really quite pleased to finally get the book.

Mark has made it pretty clear that he isn’t proposing a new formula for youth ministry with this book. Instead, this book is more like a “where we have been, where we might go” kind of approach. I would have to say that I was happy with the outcomes and with how he expressed each stage of youth ministry through the years. This would be a great book for a youth pastor to get his senior pastor so that he understood why the ministry wasn’t like it was 10 or 20 years ago. This would also be a great book for a veteran who is tryng to re-imagine what they do or try new things. It would also be a great book for someone new to ministry who is just trying to figure the whole thing out. I guess it woud be a great book for lots of people.

What I like:
The Cover (just looks good, unlike a lot of youth ministry books designed by ADD graphic artists)
Quotes from people in the trenches ( a lot of good sound bytes)
The examples from the past are really great in showing how really wrong some of the stuff we used to and yet how well it worked.
The last two chapters I would say that everyone in youth ministry need to have in their face almost every day they plan anything in youth ministry.
It’s short, so almost anybody can finish it in a day. No beating around the bush.
It has a Facebook site already up to discuss it. Seriously could be something cool if people are willing to be honest.

What I didn’t like:
Not much, but…
It was short (I know, I liked that it was short, but I really want to flesh this whole book out some more)
I think the possibilities pointed to could be fleshed out more. There  could be more options than what is offered for the preferred future (though I don’t think it could necessarily be done by one guy, even if it is Mark).
I was thinking more and more about individual guys and how their gifting fits into where youth ministry will go into the future. I would love to hear ore about that, though again, that might be beyond the scope of this book.

In a nutshell, I think this is an important book for youth ministry. I put it in the same category as Jim Burn’s Youth Builders and Walt Mueller’s Engaging the Soul of Yoth Culture both which I recommend to anyone in youth ministry who hasn’t read them. Way to go Mark, now let’s get some ideas flying and hear some stories of attempts in 3.0.

In looking at some of the characteristics in the church that lend themselves to tribes, I have seen some qualities that the church would benefit from but are, for the most part, lacking.

Empower Members….
Glenn Kaiser said it best, the problem with most churches is that they want to pay someone to do something they are unwilling to do. This is a problem promoted by the church that doesn’t allow members to make decisions and lead the church in the same way that the staff do.

Lead with Passion
Most church leaders are just not very passionate or they don’t show their passion. I’m not sure why. Maybe it has to do with being vulnerable, but I just don’t see it often.

Be Authentic
Phoney is as phoney does. This is tied to the previous quality. For some reason, people think spiritual leaders are supposed to be perfect, which means they can’t be honest in their struggles. Pastors loose their positions all the time for being too honest about their struggles, but even more loose their positions from hiding their struggles to the point of lying and increasing the problem of their struggles.

Introduce Tribe Members to Each Other
Listen, Learn & Introduce people to each other. Make connecting people a priority. One of the biggest fears in life is rejection. If you can help eliminate that fear you are helping somebody. The church needs to help people feel connected to God and each other. It might be the biggest affect the church can have on individual.

Celebrate Accomplishment
For some reason corporate worship has been emasculated into a couple of people (usually the same ones each week) sharing something from the Bible. The church could do a lot better at celebrating what God is doing through more testimonies and blessings.

Share Stories
This is tied to the previous, but we need to hear each others stories and we need to share our stories. Community is crippled without this.

Create exclusivity
This is a funny thing to add to the list of what the church can use to solidify its tribal nature, but I think it is so underplayed. Historically, the church created exclusivity be excommunication or by promoting the idea that Christians are better (usually morally). Instead, I think the church could win a lot of street cred if it created the real exclusivity it already has. That we are forgiven and that we are a people of grace. What other group claims all of that?

Listen Carefully
This could go on any list of what we could do better for any organization. The church has a history of arrogance that is being healed in many ways in the past couple of centuries. If we can listen more and overcome that heritage, we will benefit from functioning the way we were intended to - as a body.

These are just a couple of thoughts I had while reading Seth Godin’s book Tribes. Hopefully I will have more to write as I try some of these ideas. Any lurkers out there are free to post any signs of their attempts or to speak into these ideas.

According to Seth Godin, people associate themselves in Tribes. He lists several a lot characteristics that make tribes sticky to others. I don’t think tribes have to have all of these qualities, but here are some that are most common in church:

Invent rituals
How you speak and the daily rituals build connection. From the sacraments, to liturgy, to daily prayers, the church has this covered.

