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.

North American Convention - Reflections

Heading home from Anderson is a good opportunity to reflect on this year's North American Convention which concluded yesterday. In the past week I have summarized some of the daily highlights, but there is value in reflecting on the some of the bigger, overall issues concerning the NAC.

I think the most significant observation about this year's NAC is the positive, optimistic spirit that prevailed throughout the event. This is especially noteworthy considering the fears that negativity arising out of the event changes might cast a dark cloud over the week. The prayers leading up to NAC made a difference.

Obviously, the biggest story leading up to this year's NAC was the venue change from the Kardatzke Wellness Center to Madison Park and Park Place churches for the worship services. I think it is fair to say that the change turned out well. Sure, there were inconveniences, but these were mostly due to the closure of 5th Avenue than because of having to travel across town each evening. Madison Park in particular is a wonderful venue for a worship gathering. The layout of the room creates a much more intimate setting than what we have had in the past. And, the comfortable seats are great!

And, to everyone's surprise attendance was up significantly this year: by 14%! That is incredible considering the pre-event grumbling and the current state of the economy. I wonder, however, if that increase tells the complete story. Did that many more people really travel to Anderson this year, or is that more people from Anderson came out to the services? I suspect that the latter is more the case. Sure, there was some extra influx because of all the missionary families in attendance, but some have speculated that the lack of local cable TV coverage of the service may have brought out more locals, as did the support of the local congregations at which we were visiting.

i believe that one of the other factors making this NAC a success was the 100th anniversary celebration of global missions. Each service highlighted how God has been working through our missionary endeavors, and the preaching kept this focus alive for us, instilling the urgency of God's mission going forward. This was an invigorating theme that gets the church to move beyond itself and its self-absorption. We need more of this.
 
As I have previously indicated a positive spirit prevailed across the NAC this year, and that bodes well for our movement. But, of course, we cannot rest on the good vibes we experienced. The Church of God continues  to struggle to find its identity and voice. Certainly, this event is step in the right direction, but let us not forget that only a very small proportion of our constituency was in attendance, especially from the geographic fringes. This speaks to the future of the NAC itself. Can we genuinely assume that this event can set the pace for the entire church across North America?

I support the move of this year's General Assembly to re-examine the viability of the NAC and to present a new roadmap for the future. I just hope that there will be courage and openness to consider new models that will better serve and draw in the diverse movement that we have become. Hopefully my previous proposal will be one idea examined.

North American Convention - Wednesday

It's hard to believe that the North American Convention is over for another year. The final day began with the final session of the General Assembly, which wrapped up well, with no real surprises.

Once GA is over things start really winding down at the NAC. A number of people begin the trek home, and the afternoon activities are less intense than in the previous two days. At one time most people were sure to stay through to the Wednesday evening service, as this was the climax of the entire event. Increasingly, that is less and less the case.

Despite the growing exodus the evening service was still reasonably well attended, with many locals showing up. Tonight there was an African focus, utilizing music, guests, and a former missionary to Africa, Don Riley, bringing the message. As usual this final service ended with a candlelight celebration (and using real candles again after a number of years!).

I will provide some closing comments and reflections on the entire convention in another post, but let me say for now that this last day at the NAC had a different feel to it. In other years it has not been uncommon to be exhausted by Wednesday, desiring to return home as soon as possible. With the renewed spirit experienced in this convention, there was almost a feeling of sadness that it had to end so soon. In some ways we'd like for it to keep going. That's a good sign for the Church of God!

North American Convention - Tuesday

Tuesdays see the gathering of the General Assembly at the North American Convention. Many pastors, in particular, will drive in just to be part of this annual meeting. Attendance this year appeared to be quite strong, consistent with is happening all around at NAC. We heard today that NAC attendance is up 18% from last year. That's impressive considering some of the negativity that was floating around prior by those upset with some of the changes.

GA has become fairly straightforward and predictable in recent years, and there were not too many surprises this year. A major theme was the recent budget shortfalls that have severely impacted Church of God Ministries. We learned that 1021 of our congregations do not give anything to the World Mission Budget. At the end of the day prayer groups gathered to pray over the matter, and an impromptu offering was held and over $31,000 was raised! Also, decided today was the formation of a study committee to assess the viability of the North American Convention.

A new innovation to the GA this year is the provision of open forums. Yesterday's Town Hall was the first such opportunity, and today after the business session another opportunity was provided for people to come to he mic and asks questions or share reflections, but all outside of the formal business meeting. The opportunity for input and dialogue seemed to be welcomed by people, and something we need more of.

Today's services were quite powerful. In the morning, following the first GA session, emerging leader Patrick Nachtigall spoke, giving an optimistic outlook for the church despite the realities of messiness and change. This evening's service was another inspiring one, providing a interesting array of music ranging from caribbean to Gaither-era gospel to traditional hymns. Milton Grannum shared his powerful story of how he was brought into the church because of Church of God missionaries in Guyana.

I noticed a real positive buzz around the various events and sites. God is working among us!

North American Convention - Monday

With the first intensive day of the North American Convention also came a trend toward cooler weather. It was a pleasant day, but things are looking to be quite cool by Wednesday!

This afternoon were two significant events. First, was the annual Doctrinal Dialogue, sponsored by the School of Theology. This year's discussion was on Women in Ministry, with the main paper presented by Dr. John Stanley. I am astounded as to the consistent low turnout for these discussions, as we really need more dialogue in the Church of God, especially on matters such as this. It's no wonder we have trouble talking to each other. Anyway the presentations challenged us to affirm the biblical teaching concerning women in ministry and to live it out in our churches. I wish more people could have been there, although the papers presented are available online.

Perhaps the people staying away from the Doctrinal Dialogue were saving up for the Town Hall Meeting that followed with General Director Ron Duncan and General Assembly chair Bob Moss. There was a strong turnout at Reardon Auditorium, likely because there are some pressing issues confronting us. Sure enough, a wide range of questions were addressed to Dr. Duncan, most of which concerned some aspect of Church of God identity and vision. A few individuals asked about the future of "Anderson Campmeeting" and the current format. Overall, I was impressed with the civility in which everyone conducted themselves, as there were no outbursts on hot button issues.

Tonight's service focused on the commissioning of new missionaries, something that normally has taken place on Wednesday evenings. Milfred Minatrea, of the Missional Church Center, challenged us to accept our marching orders to "Go" and make disciples.  (It was good to once again have a speaker from outside the Church of God address us!). Also, included in the service, right in the middle of Minatrea's sermon, was a time for annointing.

Attendance hit another peak tonight, and resulted in me experiencing the overflow room first-hand, itself at capacity. The quality video presentation did not lessen the experience, and only reinforced the possibilities of technology to overcome limitations and for expanding ministry.

North American Convention - Sunday

Sunday was a perfect weather day to be at the North American Convention. In the morning local Church of God congregations received convention visitors, except for those visiting the "official" venue, Park Place.

Fortunately, Sunday at NAC is not packed full of programs. It is a great day to catch-up with friends over lunch or coffee. There were also some receptions scheduled that offered more formal opportunities for networking and connection. For example, I was at the annual CMA meet-and-greet, and the Living Link reception sponsored by Global Missions.

