“Fight Club”: Training Video for Simple Church Planters? Part 4

Last week, we looked at how “Fight Club” showed the deceitfulness of our culture and the power of a small, networked community on mission.  Today’s final post in this series shows us this:

“Fight Club” shows us the power of commitment.

Those of you in professional ministry have moaned from time to time about the lack of commitment of people in your church.  When I did professional ministry, I moaned about it.  Let’s think about this:  what do we ask people to commit to?

I’m honestly not sure it’s Jesus.  We ask people to commit to church attendance, small group attendance, service in the church (setting up chairs, watching kids, running A/V, greeting), or for those of us who are really spiritual, we ask for a two week commitment to a short-term missions trip.  I know that this isn’t the case for everyone.  Those of you who are lucky have 20 percent of your people doing 80 (or more) percent of the work.  Some of you who’ve done the multi-campus thing have had to shut down a campus because your people are stretched so thin.  And why are people run so ragged?  Why do so many people get burned out serving in the church?

Because so many in our churches are committed to little more than showing up and “getting fed.”

In “Fight Club”, the guys weren’t committed to showing up for meetings.  They showed up because of a sense of mission.  At first, it was a mission to break free of the grip society had on them.  Later, in Project Mayhem, it was a commitment to break society from the grip of consumerism.  They didn’t show up just to show up–they were in it for life (and death… “His name is Robert Paulson…”).  And they succeeded.

What would happen if we stopped getting people to commit to the lowest common denominator (a “service” on Sundays) and asked them instead to commit to living a life on mission with Jesus in community with others; a commitment to become agents of the kingdom instead of just citizens; a commitment to invade our cities, our regions, and our world to take back people and places for the kingdom?  What would it take to do that?

Think long and hard before you answer… and I want you to answer.  Think about every aspect of what you do for your church, how your church “does church”, etc.

Let’s get the conversation started in the comment section… and I’ll go first.

What Happens in G-Vegas

Each Monday, I’m going to post a brief summary of what we’ve done the previous week in relation to expanding the kingdom of God in Greenville.  So here’s what happened the week of June 21…

1. Found out that our friends, the Lofton’s, likely won’t be moving to G-Vegas.  ECU discontinued their music therapy degree, which was what Rachel was applying for.  Bummer!  That doesn’t, however, mean that they can’t be coached and mentored from afar.  We’ll see if that develops.
2. Finished “Shopping For God” by James Twitchell.  First two-thirds, eh.  Last third… wow.  Must read for those lusting after mega-success.  A more extensive review is already scheduled for later this week.
3. Trying to get some coaching and mentoring started with a dude that’s going to be involved in our church, but he was out of town.
4. Our weekly get-together didn’t happen this week due to everyone’s schedules being packed out.
5. Wow, this has kinda been a bummer of a week, huh?  It happens.
6. Did have a great conversation with a guy who is interested in simple churches.  We nearly solved all the world’s problems.  There are some issues he and I disagree on, but nothing that you should draw a line in the sand over.  Excited to see how his thinking evolves on the simple church thing.
7. Laura and I had a date night (we had forgotten how great those are), and we checked out the Tipsy Teapot.  For those of you up in Harrisonburg, it’s similar to the Artful Dodger (but they specialize in tea instead of coffee).  I can totally see a simple church springing up in this place.  We’re going back again this week to see our buddy Jordan Clark perform.
8. Suspended my “research project” of checking out churches in Greenville this week just to hang with my family.  We went to Christ’s Church.  I’ve got a few more churches that I want to check out.  That will resume next week.

This week, pray for:

1. Our weekly get-together with those who are interested, that we can get back on track.
2. Coaching and mentoring–that I can start with the dude from our burgeoning church.

“Fight Club”: Training Video for Simple Church Planters? Part 3

“Fight Club” is a great training video for simple churches because:

First, it reveals so much about our culture. I wrote about this in yesterday’s post.

Second, it shows the power of a simple, networked, small community on mission.

What starts off as a club for guys to beat the crap out of each other (and thus feel like guys again) evolves into an underground, networked, spread-like-a-virus community on mission.  Granted, the mission of Project Mayhem is to take out the credit institutions that have contributed to society’s lust for things and identity-derived-from-stuff attitude (it’s really a terrorist mission), but that’s not the point.  The point is that “Fight  Club” shows the power of a community on mission–especially when it is formed organically and networked with others on common mission.

I’ve “done church” several ways.  I’ve done the church-in-a-box, big Sunday production church.  I’ve also done the simple church thing.  In my experience, simple churches who are intentional about living on mission lack something traditional churches have (in a good way):  a complicated structure that takes a lot of work to navigate and even more work to get momentum going (it’s like trying to steer the Titanic with a wooden spoon for a rudder).  A traditionally structured church cannot spread virally.  It’s totally possible for certain aspects of that church to grow virally, but not the entire thing.  A simple church, however, can spread and multiply quickly because there aren’t nearly as many moving parts.  That’s what made Project Mayhem so “successful.”  Networked pockets of missional communities (with multiplied leadership that didn’t depend on the main guy).