Create a goal
Define something people want to rally around achieving. For the church, usually evangelism, but individual churches have centered on other things like worship, missions, etc.

Build the Story of the Tribe. Set the Vision
The diversity of the Bible incorporates enough story into every person who participates.

Identify the shared values that unite the tribe
Christianity has been the basis for morality for so many years it is taken for granted. This is breaking down in the past couple of decades.

Educate
Some consider it the main mission of the church. I would say, to its fault.

Invent language

Great corporations have their own lingo, and the church is no exception. From “are you washed in the blood” to “saved” to “missional” there is no lack here.

Give Peoples’ Lives Meaning

One thing that the church has always strived to do is provide a reason for all.

Have ‘particular’ experiences together

Activities that become ‘rites of passage’ that members experience together, whether it’s worship, meeting at Panera or just praying together..

Have a Common Enemy
Yup Satan, but also other religions and sometimes just people who are different.
These are just some of the qualities that are listed among successful tribes. I wonder, looking at the list, how many of these were intentional for the church, especially the early church. The rituals, the common enemy and giving life meaning seem to be inherent in faith. All of these things are fairly consistent within the church.

I would say that most of the other qualities seem to have developed over time. Setting goals, “casting” vision (I always wondered why it was cast. Cast away, cast like catching a fish?), sharing experiences, inventing language seem to have become a part of church through culture, though I think you can make a case for each of them being inherent in the early scriptures.

What this means for those who follow the tribes ideology, is that the church is and has become a natural tribe that gathers people and gives them a sense of belonging. What it also means is that the church can’t rest in these qualities if it wants to thrive. There are too many other tribes out there these days for the church to not consider what it does and how that affects the people who make up the church.

I just started reading Tribes after watching the latest presentation by Seth Godin over here. I have been a big fan of his since Hash over at White African turned me onto him. His book, The Ideavirus, changed the way I look at evangelism forever. This book is about something completely different and yet very close to the idea.

According to Seth, the days of interruption marketing are long dead, and even the days of word of mouth and viral marketing. What he describes in the book is the idea that people associate themselves with group based on affinities. That is, they hang out with people who do like things. Their association becomes a tribe that has its own rules and language. They develop a macro-culture based on their shared experiences. Evidence of this is everywhere from Trekkies, to swing dancers, to the people who hang out in churches. It’s churches that I am thinking of.

What are churches doing that makes them like this phenomenon that Seth is showing? They are definitely associated by what they do, but some would say even more by what they are. They surely create a culture unto themselves, yet, at least in some regards, remain open to outsiders (not necessarily the mark of a tribe according to Godin). Certainly they have their own language and rules. But what about all of this is a good thing ro a bad thing. Is there anything we can learn from this that will help churches? I think there is and I plan to post some thoughts in the next few days or weeks as time allows.

If you are looking for a good read about culture and people management, check out Tribes.

I saw this video a while back and really was moved by it. It probably was the first time I considered Obama something more than just another candidate. It was so well done and provided such a different message that I was astounded. I immediately started researching Obama and what he stood for. What I found was startling. Obama was tied to this very fringe, extremely liberal church. Later, he would publicly distance himself from that affiliation.

I wondered about that. How could such a great message of hope come from that? I thought about how most of my friends would say that I am in a liberal church right now. The Anglican church I serve, is in no way liberal. They do try to hear people and love them as best we can. People from churches I have served would consider it liberal because a lot of people came from churches they would consider liberal. I guess what I am saying is that some of my friends would now consider me liberal and this post would probably confirm their wonderings.

I don’t think I am liberal. I will say that it has become obvious to me. I would rather be considered liberal if that means that I love people well, than be considered conservative and be limited to loving people the way I have been taught by some of my previous affiliations.

It is sad to me that Obama and Will.i.am have summarized in this video what I think the message of the church should be known for yet isn’t. It’s sad to me that a man who is considered extremely liberal can inspire more hope through this speech than the church has. It makes me want to get to know Obama and hear his story. Maybe, as some of my friends point out, he is just a good statesman and extremely smooth. Maybe the whole thing is just words. Probably people said the same thing about Jesus (not to equate the two). I just wonder about the whole ordeal. So I am really hoping that I see more of what made me like Obama.

I could follow this post with the things I don’t like about Obama, but there is no shortage on those posts from others I know, so I will refrain.