Tonight's service continues the new tradition of a global communion service webcast shared by other churches around the world. At least 95 other congregations in North America were sharing in the service live tonight. In keeping with this year's global missions' centennial missions was a big theme tonight, and included a powerful music and visual presentation featuring and past and present missionaries. Hopefully, all the web watchers were able to catch all of tonight's service, as I have been hearing of numerous complaints of the streaming quality from people through Twitter.

Tomorrow begins three very full days of activity. After a late evening of visiting with some friends, including missionaries, I need to get to bed for an early start in the morning.

North American Convention - Saturday

Technically, Saturday is the first day at NAC. For me, personally, it is the busiest, as I had numerous meetings associated with my role as an Area Administrator. But, for others there were a wide variety of conferences, etc. during the day, including a family day activity at Madison Park.

Tonight's keynote service introduced Carma Wood as our worship leader for the week. Andy Stephenson, Coordinator of Christian Education, Youth and Family for Church of God Ministries spoke. With the global missions emphasis this week I was especially impressed with the predominance of this theme permeating the entire service. God's mission as part of worship is frequently neglected or minimized, so this was not only inspiring, but refreshing. Stephenson's message reinforced the theme with several multi-media pieces, and a group exercise demonstrating the rapidity and effectiveness of touching just three other people. My only frustration with the service tonight is that the sound seemed to lack clarity, and was slightly muffled.

I also had an opportunity to visit the exhibits at Madison Park. Instead of the one big exhibit hall or tent, the various displays are spread across several classrooms. I wonder how many people will find their way down the hallway to the rooms, and if this format will be effective for the colleges and agencies desiring to connect and promote.

Time to get ready for Sunday.

North American Convention - Friday

Like hundreds of others I have made my pilgrimage to Anderson for the North American Convention of the Church of God. While people will be arriving throughout the event, if you want to be at the very first service Friday is a must. It is a service of worship and celebration sponsored by Anderson University.

The service itself was a powerful, choral-based presentation with the theme, "One Lord, One Faith". Interspersed among the various selections were presentations from the presidents of our four primary Church of God colleges, highlighting the missions' focus of each school. This is in keeping with the overall focus of the entire convention, which is celebrating 100 years of global missions.

Of course, the big story tonight and this week is the venue change to Madison Park Church of God for the evening services. This is major change, as it is the most posh facility ever used for this event, and it spreads out the various activities of the convention throughout the city, creating transportation and other logistic challenges. It is easy to see how this year the NAC has moved further along the continuum from "campmeeting" and toward a true "convention". Overall, I was quite impressed with the Madison Park facility. The luxurious theater seats are very comfortable compared to anything we've had to endure in the past, and the sound and ambience of the auditorium create a great environment for a worship service. The biggest downside to the facility is the auditorium's limited size (apparently around 2000), and tonight it was practically full.

Time for bed. For me, tomorrow's activities begin real early!

(Reminder to keep up with instant updates throughout NAC on Twitter: @chogblog)

NAC Coverage

Later this week I will be heading to Anderson for the North American Convention of the Church of God. There is much nervous anticipation about this year's event because of all the changes. Because of these significant shifts this is truly an historic year for our "campmeeting".

As has become a tradition over the past few years I will once again be providing daily blog reflections on the NAC. Last year I also offered Twitter updates during the General Assembly, but this year I will be expanding my Twitter coverage throughout the entire NAC. If you are looking for on-the-ground reports and reflections be sure to follow @chogblog. (For anyone else twittering during NAC I would encourage you to use the #nacchog hashtag for easy searching and compilation).

Also, one other NAC announcement: If you will be in Anderson be sure to attend the second annual CHOGBlog Get Together:

Sunday evening
9:30pm
at Starbucks
(4235 Scatterfield Road, Anderson)

I look forward to connecting with you over the next week!

New look Church of God Ministries website

Church of God Ministries today unveiled a revamped website (www.chog.org), with a fresh new look and improved navigation. The site is titled "Official Site of the North American Church of God: Transforming culture by being the body of Christ".

The re-design is a welcome change, as the previous website was hardly attractive, difficult to get around, and too narrow for today's computer monitors. A new consistent menu system at the top of each page will make it easier to find what one is looking for, and the site is generally much more colorful and appealing.

I also noticed the introduction of a section surprisingly called "Chog Blog" (I knew I should have trademarked that name!). There are 14 different blogs listed with RSS feeds. It would be great to have more of our national office staff blogging, let alone Twittering, etc. But, unfortunately, I am not sure they get the blogging thing, as the execution is way off the mark. Almost of all the blogs represent topics or departments - far from the personality-driven nature of blogs. And, both technically and in terms of usability they are not following standard blog formats. So, it will be frustrating for people to work with.

Other new "eCHOG" features include discussion forums and CHOG Tube.

I know that websites are always evolving, and I am sure this one will as well. On my wish list, for now, is better handling of RSS feeds for news stories. It's there, but not properly setup for easy syndication.

What do you think of the new website design?

Church planting discussion

My recent post on "The future of church planting" has generated a number of comments from at least a few individuals. I'd encourage more to jump in on the discussion.

The recent economic climate has impacted church planting in the Church of God. Instead of seeing this as a hopeless situation, I wonder if we are ready to use this as an opportunity to explore new models that could have even greater, long-term impact on Kingdom and church growth?

The future of church planting

It was only back in September that I shared my enthusiasm over my attendance at the Church Multiplication Association (CMA) conference in Kansas. As I indicated, although relatively new on the scene, CMA has been a tremendous bright spot in the Church of God. Apart from the rapid, loosely-organized expansion in our early days the church planting efforts today coordinated through CMA have been the strongest ever. I can speak from personal experience of CMA's effectiveness, as we have several churches in our district that have been and are being planted with their assistance and guidance.

CMA's strengths have been in their visionary leadership and abundant financial resources. Robin Wood and Gary Kendall have done an amazing job of creating a system that develops not just more churches, but the right kind of churches. This has been fueled by an incredible amount of money that was being funded by some very prosperous and generous business people.

But, the economic downturn of the past year or so has changed much of this. The business interests of the well-heeled donors have been hit hard, in fact, so hard that the bulk of CMA's revenues of dried up. This has resulted in dramatic reduction of CMA staff, and elimination of funding support to its many new churches. Of course, this has halted the ongoing startup of new church plants, and the momentum and energy associated with that.

This should be of considerable concern to us, as church planting has demonstrated itself to be the most effective means for Kingdom expansion. Of course, we don't need CMA to plant churches, but the reality is that our track record for church planting outside of CMA has been far from stellar. What is needed is a culture of church multiplication that permeates our congregations. Ideally, all churches should be working strategically toward establishing new congregations within the varied people groups around them. For the most part this is not happening.

CMA's value to Church of God has not only been in the actual planting of new churches, but in reinvigorating this essential aspect of church growth within our movement. Of course, we could argue that Church of God Ministries should be leading the charge on this, and the Church Multiplication division, under John Newton, has tried their best; but limited funds, especially after the recent cutbacks, has hindered this further.  Sadly, even their annual church planting bootcamp held at the North American Convention was canceled this year due to insufficient registrations.

Obviously, the matter of church planting and even the current state of CMA deserves our prayer attention. The future of church planting is closely linked with the future of the church itself.

