Church of God and social networking

In an effort to bring greater connectivity and communication across our movement, Church of God Ministries is further leveraging technology by launching a new social networking site this week. MyCHOG is a dedicated social network, very similar to Facebook or MySpace, but built on the Ning platform. It allows participants to network within a closed environment, free of all the fluff in the larger, open systems.

The execution of this new site is well done, and already several hundred people have joined based on minimal promotion. I am sure it is hoped for MyCHOG to be a new place for Church of God people to keep connected. My only question is whether people already into social networking are prepared to add yet another stream to their daily routines. (Hopefully, new social networking aggregators will include Ning!). I suppose if MyCHOG lives up to its intent it could be a valuable and desirable place to hang out online.

This is not the first social networking foray for Church of God Ministries. Earlier this year they launched a Twitter account (@ChoGMinistries) which provides a networked way to disseminate information. (By the way, don't forget to follow @chogblog on Twitter too!)

These are interesting times, and it is appropriate and necessary for the Church of God to find new and effective ways to conduct its ministry, especially since some of our former methods (i.e. campmeetings and magazines) have largely lost their appeal in this age. This certainly fits with the innovative spirit of a "movement".

The future of missions - I

This year's North American Convention was unique for several reasons, one of which is the celebration of 100 years of global missions for the Church of God. This was evident in the overall theme and in the large number of foreign leaders and missionaries in attendance. We do have a rich missions heritage, and one that should be celebrated.

Since then I have wanted to offer some personal reflections on the some of the key issues facing us today concerning missions. This will end up being a two-part post.

My particular interest in this topic arises out of a very late night discussion that I had with several missionaries at the NAC. One evening I was invited to a private gathering in the missionary residences where a number of missionaries and their friends were gathered. It was great time to connect with several missionaries whom I know and to hear their heart for the ministries in which they serve.

What caught my attention that evening and during some other private conversations was the frustration I was hearing. While our missionaries are deeply committed to their calling and specific work there was a common thread of disgruntlement with what they consider the missions bureaucracy in Anderson. One told me of serious questioning as to whether they would continue past their current term because of this.

Certainly all is not negative, but it was obvious to me that the concerns I heard in that living room were ongoing, unresolved frustrations that were weighing heavily on their hearts and impacting their morale. I cannot be sure that all of their grievances are legitimate, but when I hear them expressed consistently by a number of missionaries the validity of their comments is increasingly confirmed.

In short, the frustrations seem to revolve around their impression that our national leadership is out of touch with what is really happening on the mission field and not really responsive to the input and perspectives of the missionaries. This impacts such things as strategic decisions and funding.

As we enter a second century of global missions, what are some of the issues we must deal with? I will attempt to address some of them in my next post.

Jeannette Flynn to leave Church of God Ministries

Since the North American Convention blogging has been a low priority in my life due to the sudden illness and death of my father. There hasn't been the time to formulate my thoughts into posts on issues that arose during the NAC. My intention was to get back to blogging this week, and today's news certainly provides a perfect opportunity to do so...

Church of God Ministries announced today that Jeannette Flynn has resigned from her position as Kingdom Ministry Team Director, effective October 31, 2009. This is significant news since Jeannette is one of our most significant, current leaders, not only in COGM, but across the movement as a whole. She is deeply passionate about her ministry and inspires others as well with her powerful leadership and communication skills. Her contribution to our North American ministries has been profound, especially in light of some of her initiatives which include SHAPE. While she will be stepping aside from this prominent role I am sure her influence and ministry will continue to strengthen the Church of God for years to come.

The big question for me in all of this is: What impact will this have for Church of God Ministries?

In short, I believe that her leaving will have a very dramatic impact. Jeannette is a unique individual and leader, and cannot be simply replaced. Programmatically, she has been the key ministry leader at COGM, especially since taking on the combined role of two previous ministry team directorships. I suspect, with good reason, that part of her decision to leave is simply out of exhaustion from her expansive responsibilities and oversight. This will need to be a time for General Director, Ronald Duncan, to revisit the internal operations of COGM and to develop a more realistic leadership structure. Certainly, trying to find someone to take on this position as it currently stands could be a daunting task due to the magnitude of the responsibilities involved.

In addition to the future of COGM, I pray especially for Jeannette during this time of transition in her life and as she seeks to discover the next phase of ministry God has for her.