Social Networking and the Church

I was reading a Nielsen report on social media networking (facebook, twitter, etc.) and some of the highlights struck me.  Your can download the full report here but here are some bullet points:

• The number of American users frequenting online video destinations has climbed 339 percent since 2003.
• Time spent on video sites has shot up almost 2,000 percent over the same period.
• In the last year alone, unique viewers of online video grew 10 percent, the number of streams grew 41 percent, the streams per user grew 27 percent and the total minutes engaged with online video grew 71 percent.
• There are 87 percent more online social media users now than in 2003, with 883 percent more time devoted to those sites.
• In the last year alone, time spent on social networking sites has surged 73 percent.
• In February, social network usage exceeded Web-based e-mail usage for the first time.

Here are some questions/thoughts to consider, some of which I’m asking myself:

1. What is your church doing to engage people using social media networking and website interaction?
2. Is it just one way communication (ie: watch our video, read our website, etc.) or are you actively engaging people online in a conversation?  More and more people are looking for the latter.
3. Does your “online campus” have any type of interaction (live chat)?
4. If your lead team doesn’t use any kind of social media or blogs, I would say a few things: 1. Get your head out of the sand!   2. Find someone on your staff that will or does and utilize them to get your church connected.

Review: Killing Cockroaches

I’ve been meaning to post this for several week and finally go around to it.  I finished reading Tony Morgan‘s Killing Cockroaches and wanted to write a quick review.

I love the way this book is laid out.  I’m not sure what I like more: the chapters that are like blog posts in book form or the built-in cock roach flip book (nice touch).  The short chapters are setup more like a blog than a book.  Someone described it as a great bathroom book.  I would say that’s pretty accurate.  There were several pages that I dogeared and underlined.

Some of the highlights that kind of stuck out to me, without giving away too much, are:

• 10 ways to sink your sermon series – for pastors and creative teams, this is worth the price of the book alone.  Great insights that we’ve seen play out at CCC and some new ideas to consider that we haven’t tried yet.
• Reading Tony’s chapter on The Lost Generation (18-34 year olds) had me yelling “preach preacha!”  One insight from there: “most churches focus their ministry on people that are twenty to thirty years older than this demographic.”  No wonder this demographic is leaving the church.
• Exceeding expecations – he addresses the first time guests and their experience in coming to church.  Some convicting and practical applications on exceeding expectations in helping to ensure that someone’s first visit to your church is one where they want to come back.
• There are several quick chapters on “making church boring” and effective communication.  I loved those chapters and would echo his sentiments there.  Why is it that some churches seem to go out of their way to make church boring?
• The chapter on worship music is a must read for every worship leader and pastor.  Some great conversations, statements and questions there.  One part that made me think (and laugh) was this: “When are any Christian musicians going to start writing lyrics that connect with the average Joe?  For example, I can’ imagine hearing two men say to each other, ‘I just want my lifesong to sing to God’ and the reply, ‘Yes, I just feel like my heart is crying out.’….I understand that poetry and lyrics are cool and all, but you know what I’m saying…”
• Chapter on God’s Will when considering a move or next steps in ministry.  Tony gives his process/questions that he and his family used in making the move from Granger to Newspring.

Bunch of other insights, but I’ll let you pick up your own copy and read it yourself.  Thought there were a lot of applications for any ministry or business leader.  Oh, one more thing, if you happen to meet Tony, you should give him a big hug…he loves that kind of stuff

Next up on my reading list: IT by Craig Groeschel (great book so far, can’t put it down) and Living Your Strengths by Winseman, Clifton & Liesveld (haven’t started that one yet)

Francis Chan at Exponential

Here are my notes from Francis Chan’s message at Exponential last week.  Good stuff.

• Church planting doesn’t have to be a miserable experience.  It can be great, even when there are stressful times here and there.
• Always struggled with the book of Acts because it looks so different from today.
• Acts 4:13 – they recognized they had been Jesus b/c of their boldness and they recognized they had been with Jesus.
• We have people in our church that are incredibly educated but lack the boldness to lead and serve.
• Paul asked the church to pray for him to have more boldness..he prayed this when he was possibly the boldest man for Christ at the time.
• God wants to use the ordinary and foolish things to astonish the world.  These ordinary men had a boldness about them.
• If I could go back 15 years and start over, I would ask for more boldness.
• I’m finally saying things that I’ve been thinking for the last 15 years.

