Millie, the Director of the ECC Resource Center, just sent me a link to an article entitled, “The Messy Work of Renewal.” I liked it so much that I wanted to share it with you. The tie to Veritas is strong.

If you’ve ever remodeled a house while attempting to live in it, you have a sense of the chaos and complexity of congregational renewal. It will take far longer, cost you more, and prove messier than you ever imagined at the start. People who have worked with both church starts and church renewal will tell you that starting a church is easy compared to renewing one. The difficulty lies in the work itself. Pogo’s line holds true here: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”

The church seeking renewal must look beyond simply improving its programs and its building, though both may ultimately be changed. Pastors and laity leading renewal in their declining congregations are asking people to make fundamental shifts in their perspectives, their attitudes, and their behaviors. The work demands a great deal from a people and a pastor.

Your congregation is what it is today not because of what a bad pastor did to it, or because the neighborhood has changed, or because our culture is going to hell in a handbasket. Although those occurrences and many others have had an impact, your congregation is what it is today because of how it responded, or failed to respond, to the realities it faced. What your congregation will be in the future is up to you and the other members and how you work together to create something new from the realities you face. What you do or don’t do now will make the difference. Your actions will either reinforce the patterns that have become established in your congregation, or start to counter and shift them. The leadership provided by your pastor can help or hinder, but it cannot make your congregation succeed or keep it from ultimately achieving the goals you set for yourselves.

Some wonder, “Is it even possible? Can people with little or no experience of their congregation’s being church in this way create this kind of community?” We’ve seen it happen enough times to know that the hope is true and that renewal is possible—not easy, but possible. The path to renewal looks different for each congregation, but some common elements can be observed. Here’s what we know.

Want to read more? Here’s the whole article.

March 2nd, 2009 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

I just received an encouraging email from an ECC Pastor: 

“Our leadership team really enjoyed watching the Veritas Video and had some good ground breaking discussions.”

More and more ECC churches are learning to speak the Veritas language. More and more churches are asking about follow up. 

Here are some ideas:   

In the back of the Veritas workbook, there are two sections entitled, “Life after Veritas for the Congregation” and “Life after Veritas for the Pastor.”  There are numerous ideas about moving forward.   

However, the most important step after Veritas is to create a Veritas Team. Those churches that create a Veritas team continue to move forward with momentum.  How do you create a Veritas Team?  Please go to the resource section of the blog and click on “The Veritas Team.”      

There are strategies to move forward after Veritas.  However, revitalization does not come as a result of strategy.  It comes as a result of spirituality and chemistry.  Dave Olson writes about this in his book, “The American Church in Crises.” 

Please know that there are people praying for the missional health and vitality of established churches in the ECC.

February 26th, 2009 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

My good friend and colleague has walked with a limp ever since I’ve known him. Over the last six months it was getting noticeably worse. On December 4, my friend had a knee replacement. I left a message for him on his voicemail that day, letting him know that I was praying for him.

A few weeks later I gave him a call to see how he was doing.

“How’s the knee?” I asked.

“Oh…it’s not the knee,” he replied. “It’s the rest of my body.”

“What do you mean?”

“The knee is doing fine,” he said. “It’s the rest of my body that is learning how to adjust. For so long my whole body was out of whack. Now everything has to adjust to this new knee. But it’s been wrong for so long, when it begins to get right, it still seems wrong. Hey, John, thanks for the call. I’m off to physical therapy. Talk to you soon.”

His answer surprised me, but it made perfect sense.

And it makes perfect sense for revitalization. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, the body is a system and everything is interconnected. As the body ages, it begins to compensate for weaker joints. Over time, the whole body is out of whack. The limp is experienced as normal.
…

Through the work of the Spirit, a small portion of that church starts to become healthy and missional. They start going deeper in Christ and further in mission. It feels odd to the rest of the church because it does not fit their definition of “normal.” Their definition of normal is greatly skewed though years of decline and institutionalism. Now the status quo is being challenged by the vim and vigor of this particular ministry that is experiencing new life.

…

Hear me: I am not referring to a rebellious contingent or a church split. God forbid. I am merely identifying a pocket of ministry that begins to take on a healthy and missional flavor.

At this point the body (church) has a choice: Do we reject this new knee or do we learn to readjust to the new things that God is doing? That is going to take some physical therapy… learning how to walk again and aligning the whole body to the part that is healthy.

Physical therapy for the church. Now there’s an idea.

January 13th, 2009 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (2)

Two and half years ago, we moved from Portland to Chicago. We like our sub division and enjoy the close-knit community. It’s a wonderful place to live. We’re grateful for new friends and for opportunities to share the love of Christ.

Every Christmas, there is a huge party for the children in the upper floor of the barn. It is jammed with families, grandparents and friends. Refreshments are plentiful. The Swing Choir from the local high school performs. The children are dressed up for Santa.

