 |
|
Search Term: dennie
30 Years - Yeah, That's a Long Time
They said they needed my camera in the break room. Something was going on, something apparently newsworthy. So I grabbed it and went in, and there sat an ice cream cake. And it was for...me?
Indeed. Bishop Ron Ramsey instructed that the occasion appear on the Bishopblog--whether I wrote it, or somebody else. Since I don't trust any of my coworkers, I thought I better do the deed. Besides, everyone is crazy-busy with National Conference preparations.
The occasion: June 1 marks 30 years of working fulltime at the United Brethren national office. I actually started on June 1, 1978, after my junior year at Huntington University, but I didn't go fulltime until graduating in 1979. Back then, my title was assistant editor. I worked on the monthly United Brethren magazine, edited a weekly Sunday school take-home paper, and did some work on the adult Sunday school quarterlies.
We discontinued the Sunday school curriculum in 1982 and closed the printshop. At that point, I became editor of the United Brethren magazine. And the position has evolved from there. I took the title Communications Director in 1993, when we centralized all of our communications. And from there, this and that has happened, yada yada yada, you're really not that interested.
Along with the ice cream cake, my coworkers gave me a card (of sorts) with comments like these:
- Way to go! Your endurance is amazing.
- You are a great asset here. Old and musty, but still a good asset.
- People who stay in one place for so long usually are honored with a statue. Have you posed for yours yet?
- 30 years! Most marriages last less time than that!
- Congrats! Putting up with everyone who has come and gone. Wow!
- You must have started here at the office when you were a child!
- Wow! 30 years! You must be older than I thought!
- How many Macs or models of Macs have you had in those 30 years? [I think 7, plus 2 laptops.]
- Amazing! You have worked here almost my whole life!
- I know that cars are considered vintage or antique after 20 years, so....
Now you know why I thought I better write this.
It's been a joy working here and serving our churches. I've never NOT attended a United Brethren church. I've basically ordered the entire UB menu: grew up UB in four different states, attended our camps, participated in Bible quizzing, UB preacher's kid, graduated from our college, and have now spent my entire career in the service of my denomination. No regrets. Unless you count eating that too-big piece of ice cream cake this morning.
Camp Days and the Fear of God
Dr. Paul Fetters spoke that summer during Pacific Annual Conference, the summer after my ninth grade year. He spoke on the family, and it was excellent, even to this budding sophomore.
We used a camp in Watsonville, Calif., outside of San Francisco, which meant a nine-hour drive for those of us from Lake Havasu City, Ariz. Most of our youth group was there for the conference Bible quizzing finals.
But this particular night, I wasn't paying much attention to Dr. Fetters' message. Instead, I was flirting with Tammy, a shy but very cute girl. We were sitting beside each other about in the middle of the left-hand section of the tabernacle. It's all branded deeply in my memory because of what came next.
As I carried on--and it would have been mostly me, because Tammy was so quiet--I apparently disrupted people around me. Suddenly, I felt a big hand clamp onto my shoulder from behind. I looked over my shoulder. One of our ministers, a big guy, well over six feet tall, had grabbed me from two rows back.
He then said to me, in the type of hushed voice Jack Bauer uses, "If you don't quiet down, I'm going to take you outside and whip you like one of my own kids."
I quieted down, fast. I doubt that, in my traumatized state, I actually listened to much of Dr. Fetters' message. But at the end of the service, my heart still beat in overdrive.
That hand, that large physique, that Voice of Intimidation, belonged to the pastor of our church in Sacramento. A guy named Ron Ramsey.
Twitter for UBs
We have clambered board the Twitter bandwagon. Our Twitter feed provides little snippets of news, plus automatic notifications when anything is posted to the Bishopblog or to the UB News page. You'll find it at:http://www.twitter.com/unitedbrethren
Frankly, I don't expect a lot of people to use the Twitter feed, mainly because not all that many UBs are using Twitter, period. We're far from critical mass. I've come across less than 30 UBs with Twitter accounts, and many of them aren't actively using Twitter. It's not exactly a necessary communications accessory.
But, this was easy to implement and will involve little work on my part. And Twitter is mushrooming in popularity. So, there it is. Use it if you want.