Patrick Nachtigall

I was recently contacted by Church of God missionary, Patrick Nachtigall, to be interviewed for a new book he is writing for Warner Press. This will be his third book (the other two: Passport of Faith, and Faith in the Future), all of which reflect a broad, global perspective that can only come from someone who has lived and ministered around the world. This latest project is a journey across the Church of God at the dawn of the 21st century, and explores issues facing us in all six continents, and the challenges that threaten to pull our movement apart. His interest in talking with me is because of my district leadership role and interest in new forms of communication, including this blog.

Based on the details Patrick shared with me, this should be an profound book that will be a must read when it is launched next year.

Watch for it!

WARM reflections

Last week I was in Phoenix for the annual Western Area Regional Ministerium, a gathering of Church of God ministers from across the western United States and Canada. This is the last surviving geography-based ministers' fellowship - at one time there were a number. Attendance at WARM was down this year, indicative of the economy and that this is an "off" year, away from the typical locus of Portland.

While I enjoyed the fellowship and the events (particularly the presentations of Milfred Minatrea), this was another occasion for me to reflect on the nature of gatherings in the Church of God. As many have pointed out, we are a movement that has historically found its identity and vitality in the relational connectedness found in gatherings. The reality, however, is that our social dynamic has changed, and to the dismay of those who cut their teeth on them, the role and popularity of events such as campmeetings and ministers' fellowships is diminishing quickly. The long decline of the North American Convention is a perfect example of this phenomenon.

There is much to affirm about our relational ethos, and we should be concerned about the growing disconnectedness that is emerging. But, it may be time for us to acknowledge the need for new wineskins to draw together the diverse cultures of our movement, let alone the even larger Body of Christ. This should also be an occasion for us to consider what really does unite us in Christ - is it our common social bonds, or should it be around the common mission to which we are called?

These are issues we must address as we define ourselves in these shifting times.

Geographic diversity

A recent Gallup Poll caught my attention as it correlates well with what I've been noticing in the Church of God: There are considerable differences across various regions of the United States. This is not only true in a general, religious sense, as with this poll, but the result is also reflected in how churches respond to their culture within those regions. Where religion is central to life the church tends to operate with ideological and theological security. Where religion is at the periphery the church cannot assume its place in society and must engage the culture in order to thrive, let alone survive.

As someone who has always lived on the geographic fringes of the continent and the Church of God I can easily see this phenomenon, and frequently see the glazed eyes of those in other parts of the country who cannot imagine anything other than the relative success that the church enjoys there and the methods that are employed.

(CLICK HERE TO SEE LARGER IMAGE)

While not perfect (i.e. factor out the Dakotas and Utah, for example) this map also somewhat reflects prevailing strength and attitudes in certain regions among Church of God people and congregations.

The reality is that despite our common heritage there is considerable diversity across our movement. And, that's not bad. If anything it reflects the magnitude and scope of the Kingdom of God and that despite our differences we are united in Christ.

What does concern me is that we are not always willing to recognize these differences, or create structures or programs to take them into account.

What do you think?

Church of God goes YouTube

One of the many things that caught my attention during my recent blogging drought was the announcement that Christians Broadcasting Hope (CBH), our mass media arm, has begun producing videos on YouTube, the web's leading repository of videos. It can be accessed through their user page at: www.youtube.com/user/CBH4hope.

My first reaction to this news was one of skepticism. How can the Church of God expect to gain a voice in the clutter and wasteland of YouTube?

While the initial offering of videos online is hardly impressive, what does impress me is the fact that we are at least exploring new media to get out out message. CBH has, for years, been one of the most innovative divisions of Church of God Ministries, and this further confirms their willingness to harness communication technologies for the sake of the Kingdom.

Dialogue in the Church of God

Those of you who subscribe to my blog may be surprised to see a post actually appear!

Without making any excuses, life has been extremely busy over the past few months. Blogging has taken a back seat to other priorities in my life and ministry. Not that I haven't had anything to write, just not the time to formulate them on the computer.

There are a number of important issues and matters confronting the Church of God at this time and I want this blog to be one voice encouraging constructive dialogue. Certainly, my blog is far from being that "important", but it is part of a new medium that can stimulate discussion and invigorate our relationships.

Yet, despite the challenges facing us, I am more and more convinced that we struggle with dialogue. We are a very diverse group of people and increasingly do always not share uniform convictions and perspectives. This is making it difficult for us to resolve some of our current challenges, and threatens to fracture us, even when one of our core beliefs is centered on unity.

More so than ever we need to be intentional about our interactions and discussions. Face-to-face communication is still the best, but we also need to find ways to hear each other across geographic, demographic, and even theological divides. Electronic communications such as blogs, Facebook and online groups (such as ChoGtalk) are new tools that can contribute to this dialogue.

I am personally committed to continuing this blog for this purpose, and look forward to sharing some thoughts that have been developing and accumulating in recent months. Also, for shorter bursts of inspiration and insanity I invite you to follow my ChogBlog Twitter feed.

May the dialogue continue!

Challenges and changes

The hard drive on my laptop crashed while in San Diego at the Area Administrators' meeting, preventing me from sharing about an extremely valuable conversation that we had with General Director Ron Duncan regarding the challenges confronting the Church of God. And these are much more than merely financial. They touch the core of who we are and how we relate to each other. Again I am impressed with Dr. Duncan's willingness to listen and openness to explore perspectives that challenge our status quo. Our discussions with him are just the beginning of many more that he is planning to have across the church in various settings and with a broad spectrum of people.

One of the opportunities just announced is a special town-hall meeting on "The State of the Church" hosted by Dr. Duncan and General Assembly chair Bob Moss at this summer's North American Convention. This event will be held on Monday, June 29 at 3:30pm at Reardon Auditorium.

Talking about the NAC, also announced are some significant venue changes for the services. Because of the high cost of equipping the Kardatzke Wellness Center in an environment of financial crisis two local churches will host the services instead. The evening services will be held at the relatively new Madison Park Church of God with shuttle service provided. The morning services will be held at Park Place Church of God.

These NAC changes are significant beyond just a building change. They also reflect the continued devolution of this event and its significance in the light of our movement. I really wonder if the NAC as it is can really survive. More so than ever we must be willing to explore new models for connection and drawing our people together.

These are interesting times. And we must be prepared to pray, dialogue and work for God's purposes.

Structure

This week I am at the annual Church of God Area Administrator's meeting, in San Diego. This is a tremendous opportunity for district leaders to gather together for collaborative exchange, learning and fellowship. One of the features of our event is spending a day with a noted, outside resource person. This year John Kaiser, author of Winning on Purpose: How to Organize Congregations to Succeed in their Mission, was our guest. Kaiser is one of the leading experts today on congregational structure.

The whole matter of structure is an peculiar one for the Church of God. As I've highlighted before, our relationship to organizational structure came about more by necessity than by design. The result has been structures that are often ineffective, and even dysfunctional. This can be observed at all levels: national, regional and congregational. Fortunately, we are beginning to recognize the need for change; although our uneasy history with organization makes it difficult.

I encourage you to read Kaiser's book. There are many practical applications that are very relevant to the Church of God and our polity.

Relfections on financial challenges

The announcements of layoffs and budget cutbacks at Church of God Ministries have generated considerable concern in recent discussions in which I have been involved. The news is somewhat unsettling, although not everyone is panicked. Some see this merely as a necessary adjustment that organizations need to regularly go through as they rationalize their activities, especially in a time of economic downturn. I am not convinced it is that simple.

