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Back in my high school days when I was still trying to figure out who Jesus was and why I needed to know and follow him, there were a few guys in my life that took the time to help me in that journey. Chris was one of them. He’s now the senior pastor of the Sidney First United Methodist Church just up the road from where I grew up. On Sunday mornings, his church looks pretty similar to churches you might find in any smalltown across America. On Sunday evenings, though, the services look very different.

The Sunday evening services are held in a local bar. There’s country music, a mechanical bull, pool, beer and the Word of God. Recently, ABC News caught up with Chris and captured this story. Chris explained:

This is the kind of place Jesus would hang out. His first miracle was at a local person’s home. It was the wedding hall of the day and people were enjoying themselves and having fun. They ran out of wine and he made them more.

Wonder why I have such a passion for using non-traditional methods for reaching people for Jesus? Well, part of the reason is that Jesus put that passion in me. And, frankly, one of the ways he’s fueled that passion is by putting people like Chris in my life.

I hope this story causes you to pause and reflect on your ministry. I hope it makes you uncomfortable. Are you really reaching people who are unchurched and don’t yet know Christ? Are you willing to do whatever it takes short of sin to reach people for Jesus? If not, maybe it’s time for you to hit the bars.

Marshall Shelley, the editor of the Leadership journal, apologized yesterday on the Out of Ur blog for misrepresenting the results of Willow Creek Community Church’s Reveal study. Bill Hybels, Willow’s senior pastor, referenced an Out of Ur post in a recent video. The Out of Ur post from last October was titled “Willow Creek Repents?” In the video, Hybels said:

I think every evangelical knows that’s kind of a loaded-up term, and I think someone wanted to get some action on a blog, and I think it was very unfortunate and quite disingenuous to title the article that way.

Yesterday Shelley followed up a communication he had with me last week by specifically apologizing for the choice of words used in that October blog post. Shelley explained:

It did get attention on the blog, and the term [repents] provided Willow critics in the blogosphere a chance to gloat. But the gloaters were misreading both the blog post and the Reveal study. We have high regard for the ministry at Willow Creek and feel terrible that our wording led to a misrepresentation of what was actually happening. For that we apologize.

Here’s the rest of yesterday’s Out of Ur post including the remainder of Shelley’s comments.

The other day my schedule was so packed that I only had time to run across the street to the gas station convenience store to grab lunch before my next meeting. That led to a very random conversation over on Twitter.

• Ken thought that sounded like something from Jeff Foxworthy.
• I agreed and suggested that, after almost a year and a half in the South, I may be starting to become a redneck.
• My assistant assured me there’s no way I could ever be a redneck.
• At which point Robert chimed in and said I may be “metro-rednexual.”

Among other things, I’m guessing a metro-rednexual buys lunch from a gas station and his clothes from The Buckle. What other characteristics would you add to the list? I need to confirm whether or not I qualify. Winner either receives a free lunch from the gas station or a gift certificate from The Buckle.

And, bonus points if you identify the most metro-rednexual guy you know.

This is an all-skate. Let me hear your ideas.

Yes, thanks to the photography talents of Will Rodes, I have a new mug shot on my site. Do I care what you think of it? No. My wife likes it, and that’s pretty much all that matters.

Think you might want Will to take your picture? He might. Get in touch with him and offer to pay for his talent like I did. He might say yes.

After getting your feedback on the various options, we selected the cover for Killing Cockroaches. Here’s the final version. Thanks for your help!

Now’s your chance to hear Perry and a few of his favorite friends discuss the One Prayer campaign. The campaign now has over 1,500 churches participating from throughout the world. Unbelievable! Check out this Catalyst Podcast.

Catalyst Podcast | Catalyst via kwout

Several weeks ago I was reading the 37Signals blog, and I came across this thought regarding paths versus hierarchies:

Instead of thinking in terms of hierarchy or up-front structure, I think it’s better to work with paths. A path is a line that goes from a starting point A to an accomplishment B. Each customer who comes to the site doesn’t care about the overall structure. They care about getting from A to B. That’s a path.