That’s where I come in.

A few weeks ago, I was asked by the party coordinator to play Santa. It sounded fun and brought back a lot of fond memories. My Grand pop was a professional Santa Claus at John Wanamaker’s department store in Philadelphia back in the early 70’s. I remember sitting on his lap and whispering in his ear, “I know it’s you, Grand pop.”

I guess it runs in our family.

On Saturday morning, “Mrs. Claus” helped me get ready with the suit that was provided. She drove me up to the barn in our red Escape. The parking lot was packed. I waited in the car for my cue. The Swing Choir finished. Then…

…it was time!

The Emcee stood at the door of the barn and shouted, “Look who’s here!” I rang my sleigh bells and burst on the scene with all the magic and wonder of Santa. Shouting “Ho! Ho! Ho!” and “Merry Christmas!” I was really hamming this up. This was FUN!

The Emcee led Santa to his chair. Then one by one, the children came forward to receive their presents and have a picture with Santa. The look in their eyes was priceless.

No one knew it was me, except the people on the Council. It was the perfect disguise. Grand pop would have smiled.

On the way home from the barn, we stopped at a few houses to bring some Christmas cheer to the other boys and girls who could not attend the party.

As I reflected on the experience, I realized how good it felt to give back to the community that has come to mean so much to us. I’m already looking forward to next year and the relationships that will be built between now and then.

I want to make a difference for Christ in my community and I’m grateful for this opportunity to contribute. It should make for some interesting conversations in the coming months.

How about you? If you’d like to share ways you or your church made a difference in your community at Christmas time, please click the Comment button below, and tell us your story.

December 17th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (1)

Ever since he was five years old, my son, Jonathan, wanted to fly. Now in his second year at Letourneau University, he is learning missionary aviation and mechanics.

A few weeks I got to fly with Jonathan for the very first time. What a rush! It was exhilarating and my heart was bursting with pride. (Just for fun, I am including a picture of Jonathan in his plane.)

I never realized how mentally tough it is to fly a plane. In “pilot speak,” there is an adage that Jonathan often uses: “Fly ahead of the plane, not behind it.” He taught me how important it is for pilots to navigate well…to anticipate what is coming next, to always be a few steps ahead and to be aware of weather patterns.

Pilots who fly behind the plane get so overwhelmed with missed calculations that their ability to make wise decisions greatly diminishes. Pilots who fly by the seat of their pants are an accident waiting to happen.

In “pastor speak,” I wonder if the same is true: “Fly ahead of the church, not behind it.” As pastors and lay leaders, part of our role is to anticipate what is coming next, especially when leading through change. Wise leaders think through the change ahead of time…step by step…in sequence. And they nurture that change from beginning to end.

Pastors who lead change from the seat of their pants often see their ideas crash and burn. Trust me. I speak from experience on this one. I was so ignorant and naïve.

We have now developed a follow up workshop to Veritas called EPIC: Empowering People, Inspiring Change. EPIC helps pastors and lay leaders lead change in a way that is civil, compassionate and Christ honoring.

How I wished for something like this when I was pastoring. I could have done a much better job of loving God and loving the people God called me to serve. EPIC would have helped me and the leadership team fly ahead of the church. I can’t turn back the clock, but perhaps I can help other leaders avoid the same mistakes I made.

My goal is to teach EPIC in the places where Veritas has been taught – sort of like Paul’s second missionary journey, where he strengthened and encouraged the disciples and the leaders (Acts 14:21-23).

Everything in EPIC builds off Veritas, so please make sure you have either attended a Veritas workshop or watched the DVDs. One leadership team drove four hours to attend an EPIC workshop and they watched Veritas on the way.

If you would like to host a cluster event for EPIC, please contact your superintendent and let us know here in CGE. EPIC is designed as a Saturday workshop from 9 to 3:30 and is open to everyone in the church.
We now have a dedicated page in the blog for EPIC, so you can check to see when it will be in your area. We have already taught it three times and have received encouraging and helpful feedback.

Reflections on the Journey:

1. Are the leaders of your church flying ahead of the plane or behind the plane?
2. What are some examples of leading change well in your church?
3. What are some examples of leading change poorly in your church?
4. How are you equipping the leaders in your church to understand the process of change and to navigate through it?
5. What is the relationship between change and reaching your full kingdom potential in Christ as a church?

December 10th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (2)

Ever walk into a room and then forget why you walked into the room?

Happens to me.

Happens to churches.

Churches, just like people, forget why they walked into the room. They have lost their sense of mission and are scrambling about doing all sorts of activities. They may look busy, but they are not accomplishing their original goal.

When forgetting why I walked into the room, I pause and ask myself, “Why did I come in here again?” Sometimes the answer will flash across the screen of my mind. But when that doesn’t work, I walk out of the room altogether, stand just outside the doorway and ask myself, “What was I looking for?” That usually does the trick.