These financial challenges, as Dr. Duncan pointed out in his recent letter, have been developing for quite some time and are reflective of much more profound challenges facing us.

First, I believe this is indicative of the bigger struggle that we continue to have over becoming a "denomination", even though we tend to deny that this remains an issue. C. E. Brown's suggestion that there is a difference between "organizing the church and organizing the work of the church" is true, but we nevertheless remain uncomfortable with intentional structure and organization, even to the point of this attitude being detrimental at times. The debates earlier this year over our hyper-congregationalism illustrates this. Sadly, however, we tend to divide on this issue at the extremes, and fail to see more reasonable solutions that both respect the dynamic nature of the church, and insure cooperation and accountability. The result of all this internal tension is a relatively low level of commitment to national and, in some cases, district organizations.

Second, these struggles with centralized organization are not just limited to the Church of God. There are also some broader trends at play here. The wisdom of centralization is increasingly questioned and dismantled across many sectors of our society, including government, business and religion. Our information age has spawned a new approach for cooperation: non-hierarchical networks. For example, at one time it made perfect sense for centralized, denominational missions organizations as missions endeavors were very complex and costly for individual congregations. But now, churches want to get personally involved in missions, even sending their own missionaries and establishing direct contact with churches and ministries in other lands through regular communication, direct giving, and missions trips. Merely sending money to a national mission organization does not have the appeal it once did. The lesson in all of this could be that an organization like Church of God Ministries may have a greater role in facilitating networks than actually delivering services. As simple as this sounds, it would be a radical change.

Third, the challenges we face can also be attributed to the lack of a coherent, consistent, and compelling vision for our movement. This is not any one particular person's fault (or responsibility), although it does reflect our current lack of and distrust of strong leaders. All of this reflects a steady erosion of purpose since our founding almost 130 years ago. Our movement was based on some very clear ideals, and was later reinforced by a church-historical eschatology. Since that time we have become much more geographically and sociologically diverse; our theological positions have been refined; there has been a great urge to identify with mainstream Evangelicalism; and there are other voices and groups effectively proclaiming aspects of our message. Certainly attempts have been made to cast a new vision for the movement, but none have captured widespread enthusiasm or acceptance.

In light of these reflections I believe that this is a critical time for Church of God Ministries to continue the process of reinventing itself. Or even better, for our movement to define itself and then reinvent Church of God Ministries to serve that purpose. Obviously this is a grand challenge, and not one that can happen in a short amount of time. But, it needs to happen, and we must be committed to it now.

More budget woes

Continuing on the recent layoff announcements at Church of God Ministries, General Director Ronald Duncan recently sent pastors an email with a more detailed financial update and a revised budget for 2009 set 25% lower.

Certainly the financial stresses in Anderson are real. From communications I've had with people at our national offices, the last few weeks have been difficult. In keeping with the broader financial challenges experienced across the country right now, there is considerable anxiety as to whether the near future will bring any more bad news. Duncan revealed some of this concern with comments like:

"The manner in which we collectively view these reductions will affect the future of our movement. Some may view these reductions as failure. I certainly have reflected on this point of view. There is an element of these reductions that certainly feels like failure—failure of our congregational system of polity to support and fund the decisions of the General Assembly, failure of Church of God Ministries to adequately challenge and provide the necessary motivation to inspire support for the budget, failure of our leaders and congregations to deal with the gravity of the situation, and failure on my part to provide the leadership necessary for success. ...

"Throughout the Church of God’s 127 years, finding the financial support for the congregational, state, and national ministries has been a constant challenge. We seem to be dealing with an old, yet unresolved, question: Are we living and teaching principles of stewardship from the New Testament? Our future in both the near-term (one to two years) and our mid-term (three to five years) will be affected by how we respond." [emphases his]

I will offer some of my own thoughts on the future in an upcoming post, but for now let me say that I agree with Duncan that this is a critical moment in the history of our movement, at least from an organizational perspective. The current financial realities and trends indicate that there is not a common consensus across North America as to what our cooperative ministry should look like within our polity, in light of our doctrinal convictions, and in response to the challenges of ministry today.

Ultimately this will be resolved. Either by necessity or design. Hopefully, it will be the latter.

Church of God Ministries reduces staff by 25%

General Ronald Duncan sent out a notice today that in order to cut expenses Church of God Ministries is reducing its workforce by approximately 25%. This is in response to the continued decline of giving to the basic World Ministries Budget.

Obviously these are tough financial times in our world, a fact that makes these cuts prudent. The decline in giving, however, began well before the current global crisis.

There will be many opportunities to sort through all of this, including analysis of why, and how we should respond for the future. For now, however, prayer for the families affected by these layoffs should be our priority.

I noticed that this information is not yet available on the Church of Ministries website, so I will include the text of his email for those of you who did not receive it.

Dear Fellow Servants of the Church,
 
It is with a heavy heart that I share with you that Church of God Ministries has found it necessary to release eight current employees in an effort to reduce our overall expenses to within our projected income. The elimination of their employment, combined with seven other full-time and four part-time positions that have been vacated over the last few months that we have chosen not to fill, represents a reduction in our workforce of approximately 25 percent. This is one of the numerous steps we are taking to ensure compliance with the Ministries Council’s Ends Policy that specifies Church of God Ministries submit a balanced budget with no deficit.

It was especially difficult to let these valued and high quality employees go who have dedicated their work to the service of the church.  Those losing their jobs included a team director, three ministry administrators, a graphic designer, an educational administrator, a church and donor relations consultant, and a part-time ministry assistant. To help them through this difficult time we are offering them a separation package. The terminations are effective November 28, 2008. Please pray for these individuals who have lost their jobs.

During the 2008 General Assembly, I proposed a baseline budget process to better align our budget with actual income. This resulted in a 10 percent reduction of the Basic portion of the 2008 World Ministries Budget. This baseline process guides our efforts towards the development of the 2009 and 2010 budgets. Regrettably, giving to the Basic Budget has continued to decline.
 
A detailed financial analysis this month of our income streams, expectations, and anticipated expenditures has led us to a difficult place. Our Leadership and Management Teams have worked diligently to cut expenses, find efficiencies, and increase revenue. In early December, I will share with you the 2009 and 2010 budgets and enumerate the additional reductions related to ministries (either reduced or deleted) we find necessary to realign our budget.
 
Our vision and mission remain the same-to transform culture by being the body of Christ. Please continue to pray for the church and our efforts here at Church of God Ministries as we coordinate the collective ministry of the Church of God at the national level. The Lord is good and greatly to be praised-even in these difficult times.
 
Grace and peace,
 
Ronald V. Duncan
General Director

 

New conversations

It has been interesting to see the prolific growth of blogging within the Church of God. On my blogroll are listed as many as I am aware of, but I'm sure there are many others as well. Blogging is certainly representative of a new, decentralized media that permits a wide range of voices to contribute to important (and even unimportant) discussions.

But, blogging is only one example of the new conversations that are occurring across our movement. The latest involves Internet social networking, best represented currently through Facebook. New webs of communication are facilitated here. An example of the power of social networking conversations can be seen in a brief post that one of my "friends" started last week on Facebook. The topic was entitled "Church of God (Anderson) If we're so right...?" Within 8 hours over 32 responses had been shared, created a relatively vigorous discussion.