exogesis vs isogesis -

exogesis – start from the scriptures, study what does this say, lead out from the truth
isogesis – already have a thought and a theology and take verses from the Bible to prove or fit your point

• we need an exegetical approach to church planting and ministry
• False religions, teachings and cults come from an isogetical approach to the Bible:
• Mormons – you would never start from scripture and come up with jesus had a great great grandfather
• Jehovah Witnesses – you would never start by just reading the Bible and say “i got it, Jesus was Michael the archangel.”
• just get alone, believe in the Holy Spirit and study the Bible by yourself was his response to them
• Would we consider that as a church
• When we started our church, we “know” what we need yet is that what we would start with if we started from Scripture
• I’ve been preaching exegetically but haven’t always been living that way
• If I just started with Scripture what would my theology be
• Gangs are more like family often moreso than our churches
• One former gang member – “It’s like Satan stole God’s playbook”

• We need the boldness of Elijah – 450 prophets of Baal, and he basically told them You’re going down
• The false prophets, after the fire fell from heaven, were just saying “The Lord is God”
• When was the last time people left saying The Lord is God
• Sometimes our worship resembles more the prophets of Baal vs Elijah’s experience – a lot of noise and stuff going on but no presence of God
• Elijah was a man like us but prayed earnestly.  He actually didn’t pray that long.

It is time for us to REALLY begin to believe in the power of the Holy Spirit

Exponential Main Session 2

Exponential Breakouts from 4/21/09

The first breakout from yesterday (4/21/09) was okay, but it could have been 30 minutes instead of 1 hour.  It was on taking care of yourself as a leader.  Here are the big points:

1. Take care of your spiritual development (spiritual coach)

2. Take care of your soul (read and listen to preaching from guys further along)

3. Take care of your body (workout)

The second breakout was “The Leader’s Capacity to Stay On Course”

Gary Lamb/Scott Hodge
The Leader’s Capacity to Stay On Course
“Being Mean About The Vision”

Gary Lamb – vision from Day One was to reach unchurched men – believe that if you reach the men, you reach the family

• The vision is not for sale – Shawn Lovejoy said, “Gary, God called you to start this church.  There’s going to be a time when these families with you want to change your vision.  Above all else, be mean about the vision.”  It changed the philosophy about their church.
• It doesn’t matter how old your church is, there’s going to come a time where you’re going to be have to mean about your vision.  They’re going to try to change your vision.  Possibly a big influencer, a big giver, etc.
• How you respond during that time will set the course for where your church will go.
• There are some things that are for sale, but the vision is not.
• Nehemiah 4 – rebuilding the wall, 26 days in are ready to quit, they began to complain
• There’s going to come a time where people will start complaining and criticizing – you have to decide if you’re going to compromise the vision – gut check
• It would have been real easy for Nehemiah to slow down.
• When you are mean about your vision, you will lose people.  It will slow down growth, it will cause pain to your family and to you.

Things to remember – from Nehemiah
1. Remember your calling – chapter 1:2 – Nehemiah got tore up about the walls being tore up – the moment he got called by God to do something about it.  Sometimes the only thing that will keep you going is your calling.  Quitting wasn’t an option.

Some of you can’t be mean about your vision, some of you can’t go back to your call because you’re not called.

Church planting has been glorified to something huge.

2. Remembered how God provided for him in the past

3. Remembered the need

Scott Hodge

• Transitioned 80 year old traditional church
• Who is it God is really calling us to reach?  Who are we best positioned to reach?
• This was going to be a lot more work than changing name, wearing jeans…change has to do with externals, transition changes people’s mindsets
• Have to realize that we’re not going to be the right church for everyone.  Spend a lot of time communicating whether or not we are for them or not.
• It is difficult to be a church to reach unchurched people and then to be able to meet the needs of all kinds of different people.

3 Questions that guided us with vision:
1. Who is it that God has called us to reach?  The more you try to reach everybody, the less effective you’re going to be.
2. What is it going to take for us to reach those people?  Means saying no to a lot of things
3. Are we willing to pay the price?  You will be criticized.  The pastor has to be the one to make that decision.