It seems to me that churches, not just people, would benefit from this kind of strategy – to pause and take the time to reflect on their original purpose. Sometimes they may even have to walk out of the room altogether and ask the question, “What were we looking for?” Hopefully they will remember their God-given mission and reconnect with what the Lord wants them to do.

Even healthy missional churches sometimes forget why they walked into the room. They just realize it quicker and get back on track faster. Their love for lost and hurting people compels them to do so…and that is what the healthy missional church is looking for.

Reflections on the Journey:

1. What is your church looking for?
2. Is there clarity on what your church is looking for?
3. Is your church looking for the right thing?
4. Has your church forgotten why they walked into the room? How can you tell?
5. What will it take to remember and reconnect to God’s unique mission for your church?

December 4th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

A few weeks ago my cell phone stopped working.

So I got an iPhone. A big step for this PC user.

At first, I was very excited about all the cool features. There was a sense of anticipation as I opened the box. I heard so many good things about this phone.

Then reality set in. I now faced the formidable challenge of getting used to it. I didn’t even know how to make a phone call, let alone transfer my contact information and calendar.

It was a very uncomfortable feeling. I felt so inadequate, stupid, clumsy and fearful. Why did I ever get this phone? I should have just replaced the old one with the same model.

Yes, I could have read the directions, but hey… I’m a guy.

Out of total frustration, I enlisted the help of my 15 year old son, Joel. He has a Mac and is familiar with this kind of operating system. For the last few days, Joel has been teaching me to navigate my way through this powerful device.

Thanks to Joel, I can now make phone calls, add a contact and check my calendar.

I am starting to feel better. Hope is rising. The initial excitement I felt is slowly returning. There is a long way to go, but I’ve turned the corner on fear.

The story behind the story is that this experience illustrates how churches, not just new cell phone users, deal with the process of change.

When voting on a change, there is initial excitement and uniformed optimism.

As churches begin to then live through the change, other emotions set in…fear, grumbling, anger, regret, frustration, nostalgia and a longing to return to what was known and comfortable, even though it wasn’t working any more. (Something about going back to Egypt?)

Then there comes a point of decision. Do we stick with it and help make it work or do we leave?

Those who stick with it soon discover new possibilities. They acquire new skills and see how the future can be so much better than the past. That sense of overcoming starts to capture people’s imaginations. Their emotions become hopeful, optimistic and bright.

Many established Covenant churches find themselves on this journey of change. It is an emotional journey and one that requires healthy missional leadership and outside help.

Please make use of the resources in this blog to help you navigate your way to a brighter future – God’s future.

Gotta go… my iPhone is ringing!

November 7th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

As you can see, we’ve ‘re:vived’ the look of our blog - let us know what you think!

Things are situated just a little differently, so please take the time to explore around, using the page tabs at the top of the screen as well as the right and left menus.

We appreciate that many of you read this blog regularly. Feel free to add comments if any of these entries strike a chord with you, either positively or negatively, or if you have questions.

Whether you are in vocational or lay ministry, God’s blessing on you as you work toward missional health in your church.

September 11th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Comments (8)

Do you remember the old Steve Martin movie The Jerk, where he goes running down the street yelling, “The new phone books are here! The new phone books are here!”

That’s what we feel like right now: “The new Veritas DVDs are here!! The new Veritas DVDs are here!!”

We’ve been waiting literally months for this day. And now you can order the Veritas DVD and notebook package on the Covenant Bookstore website, ready for purchase and shipment out to churches.

The two-DVD set is almost four hours long. This was a huge project for us - filming the entire seminar in two locations, long (very long!) hours of editing, creating new designs and logos for the project - and we are grateful for everyone who participated. We especially want to thank the Northwest Conference for helping to finance this massive project.

The Veritas message is spreading. Already, our great Veritas teaching team has taught several seminars, and they’ve got more scheduled.

We hope and pray that God will use this DVD and workbook to encourage all of our churches.

Lord, thank you for what you’ve done already through this seminar. It is our prayer that all Covenant Churches would become healthy missional churches. Give our churches the courage to ask the significant questions and take the significant steps, to follow the Spirit wherever the Spirit leads.

Lord, thank you for the wonderful people on the teaching team who are taking Veritas to more churches than we alone could have done, and thank you for allowing this message to be heard even more widely through the DVD. We give you all the honor and glory and praise. Amen.

The new DVDs are here!!!

Members of the Veritas teaching team are available to lead cluster events as John continues to develop additional resources for established churches. The team is made up of Joel Kruggel, Alan Forsman, Pete Sjoblom, Tammy Swanson-Draheim, Catherine Gilliard, Art Greco, Dave Benedict and Mark Stromberg. Please contact John or Chris at 773-907-3347 to schedule Veritas events.

August 27th, 2008 | Category: Uncategorized | Leave a comment