Creative Worship and Design Seminar
Tom Datema alerted me to a seminar--in just two weeks--by the guys at Midnight Oil Productions. Tom and I heard these guys at a ChurchMedia.net conference. They're tremendous. Both were once on staff with Ginghamsburg Church in the Dayton, Ohio, area, as part of the group that designed worship experiences. They are especially good when it comes to using imagery and metaphor. Their seminar was perhaps the best one on this subject I've ever attended.
The cost is $99 per day, and they're taking walk-ins, so you don't even need to register in advance. And if Dayton is too early, they're doing this seminar in other locations.
They are doing two one-day seminars back to back:
- Monday, April 27: Creative Worship. Philosophy and tips putting together engaging digital-age worship experiences.
- Tuesday, April 28: Design Matters. About creating media for use in worship services.
Useful Web Applications
Tony Morgan, the "Chief Strategic Officer" at a booming megachurch in South Carolina, is one of the premier bloggers in the evangelical world. He's especially popular among the cutting-edge crowd. Really an interesting guy.
He just posted "25 Free Web Apps That Make Life Easier." Increasingly, things are moving to the web. Instead of using a program you install on your computer, you go to a website and accomplish the same thing, whether it's managing a calendar, writing Word documents, or managing your finances.
I was aware of, and use some of, the web apps that Tony mentions. But others were new to me. Depending on your level of geekiness, you may be interested in checking out his list.
What web apps would you add to the list? Mention them in the comments.
Book: The Monkey and the Fish
"The Monkey and the Fish" is about leadership and church health. The Christian market has many such books. This one hits some different chords.
Dave Gibbons, an Asian American who founded Newsong, a multi-site megachurch in California, is a refreshing voice. Too many Christian writers seemingly think the American church, and our interpretation of what church should be, is God's definitive word for the world. Gibbons takes a world view, and his words open up whole new possibilities. No, he's not in the emergent crowd; many of them would view Gibbons as tame. But for me, a traditional evangelical from the United Brethren mold, his thoughts stretch me aplenty.
A theme Gibbons develops throughout the book builds on the question asked of Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?" Jesus responded by telling the story of the Good Samaritan, which is about two people who normally wouldn't have anything to do with each other--a Samaritan and a Jew.
Gibbons writes, "Jesus was telling the religious leader that his neighbor, instead of being someone like him, was someone not like him at all, someone he would be uncomfortable with or even hate."
He says churches need to seek out people who are different from them, not just like them. "There's something truly divine about a movement of people who reach out to love others and be with others whom they find difficult to understand or love to be with."
This is more than theory to Gibbons and Newsong Church. It's a concept that permeates the church, as they intentionally pursue marginalized people, outsiders, people on the fringes of society. And he cautions, "It may very well mean that the church doesn't grow numerically nearly as quickly as it otherwise might." Imagine that--adopting a strategy which you know will slow your growth...just because you think it's the way Jesus might do things.
Church growth exalts the "homogeneity" principle--that you attract people like you. United Brethren, for instance, are good at targeting other white, middle class folks. And that does, indeed, work. But that doesn't mean it's the way of Jesus. Gibbons illuminates another way to view our neighbors, and I find it engaging (partly, I'm sure, because it relates so well to me and my own church).
There's a whole lot of great stuff in this book.
Guard Your Domain Name
A domain name is a very cheap piece of cyber real estate. Your church can register a domain for $20 or less per year. This domain can then become the hub for all of your church's internet communications--your website, your email, a blog, etc. If people know your domain name, they can find you.
However, every year, one or two United Brethren churches lose their domain name.
- Maybe nobody in the church office understood what the renewal notices were about.
- Maybe renewal notices were going to somebody who no longer attends, but who originally registered the account.
- Maybe they just procrastinated too long.
- Or maybe they just forgot.
Many companies eagerly pounce on lapsed domain names. They like snapping up something with established traffic flow. As a result, the church loses their domain name, which has a variety of ramifications:
- The church website address no longer works.
- Email addresses which used that domain no longer work.
- Business cards, letterhead, and any other printed materials which mentioned those email addresses or the website URL must be reprinted.
- The church must find a new domain name, which will probably be less satisfactory than the previous one.