• The leader has to communicate the vision clearly and often.  We have to be a church that is known for what you are for vs what you are against.
• They actually have brochures from other churches so that when someone comes and is looking for a particular type of church, they can help connect them other churches in town.
• People want change sometimes along as they don’t have to change.  If God has called you to a certain vision.
• Book recommendation: Good to Great by Jim Collins

Exponential Conference Main Session 1

web campuses and social networking integration

I am constantly blown away by the innovations coming out of LifeChurch.tv.  They have invested much in bringing on talented and innovative staff for their web development, also known as Team Digerati.  The interface for the web campus is armed with several top social networking tools.  If you get a chance, you should really check out one of their web campus worship experiences.  We’ve been talking through more and more lately about how to increase the level of connecivity across all of our online presences.  I think one of the projects I would like to work on one day would be to put together a team and develop an online worship experience as dynamic as this.

There is a lot of chatter right now about if true Biblical community can be experienced online in this environment or not.  Some say the lacking component is the physical presence aspect.  Still, for many others, they are already finding their own “community” in social networks, chat rooms, forums, etc.  It’s a discussion that we had this morning at CCC.  I would be interested to hear your take on it.  Post a comment or as always, send me a tweet at @ajwired.

EasterAtCedarCreek.com

Our Easter site is now up and redesigned for 2009.  Except for an E-vite, it is pretty much complete.  As far as our marketing, we’ll be using this along with an invite card and a 40,000 piece mailer that will be going out the Tuesday/Wednesday before Easter.  We’re also working on our facebook page and getting some integration going on with this site, our main site and our twitter.  You can see the site at http://www.EasterAtCedarCreek.com

Safety Jesus

Usually try to post some original thoughts, but I was reading Carlos Whittaker’s blog today and just had to pass along this post.  A friend and I were having this same conversation, and it has really caused me to work through some stuff in my head.  Check it out:

Safety Jesus

Paradigm Shift – Part 2

Okay, so it was more than a few days, but I wanted to finish up my thoughts on Paradigm Shift that I started in this post a few days earlier.  As I read through Acts 10, this process of change seemed to look like this.  I won’t go into detail, but you can hit Acts 10 when you get a chance:

Process of a paradigm shift for a leader:

1. Need – Cornelius was hungry for God, but he had yet to hear the story of Jesus.
2. Truth/Vision – In his vision, God laid down the truth that God has called him (and us) to do what it takes to tell the story of Christ to anyone, regardless of background, etc.
3. Calling – it was the Holy Spirit (v19) that told him to get up and go with the men to Cornelius’ home.  Just a thought here, am I  (and are we) listening to the voice of God for His vision for our life and ministry or are we just adopting someone else’s?
4. Obedience – Peter left and went to Cornelius’ home.  Once he heard from God, there was no more prayer needed about whether or not he should go.  “God, give me ears to hear like that” is what I’m praying for.
5. The Shift – “I now realize…” (10:34) The truth that he knew with his head was now internalized in Peter.  It was no longer just something he knew but was in his bones at that point.
6. God Moves – When Peter acted on the vision, calling and truth that God had given to him, the Bible says that while he was “still speaking these words” (v44), the Holy Spirit came on all who heard.  God showed up in a big way.  What an incredible picture for our ministries and lives that is.  That whole point could be a sermon
7. The Shift spreads in others in the ministry and organization – v45 says that the “circumcised believers” ie Jewish believers, were astonished b/c the Holy Spirit had been poured out “even on the Gentiles”.  Because of the paradigm shift that happened in Peter, it affected the other Jewish believers and would eventually open new doors for many Gentiles to receive Christ in Acts 11.

Thoughts & Questions on The Shift:

Here are some of the ideas and questions that I’m asking myself as I’m thinking through this process of change and having a shift in the way that I think.

• The paradigm shift began in one person.  Yet it impacted the entire Church and everyone at Cornelius’s house and help spread the news about Jesus.  He was also a centurion so he had much influence over his regiment and others.
• Churches and organizations that refuse to change their methods will eventually die.  This is the “we’ve always done it this way” mentality.  That can be true for the church that’s been in existence for 100 years or for even 2 years.
• What assumptions do I have that are simply cultural and traditional that are not necessarily Biblical?  What sacred cow needs to be turned to T Bone?
• What are the 1 or 2 changes (maybe more) that I need to make in my church or ministry area that could facilitate a move of God?  What are the 1 or 2 changes that I need to make in my life?
• What could/would your church look like if you made that change?  Dream big!
• What are the assumptions that I have that have placed God in a box?
• Some common questions that I’ve struggled with. Maybe you have to: What if I fail?  What if that idea/method doesn’t work? Did I hear God right on that?
• I think it is important that we think through is it change for the sake of change or is it change because our methods are busted and ineffective.  You MUST be honest here.  Drag the elephant in the corner of the room to the middle and talk about it openly and honestly.