With whom are you talking?

Coaches event

Over the past few days I was in Phoenix for the second-ever Coaches event, designed specifically for coaches involved in either SHAPE or CTI (Coaches Training Initiative). Church of God Ministries has invested heavily in this event (along with Lily Endowment funds), believing that these are probably some of the most significant transformation agents for congregations and pastors. Approximately 100 were in attendance this year.

What has made these events so significant are the high caliber of resource people brought in and the timely topics addressed. This year was no exception. For example, David Ferguson (a return guest from last year) led us through a insightful examination of relational leadership. Gary Kinnaman spoke in our evening gatherings, challenging us to adopt beliefs, attitudes and practices that will contribute to bringing about healthy, lasting leadership. Our last morning together featured a presentation on holiness led by Jeannette Flynn (more on this in a future post).

A common theme that permeated the three days concerned the priority on relationships in ministry, certainly a message that is relevant for this time and the Church of God.

Update

Over the past month this blog has been considerably quiet. There just hasn't been much time for blogging.

In addition to taking some vacation time with my wife, there has been much activity within the district I serve. Our annual meeting was held on October 4th, at which time there was overwhelming support for a new structural change and bylaws that will transform our organization and ministry. This will have considerable impact on my workload as we transition in this new direction. The next year will be particularly demanding, but nevertheless exciting.

Today I am traveling to Phoenix for the second Church of God Coaches Event. As I reported last year, this was a milestone event in our history and reflects part of the cultural change among our leadership. Later this week I will post my reflections on this year's version.

Emerging leaders

Those of you subscribing to blogs will be interested in tracking The Sirius Network, a new "expanding group of people within the Church of God and beyond who are committed to creating a culture that nurtures young and emerging leaders". This is the result of work headed by Suzanne Haley of the Leadership Development Team within Church of God Ministries. They are wanting to connect emerging leaders in the Church of God and are tapping into contacts already made through our colleges and at the International Youth Convention. Besides the blog they also have Facebook and MySpace pages to foster the growing use of social media especially by younger generations.

Church planting revolution

The past few days I have been at Indian Creek Community Church in Olathe, Kansas (just outside of Kansas City) at the annual conference of Church Multiplication Association (CMA) for church planters. This has been one of the most significant Church of God events that I have been to in a long time.

For those of you that don't know, CMA is a Church of God - related organization that is leading the way in our movement for church planting. They have helped plant over 60 churches and have experienced tremendous success compared to most typical church planting efforts. Founded by Robin Wood and Gary Kendall, CMA provides a high level of screening, training, and support for church planters.

There are several reasons I consider this event as significant. First, it represents an exciting, new thrust in church planting. Sadly, in recent decades church planting has been hit and miss within the Church of God. While some tremendous new churches were launched, overall it is a small number and we have lacked a coherent vision or methodology.

Second, attending this event put me in contact with some of the most gifted and passionate young ministers in our movement. Seeing the quality of this group gives me great hope for the future!

Third, CMA represents a new paradigm in how we get things done within the Church of God. Despite our struggle with becoming a "denomination" the bulk of our cooperative efforts have been in centralized structures. CMA was not conceived in "Anderson". It is a network that operates within the Church of God, but not within our formal structures. This may go against what we are used to, but is indicative of a trend that is developing around us, and may be more congruent with our polity. Networks have tremendous effectiveness, and probably will represent the future in many other areas of our national life, such as missions. I was impressed to see that Church of God Ministries is not feeling threatened by the growing prominence of CMA, but instead is embracing this work and cooperating with it. The evidence of that is found in the fact that Dr. Duncan brought the Ministries Council to Olathe this week for their meeting, and so that they could experience first-hand what is happening in this "movement within a movement".

Finally, the event itself provided significant opportunities for personal growth and ministry development. CMA brought in some outstanding speakers and practitioners, and offered a wide range of helpful conferences and presentations. The evening worship services themselves were worth the trip. For example, on Tuesday evening I witnessed one of the most profound moments of honesty, transparency and grace confronting personal brokenness among leaders that I have seen in the Church of God.

If you are desiring to experience new vision and hope for the Church of God, I'd encourage you to learn more about CMA and to plan on attending next year's annual conference.

Women in Ministry article

Following up on the recent, lively discussion that resulted from my "Women in Ministry" post, I came across a sermon by Dr. David Sebastian, Dean of the Anderson School of Theology. This brief writing provides a good overview of the some key issues and scriptural passages at the center of the current debate, and is now an included resource for the "Cultivate" Goal comprising the Church of God strategic plan. It is worth reading.

LINK (The document "Women and Men: Guarding Our Sacred Partnership in Ministry" can be found under "New Resources" near the bottom of the page).

Hermeneutics

Those of you new to reading blogs may not really be aware that this is an interactive medium - you have an opportunity to interact with the author and other readers over each post. Reading the comments can be a great way to dig deeper into the topic and engage in a discussion. On this particular blog most of my posts receive a few comments, but my recent "Women in Ministry" post broke a new record for the number of responses. It obviously touched a nerve on this vital subject, and reveals its controversial nature and even the surprising diversity of opinion within the Church of God. If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to read the entire dialogue.

I limited my own responses, partly because some others took up the cause, but also because this is a subject that is really the result of some deeply held presuppositions regarding the nature of and interpretations of Scripture. Our understanding of whether or not women are called to pastoral ministry is based on what we believe is taught in the Bible. But the interpretation of these passages is obviously not that simple, based on the divergent views represented.

Biblical hermeneutics is an area that has caused considerable tension within our movement over our relatively short history. While we all agree on the authority of Scripture, how it fits into God's larger revelation and should be interpreted is not uniform, especially in recent decades. The influence of American Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism has impacted our perspectives and approaches to the point that our original holiness orientation to Scripture is largely over-shadowed.

The Church of God emerged out of pietism and Wesleyanism, as well as the holiness movement of the late 19th century. The result was a theological orientation that did not fit well with the dominance of Calvinistic thinking around it, or with the later modernistic debates that have shaped American conservative thinking. Our pioneers had a high view of Scripture but it is clear from their writings and ministry that the Bible was never an authority detached from God's larger revelation. The truth of Scripture was always dependent on the illumination of the Holy Spirit. And, Biblical truth, to be of value, expressed itself in praxis, or as we framed it: holiness. Truth was not some objective enterprise that stood apart from God, including the living Word (Jesus Christ) and the work of the Holy Spirit. Modern rationalism, however, changed the intellectual landscape of Western Christianity, with both liberalism and fundamentalism products of its worldview. Human reason became the standard by which truth is discovered and measured. Sadly, the Church of God has been distracted by these influences and many have bought into the rationalistic arguments that lead to a wooden (and often inconsistent) literalism and the red-herring logic behind inerrancy.

Not only concerning the women in ministry issue, but with all that draws us together doctrintally, it is essential that we come to terms with our understanding of and approach to Scripture. We would be wise to learn from the dynamic hermeneutic of the early Church of God. This is not to unrealistically romanticize our heritage. Certainly, even our hermeneutic has evolved and will need to continue to do so. For example, we have been weak at understanding the Bible within its original historical context, which is evident by the misguided apocalyptic ecclesiology that dominated our theology in our first half-century and still lives on in some sectors today.