- People who type in the name of the previous domain name will be taken to something totally unrelated to the church--perhaps a porn site.
So, some suggestions:
- Make sure you know where the domain is registered.
- Try to get the domain directly under the church's control, rather than in the account of a parishioner.
- Make sure your contact information with the registrar is current, so you receive notices when it's about to expire.
I See You, You See Me
Technology has its frustrations, but also its amazing sides.
This morning, the Global Ministries staff held a meeting with David Kline in Macau. Four of them gathered around Darlene Burkett's iMac, and using iChat's video features, they discussed some financial issues. It was smooth, and free. Here in Huntington, it was 9:30 Thursday morning, but for David, it was 10:30 Thursday night.
David, seeing me enter the scene with my camera, apologized for not combing his hair.
Pictured (l-r): Mabel Mundy (accounting clerk), Darlene Burkett, Jeff Bleijerveld, Donna Hollopeter is out of the photo, on the left. (Sorry, Donna.)
Phylis Stouder Retires from Healthy Ministry Resources
Phylis Stouder, right, displaying the Nutcracker soldier given as a parting gift. On the left is Marilyn Waters, the bookstore manager. Phylis and Marilyn have been a team for about 15 years.
Healthy Ministry Resources said good-bye to Phylis Stouder, who has worked there since October 1986. That's 22 years.
On Tuesday, January 13, we held a farewell luncheon for Phylis at the Habecker Dining Commons at Huntington University. Pat Jones and Jeff Bleijerveld were traveling, but everyone else was there. The staff gave her a couple gifts, including a Nutcracker wooden soldier to add to her collection.
Phylis originally came as a secretary in what was then the Church Services department. I was editor of the monthly United Brethren magazine, and Phylis did a variety of chores for me, and helped out the others in the department--Paul Hirschy, Carlson Becker, Denny Miller--in whatever ways she could.
Since 1993, Phylis has worked primarily with the bookstore. Every quarter, she packages hundreds of boxes of Sunday school materials. She also helps with everyone else's mailings--the Bishop's office, Global Ministries, you name it. If you receive something from the national office, Phylis probably had her hands on it.
Phylis and her husband, Lowell, are members of College Park UB church in Huntington. They spent most of their married lives running a dairy farm (Lowell got out of that a while back). They're also big Purdue fans. Please don't ask Phylis for her opinion of Bobby Knight.
We'll miss Phylis a lot. She worked hard and conscientiously, willing to do anything asked of her.
Over the years, she learned how to do some of everything, an office jack-of-all-trades. We'll miss her good sense of humor.
Actually, Phylis will keep coming back occasionally to help in the bookstore or do mailings or whatever. But she's basically retired, no regular hours. Which is what she wanted.
Twice a week, we start the day with office devotions. After our prayer time, Phylis would always say, "Have a nice day." That was our signal to head to our desks and get started. We haven't decided who will say that now.
Yet Another Thought on Momentum
Here is another thought on momentum from Andy Stanley, adding to the others I mentioned here and here.
If you have momentum and you don't know why--you are one stupid decision away from killing it.
I love my church. But right now, I think my pastor and most of us would agree, Anchor lacks momentum. We're nowhere close to being a dead, status quo, business-as-usual church, and lots of ministry still happens. But momentum? Not so much, right now.
When Anchor (my church) started over ten years ago, we definitely had momentum. But I'm not sure why. And I'm wondering if we did something to kill it. Did we make a "stupid decision" somewhere along the line? I can't think of anything offhand, but I'm gonna keep pondering.
Can you point to a stupid decision your church made which, looking back, may account for your lack of momentum?
More Thoughts on Momentum
A few days ago, I mentioned something Andy Stanley said concerning momentum. Here's another one of his thoughts.
In the church world, we put up with lack of momentum as long as we can still pay the bills.
Now there's a sad thought. "I am financially viable, therefore I exist." Is your church in that boat?
Too many churches choose to limp along, keeping the doors open, as long as they can pay the bills. The only momentum is downward. Meanwhile, they shoo away opportunities which would be to their long-term good--like merging with a nearby church. Such a move would make both churches stronger. No longer stuck in survival mode, they could devote resources to ministry.
Continue reading More Thoughts on Momentum.