Now, here’s the deal. They were writing about web navigation. I believe the same principle applies to how people connect to our churches. We need to apply this principle when people hit our home page, but we also need to think about the paths people take when they walk through our front doors.

• In hierarchy-thinking, we’re concerned about telling people about our men’s ministry or women’s ministry or small group ministry. We’re in promotions mode. We’re trying to promote programs rather than addressing the question people are asking. The person that comes through the front door just wants to know how can I meet other people?
• In hierarchy-thinking, we want to tell people about our Bible studies and discipleship classes. The person that comes through the front door just wants to know is Jesus who he says he is and why does that matter to my life?
• In hierarchy-thinking, we think people want to know our agenda and how we’re set up (leadership, denominations, structure, etc.) to fulfill that agenda. The person who walks through the front door just wants to figure out do I fit here, and, if so, what’s my next step?

OK, I think you get the picture. The discipleship process is more about a journey, a path that we help people navigate, rather than a hierarchy of programs and ministries. Look at church websites and bulletins, though. The church in America is set up to force people into a hierarchy rather than to help people navigate a path.

Here’s the big question: Are we helping people get from point A to point B?

Looking for your next adventure? Check out these cool new roles. Here are some of the ministry positions posted to the Job Board this week:

• eMinistry Supervisor | Williamsburg, Virginia
• Visual Arts Supervisor | Williamsburg, Virginia
• Director of Worship Arts and Logistics | Snellville, Georgia
• Pastor of Spiritual Development & Community Groups | Nashville, Tennessee
• Director of Children’s Ministry | Elizabeth City, North Carolina

 

Post a Job! $49 for 30 days

There are a number of other cool positions available on the job board, so check out the entire list.

My good friend, Joe Sangl, may be experiencing his 15 minutes of fame. Joe’s the pastor of financial counseling at NewSpring and his family’s story is being featured in the current issue of Money Magazine. In case you’re unfamiliar with the magazine, it’s the largest personal finance magazine in the world (7,500,000 readers).

Money Magazine, has written an article that includes a profile about Joe and some of his story. You can read an abbreviated on-line version of the article on CNNMoney.com. They’ve also included an online profile of Joe.

Looking for inspirational story about how you can overcome credit card debt in your life? Then you should check this out.

Recently, I shared the video interview with Bill Hybels, senior pastor of Willow Creek Community Church. Hybels responded to recent articles from Christianity Today and the Out of Ur blog.

I contacted Marshall Shelley, the vice president of Christianity Today International the editor-in-chief of the Leadership Media Group, for his reaction to the video. With his permission, here is his response:

Hi Tony:

Thanks for your note. Yes, we’ve posted Bill’s video on our blog www.outofur.com and we’re receiving some good comments. We’re happy to admit to our shortcomings in reporting this story. At this point, we’re confirming that all the quotes we reported were accurate. Yes, our reporting emphasized the changes Willow was talking about at the Leadership Summit and the subsequent Shift conference. We did not highlight the things that were not changing. Journalists tend to do that, I’m afraid—assuming that change is more newsworthy than continuity.

We recognize that this is a story in process. The Reveal study has set a lot of things in motion, and many of the implications are still being worked out. We’re committed to getting the story right—and we told the story as we understood it from Willow sources and others at the time. If we’ve not reported the whole truth, we’ll repent, too, and publish the fuller story as we become aware of it.

We’re certainly not anti-Willow. We’ve learned so much from Bill and the others there over the years. I still remember his article in Leadership on “Reading Your Emotional Gauges,” which was life defining for me. And the recent article about him in CT on his “Justice Journey” with James Meeks was eye-opening and convicting.

Our intent with the Reveal stories was to highlight how a church makes a mid-course correction as research indicates changes are needed. And we’re still learning how those mid-course corrections are made and the complexities that arise.

Marshall Shelley