Going back to the recent debate, I remain convinced that the calling of women to ministry leadership is consistent with the Gospel of Jesus and the practice of the New Testament church. For those of you that differ with this view, let's acknowledge and explore our hermenutic approaches. It's the real discussion we need in the Church of God.

Women in Ministry

An article in Ohio.com (Akron Beacon Journal) brought to light again the challenge we are having in the Church of God validating the ministry and leadership of women.

The good news is that Arlington Church of God, one of our prominent congregations, announced that Diana Swoope has been chosen to succeed Ron Fowler when he retires in the coming months. Beyond her local church, Swoope is well-known across the Church of God because of her national involvements and powerful preaching.

The newspaper article addresses the fact that women are having a harder time finding a church to pastor in the Church of God. Just over 10% of our senior pastors are women, a figure even more troubling considering the fact that at the beginning of our movement women had a much larger role. Unfortunately, again we've been influenced by the larger church culture around us, even when it conflicts with what we understand Scripture to teach. Sadly, many of our congregations resist the idea of having a female pastor, and even some of our current ordained ministers do not believe women should be in this role.

I celebrate the affirmation of Diana Swoope in Akron, Ohio, and hope that this will lead to more women called to career ministry finding their place in our congregations.

Review: Faith in the Future

For a slight change of pace I want to briefly comment on one of the new books published by Warner Press this year. Our publishing house releases several books every year, usually in conjunction with the North American Convention. Increasingly they are securing titles that can be marketed outside of our movement, and to the church at large.

While I do not have time to read or review every new Warner Press book, the one that caught my attention this year is Faith in the Future: Christianity's Interface with Globalization by Church of God missionary Patrick Nachtigall. I decided to purchase this because it covers a compelling topic that I don't hear discussed much in our circles.

Nachtigall's purpose in the book is to "look at some of the new things that are currently happening in our world so that Christians can be better informed and more prepared to engage the world with the gospel" (p. 2). As someone who has first-hand experience of living in different countries and cultures, Nachtigall brings his own personal experience and insight to the topic. He addresses a wide range of issues, including peace, poverty, sexual slavery and the environment. Some he sees as opportunities, others as challenges.

The value of this book will be in its application as a discussion starter, especially for mission-minded individuals and church groups. While I can't say that I learned much that I hadn't heard before, his drawing together of these issues provides for a great introduction, especially for the many Americans who seem to be somewhat insulated from the global trends happening around them.

Again, this book shines as an introduction and thought-starter. I was somewhat disappointed in that, for me, Nachtigall doesn't engage these issues enough with the gospel message and the implications for the church. He certainly touches on these components, but I expected more. Some may also be somewhat surprised and skeptical at his apparent over-optimism for some of the global trends that he writes about.

This is one of those books that is being marketed outside of the Church of God, and it is impressive to see the sharp design and layout of the book. This makes the book more attractive to those who tend to "judge a book by its cover". But, hopefully it will give Warner Press a bigger position within Christian bookstores, with the prospect that our voice will be heard more and wider in the future.

Addressing the Budget

Last week Church of God pastors were sent an email in regards to a special video message from General Director Ron Duncan concerning the current status of Church of God Ministries' budget. As we learned at the General Assembly, giving is down significantly and has been on a downward trend for several years.

Duncan's message is designed to communicate this message far and wide across the Church of God in North America. The facts and his plea need to be heard.

I think it is far too easy to look for simplistic explanations as to why this budget problem exists. Some might want to blame the economy or going disconnectedness with "Anderson", but I believe there are two reasons that especially stand out:

1. Undesignated giving is losing its value. This has been a trend developing for several decades now, and it not only affects giving to our national and regional bodies, but to local churches as well. Older generations gave out of sense of duty and obligation, whereas increasingly people today are giving where they see specific needs (e.g. missions projects, etc.). Obviously stewardship principles need to be reinforced, but this is a reality that is severely limiting the church's ministry at all levels.

2. Lack of clarity on the purpose of our national organization. While greater efforts have been made to express a vision for the Church of God in North America, it still has not filtered down to the local congregations where decisions are made whether to support Church of God Ministries. With many churches stuggling to meet their own local budgets, it is easy to see how cutting or eliminating support to "Anderson" is determined.

In resolving this we must get past our regrets, and pronouncements of "oughts" and "shoulds". The starting point must be facing the realities of the current situation, and from there we must inspire with a cooperative vision for our movement going forward. Otherwise, our budget problems will persist.

Get Up and March

In response to my request, Curtis Ferrell has given me permission to post the lyrics from the song he wrote, and sang Wednesday evening during NAC. Be sure also to watch and listen to it online.

Get Up And March!
Ferrell, Curtis L.

Verse 1:
This world doesn't need another satellite, spinnin' round,
Beamin' God's love to the ground.
This world doesn't need another TV preacher
Makin' all the saints fall down.
This world doesn't need another pretty Christian song
Playin' loud on the radio band.
What this world needs is for the church of God
To rise up and take a stand.

Chorus 1:
I'm talkin' 'bout love, I'm talkin' 'bout faith.
I'm talkin' 'bout mercy, I'm talkin' 'bout grace.
I'm talkin' 'bout healing, I'm talkin' 'bout peace.
I'm talkin' 'bout freedom, I'm talkin' 'bout sweet release.
Get up and march!

Verse 2:
This world doesn't need another superstar sayin' that
God helped him win the game.
This world doesn't need another Christian politician
Beggin' votes, power, money, and fame.
This world doesn't need another half a dozen cruise ships
Crusin' to the Holy Land.
What this world needs is for the church of God
To rise up and take a stand.


Chorus 2:
And live out love, living out faith.
Living out mercy, living out grace.
Living out healing, living out peace.
Living out freedom, living out sweet release.
Get up and march!

Verse 3:
Rise up, O church of God!
Have done with lesser things.
Give heart, and mind, and soul, and strength
To serve our King of Kings!
Rise up, O men of God!
The church for you doth wait
Her strength unequal to her task
Rise up, and make her great!
Get up and march!

Verse 4:
Like a mighty army
Moves the church of God;
Brothers, we are treading
Where the saints have trod:
We are not divided
All one body we,
One in hope and doctrine
One in charity.
Get up and march!

Verse 5:
Then forward let us go
Our hearts with love aflame
Our snowy banner borne aloft
Inscribed with Jesus name
The hosts of evil flee
And heaven's open gates
Invite us now to hasten
Where Eternal glory waits.
Get up and march!

Verse 6:
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there's a cross for everyone,
And there's a cross for you and me.

Bridge:
How will they believe If they have never heard?
How will they believe If they have never heard?
How will they believe If they have never heard?
How will they believe If they have never heard?

Ending:
How will they believe If they have never heard?
How will they believe

© 2001 Curtis L. Ferrell, 805 Crescent Drive, New Castle, IN 47362 (ASCAP)

NAC - Reflections

Now that the North American Convention is over and I am on my way home I have to time to reflect on the last week.

Overall, it was a positive experience. The opportunities for spiritual challenge and to connect with friends overshadowed the seemingly countless number of meetings that are part of my annual trek to Anderson. As I talked with others, it is apparent that virtually everyone else shared similar sentiments: The 2008 NAC is considered to have been a success.