Momentum
One blog I follow is by Tim Stevens, administrative pastor of Granger Community Church near South Bend, Ind. They're doing a one-day Catalyst conference, with Andy Stanley and Craig Groeschel. Stanley began the day by talking about momentum. Stevens provided some notes from that session, including this statement:
Momentum = forward motion fueled by a series of wins.
I've been thinking about that in two contexts:
- the local church (including my own church, Anchor).
- the United Brethren denomination as a whole.
Throughout my lifetime, I've heard people say, especially when things aren't going well, "What we need is revival." When things aren't going well, the answer is the same: revival. That's true to an extent, and it always sounds exceedingly spiritual, especially when embedded in a prayer. But what does it look like? What exactly are they praying for?
It seems like they're too often praying for One Big Win, a giant divine intervention that will get everybody doing what they're supposed to be doing. This does happen, but it's elusive.
Instead of waiting for revival, what are some small wins my church can pursue? Putting several small wins together is like gradually pushing the accelerator. You build momentum.
At the denominational level, Pat Jones, as Director of Healthy Church Ministries, has been working with a few local churches at a time. He does a weekend consultation, then meets with the pastor once a month for a year. As a result, churches have turned around or been propelled forward. It's not flashy, but it's a series of wins.
Online Learning at Huntington University
Huntington University is plunging into the world of online learning. They got their feet wet during the last several years with a Masters in Youth Ministry Leadership. Now, various other courses are being added through the EXCEL adult education program.
Julie Goetz (right) oversees Huntington University's online classes. She spent three years working part-time with the online youth program. In June, she came aboard fulltime as the Coordinator of Online Programs.
Which means she:
- Manages and reviews course content.
- Helps faculty transition their syllabus to an online course (which can be easy or difficult, depending on the course).
- Trains faculty on how to conduct an online course.
- Does strategic planning to advance the online programs.
- Works with LearningHouse.com, which hosts HU's online classes.
- And does other stuff. Don't we all.
Julie is a learner, too. Currently, she's pursuing a Master of Education with a specialization in "instructional design for online learning." Sounds relevant, don't you think? So when online students contact her with questions or problems, she can respond with empathy, since she encounters some of the same issues.
Continue reading Online Learning at Huntington University.
Ten Years Ago, When My Church Began
In two days, Anchor Community Church celebrates its tenth anniversary. Pam and I were among the 50 people sent out from Emmanuel UB church in Fort Wayne in 1998 to "restart" the former Third Street UB church, which had existed there since the 1930s. The church had a great history, but had declined in size and not adapted to the changing neighborhood. Most of the attendees were older and drove in from outlying areas.
Third Street was shut-down for five months, and underwent an extensive renovation. New carpet everywhere. Fresh paint. Got rid of the pews and organ. A whole new platform area. New name and sign. Lots of other stuff. Meanwhile, Emmanuel people were challenged to commit a certain amount of time--3 months, 6 months, a year--to getting the reincarnated church going. Pam and I signed up "indefinitely."
Continue reading Ten Years Ago, When My Church Began.
Tool? or Toy? (Part 2)
I bought one of the early Palm Pilots, back around 1997. I envisioned it being a good tool. But it didn't fit the way I work. It became something cool that I showed people. Not something that made me more effective. For many people, a Palm Pilot is a great tool. For me, it became a toy.
A tool, on the other hand:
- Will enhance your ministry.
- Will solve a problem.
- Can be cool and fun to show people, but that's a bonus.
Tool? or Toy? (Part 1)
Every time your mouth waters over some new gadget or software or social media site, ask yourself, "Is it a tool or a toy?" That's the question posed in the excellent book The Blogging Church, by Brian Bailey and Terry Storch.
Tech-savvy people (like me) love new technology and usually believe more technology can only bring good things. But toys can merely waste church money and consume the pastor's (and volunteers') time.
How can you tell if it's a toy?
- You use the word "cool" to describe it.
- You spend more time playing with it than using it.
- You want it because other people have it.
- You love to show it to other people.
- You hear, "We should get a...." You'd like to have it, but can't articulate a compelling ministry need for it.
