1) I'm trying to toy around with the Xanga blog in which I wrote the first writings for my own fiction-realm. Anyone know how to set it up so that the oldest blogs are visible first? I'd set up a link to it but it would be easier if the beginning was the first thing you saw. Maybe next post I'll link to the oldest post (November 2005) and let you, the reader, work your way from there. I haven't written in it for two years. I'd start up again, but I think if I'm going to write I'd rather write the story instead of writing a blog after the story about a journal from before the story. Confused yet?
2) What a weekend for football! Michigan posted the second greatest comeback in the school's history, and it also happened to be the greatest comeback in the Big House. Then the NFL saw some crazy upsets and moments. Brett Farve threw 6 TD's! John Madden probably had a coronary and overall it was very enjoyable.
3) Does my new hypothetical church hire ministers or not? I have to post a correction for my previous post. When describing the role of the senior minister (if this church did hire one) I said something along the lines of "take what a youth minister does and apply it to youth" when I meant to say apply it to the entire Church."
- The small group leaders have a double-duty of sorts. At least initially, the leadership trains them on how to facilitate discussions.
- Leadership doesn't dictate what the small groups must learn about the topic. They give the small group leaders the proper materials to explore it (the verses, the context, maybe a light commentary, Hatter's Greek knowledge, etc.) and let them study it. You give the leaders the material to touch on the topics you want them to discuss, but you let them draw their own conclusions.
- Service. Still working on this one. Will post about it as I get some ideas.
- As Hatter said, getting a church to move to this "model" would be about as likely as getting rid of a congregational vote. Anyone feel like planting? That's a whole new barrel of monkeys in my eyes...
4) Verse of the post: Matthew 9:12-13 "On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."
Thoughts? Reading it makes me think of things immediately.
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2 comments:
I wish I had the patience to sit and write. It would have made seminary so much easier!
Wasn't that Michigan game amazing?! At least the second half anyway. There were upsets all over the place this weekend.
I've been thinking about your church structure thoughts. Still processing and articulating thoughts.
On Planting and the "Perfect Church Model":
You know you're in for a long comment when it comes with a title, but I'll try to keep it brief. I'm not one for leaving a church to plant another one. I'm more of the attitude that one should love and help to mold/shape/teach the church that you're in (in so far as that is possible). I'm with Luther. The church may need fixing but it doesn't need abandoning.
There are days when I wish we had taken up Prong on his invite. I find myself imagining what a church would be like with Nathan, you, and myself as the ministers-at-large (filling various roles as we are gifted and lead)...but I digress.
Really what you are describing sounds more like a collection of house-churches (I use the term loosely) with a single (or a few) seasoned leaders floating between them offering guidance and support. Where have I seen that kind of model before? (Asia minor? the first century? the Apostle Paul?) But that, too, was a church model that was rife with troubles (just read 1 Corinthians for goodness sakes!).
8:30pm and already I'm babbling and making no sense. Better stop here. (That's short for a titled comment...consider yourself lucky).
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