Upon reflection, however, I wonder if perhaps the whole event has become too comfortable. It is a good experience, but hardly one that elicits much passion. The people who attend, many of them diehard fans who return regularly, come because it is an affirming environment. But, the overall trend of declining attendance suggests that for the vast majority of movement adherents this "campmeeting" is not a priority worth the expense and time commitment. The event has lost its drawing power, except for those who make it as an annual pilgrimage.

It is easy to delude ourselves into believing that this is the core, common experience of our movement. That may have been the case in the distant past when this "doctrinal practice" (as Strege would label it) was the primary means to define and unite our movement. In pure numbers and in proportion to our overall constituency fewer people are coming to the North American Convention. We fool ourselves to think that the high level of effort expended for it are in line with its real significance. Certainly, Church of God Ministries probably devotes more attention and activity to the NAC than anything else, but this may be misguided.

At one time in the Church of God, virtually everyone made it their goal to attend "Anderson Campmeeting" as often as possible. It was the "can't miss it" event of the year. But, this is no longer the case for the overwhelming majority. I was particulary aware of this reality when observing the General Assembly attendance and that an extremely small number of influential leaders and pastors were in attendance. The few that were made brief appearances and were hard to track down. Most did not take in the entire convention.

Am I down on the NAC?

Not at all. I happen to believe that corporate gatherings are one important aspect of our common identity and fellowship. But, I remain convinced that as our world has changed, so has our movement. An annual convention in Anderson as it is currently formatted is no longer relevant.

I am sure that the success of Sunday's global service will make it more difficult for many to see my case. The effective leveraging of technology is a positive step forward and has the potential to draw more people together across the Church of God. It was the highlight of this year's event. But, let's not be fooled, over the long run this still does not really address the need for drawing in the growing number of diverse congregations across North America and around the world.

I remain convinced that the proposal I outlined last year is still the best, realistic option available to us. We need more than cosmetic changes of the NAC. I doubt, however, that there is enough political will in the Midwest to relinquish the sacredness of our current format.

I will continue, however, to be a voice from the geographic fringes calling for fresh, new approaches to propel our movement into the future.

NAC - Wednesday

It's hard to believe the final day of the North American Convention has come and gone!

Today began with the final session of the General Assembly. As usual attendance was lower, and it made me wonder how legitimate the GA's authority is considering the extremely low participation. There was no earth-shattering business, although a new baseline budgeting process was approved. (For more details see twitter.com/chogblog)

Tonight was the final service, focused on missions. In the past this was the climax of the week, with attendance overflowing. Wednesday evening no longer has the same lustre - attendance was among the lowest of all week in my assessment.

Paul Sheppard preached and delivered a fitting send-off message, although he seemed far from the assigned text. UPDATED 06/30/08: Curt Ferrell sang another poignant song that I am assuming he wrote (Possible title: "Get Up and March"?). People were captivating by the words and the rhythm. (Curt: Please confirm the details for us!)

This service has traditionally ended with a "pass it on" candlelight ceremony. Since moving into the Kardatzke Wellness Center they moved from candles to chemical light sticks (not quite the same effect!) and the whole exercise was getting quite predictable. This year we all lit our sticks together after long colored ribbons were run through the auditorium and lifted after the benediction creating a joyous spectacle.

And after saying our final goodbyes we headed outside to experience the increasing humidity. Fortunately, the hot, humid weather is just about to kick-in here in Anderson and we will avoid it! Overall, weatherwise, this was one of the most pleasant conventions that I can remember.

Tomorrow I will write some final comments and reflections on this year's NAC.

NAC - Tuesday

Tuesday at the North American Convention marks the start of General Assembly.

My blow by blow account of the GA can be seen at my twitter log (twitter.com/chogblog). Probably the biggest "news" today concerned the budgetary struggle that Church of God Ministries is facing. Giving is down and for 2008 there will be a 10% spending reduction. But this is more than a one-time occurrence. It is part of an ongoing downward trend and obviously this could have severe long-term implications projected forward. Apart from this, the GA was positive. Although, in some ways it felt like we were all just going through the motions - our annual ritual.

Of course, the most touching moment of GA is the annual memorial service. This year saw almost 80 individuals recognized, including some very well known ones of our movement such as Gerald Marvel, Horace Sheppard, Gilbert Stafford, and Oral Withrow.

It was fitting that Rod Stafford (Gil's brother) was tonight's preacher. Sharing the pain he experienced over the past year, he gave a forward-looking message that included an audio segment from Gilbert's last sermon. This led to a conclusion centered around an annointing service, something led at the NAC last year by Gil. We all left experiencing grace and hope.

NAC - Monday

For me, the highlights of today centered around two conferences held in Byrum Hall.

First, was the annual Doctrinal Dialogue sponsored by the School of Theology. I believe that these types of experiences are extremely valuable, and we need many more of these forums for exchange and discussion. This year's theme was on the biblical view of creation, and featured a paper presented by Dr. James Christoph of Warner Southern College. (Papers can be downloaded from the SOT website). The content was very good, but perhaps too sketchy because of the time available and I found participants all danced around the issue to some extent knowing the controversial nature of the subject matter and the emotional responses it generates.

Immediately following there was an open forum with Ronald Duncan and his recent paper on congregationalism. Obviously, with my recent blog coverage I was especially keen to see what kind of reaction he would receive. I was particularly impressed with Dr. Duncan's genuine interest to generate dialogue, and his passion for the church. Despite what some may say, this is no top-down pronouncement. There were good questions and comments from the audience, with almost everyone affirming his observations and concerns. My only disappointments were that the attendance wasn't great (less than 70), and the people who disagree with his paper didn't seem to be present or at least engaging the issues.

Today's speaker was Cynthia James, Area Administrator in Northern California. She brought an amazing combination of thoughtfulness and energy to her message based on Ephesians 4:11.

This year from Monday to Wednesday the same person preaches both services. There is some confusion among convention goers as to whether these are the same sermons, but at different times and worship experiences. Apparently this is not the case (even though they are preaching from the same text), but for the future this needs to be clarified.

A look at the gathering area in front of the Kardatzke Wellness Center:

All we need are some rides!

General Assembly to be Twittered

Those of you familiar with this relatively new communication technology will be interested to learn that I will be twittering live from this year's General Assembly which will start on Tuesday morning.

Twittering is text messaging on steriods, and allows for the wide distribution of short messages to friends and other interested persons. Messages can be read in your web browser, on your cell phone, through an RSS feed, or on the sidebar of this blog's main page.

The new CHOGblog twitter can be accessed at:
http://twitter.com/chogblog

If you are unable to attend this year's GA you will be able to take advantage of live updates throughout the sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. If you are attending the GA you might still want to subscribe to the twitter to hear my comments and to feedback some of your own.

Admittedly this is an experiment. I doubt many will take advantage of it this year, but it will be a way to try out a new technology (and will keep me awake during those long, dry spots in the GA!).

NAC - Sunday

2008 will be remembered as a significant year in the history of "Anderson Campmeeting". Tonight's service marked an attempt to bring the North American Convention to the larger church since fewer people are actually making the trek to Anderson.