Going First
At the MinistryCOM conference, the closing speakers (Jon Acuff, who runs the delightful StuffChristiansLike blog), made this point about people and churches who break new ground:
"When you go first, you give everyone else the gift of going second."
I don't know if we were the first denomination to oppose slavery--we probably weren't--but our stand in the early 1800s no doubt emboldened other denominations to take such a stand. If we didn't go first, we at least went early.
In 1853, we sent a whole wagon train of UBs from Iowa to start churches in Oregon. I'll bet no denomination had done anything like that.
In 2005, we eliminated regional conferences--the middle-management layer--and cut assessments to a mere 3.5%. Churches in most denominations would salivate over paying just 3.5% to higher church administration. I know our example hasn't gone unnoticed.
Several years ago, on vacation, Pam and I attended a Vineyard church that planned to always use rented facilities, rather than pour megabucks into facilities. We haven't had a church follow through on that strategy. We need a first.
Where else have we gone first?
Where else do we need a United Brethren church to go first?
Notes from MinistryCOM, Day 1
I'm in Oklahoma City attending the MinistryCOM conference--my third year. It's designed for local church communications specialists, most of whom come from megachurches. Some churches come with an entire staff of 4-5 people who work only in communications (graphics, video, internet, etc.). Then there are a few folks like me.
Today, I met two persons who do fulltime communications work in churches of less than 1000 attendees. First time I've seen that. (I'm not aware of any UB church with a person working fulltime solely in communications. Doesn't mean there aren't any. But if they exist, they should definitely attend MinistryCOM.)
Just finished lunch with three people from Houston. The one couple said they planned to attend MinistryCOM before the hurricane, but the hurricane made it even more attractive, because they're expected to be without electricity for another 3-4 weeks. Bummer for them.
The opening speaker was Mike Foster, founder of XXXChurch.com Some notes from his session:
- Spend your life in the ocean, not in the tank. Be in the wild. Experience new things. Get out among nonChristians.
- The average age of videogame players is 33. (I would have guessed much younger.)
- Our guardian angels are bored. We're playing it safe, not taking chances.
- Ideas are a dime a dozen. It's easy and fun to dream. What's valuable is a well-executed idea.
Target the Young, Get the Old
One of the blogs I follow is TonyMorganLive.com. Tony Morgan is on staff with Newspring Church in South Carolina, one of the fastest-growing and innovative churches in the country (as was his previous church, Granger Community Church, which he was lured away from two years ago).
Morgan told about a couple in their 60s who found Christ at one of their satellite churches. The curious thing, he said, is that the service isn't designed for people that age, but for much younger people--loud music, video teaching, coffeehouse atmosphere.
"Here's what we've learned," he wrote. "If we design our service experiences for a younger audience, we're more likely to reach that younger person and we'll also reach older folks. The reverse is not true. If we designed our service experience for an older audience, the younger crowd would not show up."
There is a lot to talk about here, and most of us have talked about it plenty. How much to cater to the younger set, while seemingly ignoring older folks. The mix of hymns vs. contemporary songs. Etc.
But in the end, there are several inescapable and competing realities:
- In most churches, the people calling the shots are older folks (baby boomers, like me, tend to be in control nowadays).
- Young people aren't necessarily thrilled with the shots they are calling.
- Older Christians need to say, "The church shouldn't need to cater to me. I'll let other people's tastes and preferences take precedence over my own."
- Most older Christians aren't mature enough to say that.
Do you agree with Tony Morgan?
Jamaican Pride
I sent a note to Owen Gordon (right), UB endorsed missinoary and president of Jamaica Bible College, commenting on how excited Jamaica must be over the success of their sprinters in the Olympics. Owen responded:
"Oh yes Steve. There has been a euphoria that has swept across the country. People gathered in groups to celebrate. It reached a high when the 4x100 relay was being run. People felt badly for Asafa Powell, so when he took off in the final leg and broke the world record...it was simply GREAT!
"We all are hoping that this new inspiration will have a positive effect on all of us as Jamaicans, and that the scurge of crime and violence will be addressed.
"This has been a great Olympics for Jamaica: six gold medals, three silver and two bronze. For such a very small country, we all feel very proud of the athletes. The government and the country is planning a big welcome celebration!"
Let's Talk
Recent Comments
View All Comments