Through the use of technology tonight's service was broadcast live to over 200 churches in a number of countries around the world who watched this service and participated in simultaneous communion. Actually, live broadcasting of the services is not new, with streaming live video having been available for several years now. This service was a milestone because it was a deliberate effort to have people congregate in various locations to watch and express unity through the Lord's Supper. It was called the largest gathering in the history of the Church of God.

The experience exceeded my expectations. It was obviously well planned by the CBH team, taking into consideration the unique needs of audiences at distant locations watching on video screens. This was not a normal service with worship followed by preaching. Hosted by Jim Lyon and Robbie Davis it was a diverse celebration that also featured some live worship from Crossings Community Church in Oklahoma City, and several other live and taped greetings from other CBH locations globally.

The communion experience itself was unique as the platform participants sat around tables and took the elements after sharing Scripture read in several different languages.

Without question this will become a regular event of the NAC and its new tradition and highlight.

I have never seen so many communion sets in one place:

NAC - Saturday

Even though Saturday is the official first full day of the North American Convention, it is still a low-keyed time compared to when things start picking up Sunday when even more people arrive.

For me, today was spent primarily in meetings pertaining to Area Administrators. This included a session with writer Milfred Minatrea, author of the book Shaped by God's Heart: The Passion and Practices of Missional Churches.

Despite last night's Anderson University sponsored celebration, Saturday evening marks the true keynote service of the convention. Without introduction the service began with Church of God historian Merle Strege setting the tone with some reflections on our movement's struggle to put unity into practice. Curt Ferrell is this year's evening worship leader and as part of his contribution shared again his powerful song, "One Body, One Spirit, One Lord". This was a signficant climax that followed and made up for what seemed to be first night jitters and technical glitches.

General Director Ron Duncan was our speaker tonight and focused on love as the key to unity, asking us to consider "What kind of church do you have?" The significance of Duncan's message went beyond words. Following his sermon he led in a public demonstration of the unity needed in God's church. Three denominational leaders plus GA chair Bob Moss (representing other church communions) were seated on stage while Duncan, and leaders from the National Assocation, the Hispanic Concilio, and Native American Council washed the feet of these four men. It was a significant act that leaves a strong impression on us as we ponder the implications of unity within a largely fractured Body of Christ.

Fitting to tonight's theme, it was interesting to see in attendance a contingent of individuals from one of the conservative splinters of our movement:

NAC - Friday

For me, Friday at the North American Convention, was an opportunity to connect with a number of friends and associates including my Area Administrator SHAPE cluster.

The convention itself kicked off this evening with the annual Anderson University service, a gathering of celebration centered mainly around music. This Gaither production was jam-packed with singing, musical performances (including by NFL player / singer Ben Utecht), and brief personal stories from Ann Smith, Mort Crim, Dr. Lauren Dungy-Poythress, and Bill Gaither). The highlight was a powerful AU choral rendition of "I Then Shall Live", a song with profound lyrics by Gloria Gaither set to the tune of Finlandia. This year's convention theme is "Celebrate Unity", and tonight's service celebrated God's Gentle Strength.

In striking contrast to tonight's biblical theme was a T-shirt message spotted in the crowd:

I must be in the Midwest!

History of the NAC

As thousands head to the center of our universe this week, I would encourage the reading of an article published in the Anderson Herald Bulletin newspaper and available on the Church of God website. The article gives a very brief, but informative overview of the development of our annual gathering, from camp meetings to the North American Convention it is now.

Off to the NAC

You will probably notice that I have been somewhat quiet here on CHOGBlog for the last month. As I previously indicated, I have been extraordinarily busy as a whole host of responsibilities, challenges, and deadlines have converged on me. There are some topics I want to address here (including some further thoughts on congregationalism), but have had to set that aside for the moment in order to retain balance and sanity.

Tomorrow I am off to the North American Convention of the Church of God in Anderson, Indiana, which begins this weekend. While for me the NAC is packed full of meetings and obligations, I am looking forward to allowing this also to be a time of refreshment and spiritual nourishment. As I have done in the past, I will be blogging daily on my experiences.

I am also pleased to announce the First-ever CHOGBlog Get Together at the NAC:

Sunday evening
9:30pm
at Starbucks
(4235 Scatterfield Road, Anderson)

If you can be there, I would love to meet you!

Connecting through CHOGnews

Life has been extremely busy lately, so I haven't delivered yet on my concluding posts on congregationalism.

But, in the meantime...

Church of God Ministries has recently launched CHOGnews a monthly e-mail newsletter devoted to "News and Information about the Church of God". This is obviously in response to the demise of ONEvoice last year, and the desire for more communication to keep us connected. There is also a print version available as a PDF download for churches to copy and distribute to those without e-mail.

In our electronic age this is a long-overdue step, and certainly will fill a much-needed gap. It's not the only communication we need, but it is a welcome initiative.

You can subscribe HERE.

Blogger: Wayne Warner

Before I continue on my comments on congregationalism I want to highlight another Church of God blog worth noting. Wayne Warner, a retired Church of God minister who has done extensive writing. His new blog, "Warner's World", is a new avenue for him to share his provocative thoughts and ideas. I bring this up now because, in light of my recent discussion, I encourage you to read his post on "Church of God and Mutual Accountability".

Congregationalism - The struggle with individualism

In the next two posts I want to declare and elaborate on some of my thoughts concerning the recent discussion on congregationalism.

Interestingly, some of the opposition to Dr. Duncan's paper I've heard is based on the assertion that autonomy is not a bad thing and is a safeguard from the hierarchical, denominationalism that we have traditionally resisted.

While I have trouble finding this counter-argument promoted in Scripture, I easily understand why many have bought into it outright or have been strongly influenced by it. We live in a society that has elevated the individual to the highest position. "I" am the most important entity, and everything is viewed through this ego-centric filter. As a result, congregations are also seen as autonomous and independent.

Sadly, this heightened individualism and independence has been adopted by much of Western Christianity. Spiritual narcissism places the emphasis on "Jesus and me", with community values downplayed or almost ignored. Worldly values have crowded out biblical ones. It is no wonder autonomy is so highly regarded.

Certainly, our faith is personal, but it should never be private. Scripture consistently paints a picture of individuals as part of God's larger collective people: Israel, Kingdom of God, Church, Body of Christ, etc. While we encounter God as individuals, we live out our faith through our participation with and through God's People. As individuals our lives are to be interwoven with those of others: "each member belongs to all the others" (Romans 12:5b NIV).

The Church of God emphases on holiness and unity express an essential balance between the life of the individual and God's vision for the church. I believe, however, that we have had trouble fully developing our ecclesiology in practical ways. We were good at deconstructing the church as it was in the late 19th century, but poor at translating our ideals into tangible forms. Our abhorrence to organization prevented intentional developments, and instead resulted in haphazard creations that often lacked effectiveness. And it is not only with our national and regional structures that we have struggled to find ourselves, but even at the congregational level itself. It is important to remember that at the beginning of the Reformation Movement there was virtually no form to local congregations. Local church structures themselves were perceived as part of the problem, and this coupled with our eschatology and enthusiasm negated the formal establishment of congregations. Over time, however, the need for congregational structures became apparent and were developed, although as a reaction to necessity instead of proactive design for mission.

If we are going to grapple with the issue of congregationalism we must honestly address the underlying assumptions that have shaped our beliefs and practices. Then we can begin to find healthy expressions for church life. More on that in my next post...