What do you think?

As an afterthought… my buddy Aaron pointed out that these lessons are learned from an R-rated movie.  Yes, the movie is rated R for strong violence, disturbing images, sexual situations (though these aren’t nearly as overt as one might thing for a movie like this), and strong language.  If you feel you can’t watch this movie, then by all means do not.  But recognize that God can redeem things from the popular culture.

“Fight Club”: Training Video for Simple Church Planters? Part 2

“Fight Club” is a great training video for simple churches because:

It reveals so much about our culture.

I love the IKEA sequence early in the movie where Ed Norton’s character describes buying the latest stuff from the Swedish furniture giant to fill out his swanky apartment.  It showed the avarice of the late ’90’s spend-like-there’s-no-tomorrow credit culture.  Ten years later, it’s still true.  I don’t care what the economists say–yes, the economy is still in the toilet, but people are still buying a bunch of stuff they don’t need (all of us are guilty).  Part of the reason Ed Norton starts to develop his alter ego, Tyler Durden, is that he’s tired of being defined by his stuff.

Our culture is also apathetic.  Yes, we’re inundated all the time with the plight of the poor throughout the world (and we should be made aware).  Here’s the thing–many people, if they do anything, will cut a check to some agency or their church to support someone “over there” and think they’ve done their part.  Yes, we need to be generous with our money, but we also need to be generous with our very selves.  We may give a few bucks to the homeless person on the corner, but do we know their name?  Do we give our change to numb our consciences?  Sometimes, I think we do.

I love the scene where Tyler Durden goes into the market and drags out Raymond K. Hessel, and at gun point, makes Raymond face his own apathy.  After it’s over, Brad Pitt says, “Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of Raymond K. Hessel’s life. His breakfast will taste better than any meal you and I have ever tasted. “  Shocked out of apathy into action.  So many people need that.  So many Christians need that.

“Fight Club” reveals our culture’s avarice and apathy.  But it also reveals something else, something specific to simple churches.  More on that tomorrow.

“Fight Club”: Training Video for Simple Church Planters?

Yes, actually.

I own the DVD, and I watched it last week when my kids were staying at their grandparents and my wife was working the night shift.  It’s one of my favorite films, and I’m always looking for the spiritual undertones in films.  The longer I watched it (which I’ve seen it at least a dozen times), the more I saw the potential for this film to be fodder for simple church planters.

I’ll start telling you why tomorrow.

Jon Minus Kate Plus Eight

For several years, my wife and kids watched “Jon and Kate Plus Eight.”  I couldn’t stand it.  But last night, we watched the worst-kept secret in showbiz as they announced their separation (although news of their filing of divorce broke several hours before the show aired).

All we heard was this:  kids, kids, kids, kids, kids.

The show is for the kids.  The house is for the kids.  Kate’s flying around the country doing book tours with the volcano hairdo was for the kids.  Jon quitting his job to be a stay-at-home dad was for the kids.  They kept saying, over and over, that they wanted to do what’s best for their kids.

When you put your kids first ahead of your marriage, you’re not doing what’s best for your kids.

Not once did they mention their marriage.  Everything was about the kids.  Neither took personal responsibility for what happened.  They denied the show, or the extensive traveling, or Jon essentially being emasculated from his role as provider had anything to do with the breakdown of their marriage.  It’s so sad.  What’s even sadder is that they’re not alone.

Married folks, we need to put our marriages ahead of our parenting (even if you consider it priority 2A and 2B… because Jesus must be priority 1).  Our children need us to model what a good marriage is.  They need to see us communicate.  They need to see (within reason) a little PDA.  They need to see us disagree and make up.

The best thing for our kids is for us to honor “for better or for worse.”  Unfortunately, too many bail when they discover marriage isn’t “for better or for better.”  And then everyone, kids and adults, suffers.

What Happens in G-Vegas…

Each Monday, I’m going to post a brief summary of what we’ve done the previous week in relation to expanding the kingdom of God in Greenville.  So here’s what happened the week of June 14…

1. Have been doing some (well, at least according to our marketing people) some groundbreaking work for the company I work for.  I’m working on getting into churches to both promote hospice as a resource for them and for them to be a resource for us in the area of volunteers.  Had a great meeting thise week with my buddy Tim Turner about our company partnering with his church.  I’ve got a meeting with their mens group, adult Sunday School class, a blood drive, an entire Sunday service in November, and a golf tournament in May 2010 to raise money for our foundation lined up.  And that’s just with one church!
2. Preached at Christ’s Church today.  It was a lot of fun.  It was intense.  It was really cool.
3. Had our second gathering of those who will be a part of our first simple church.  There were five of us (plus three kids).  Some relationships are really starting to gel.  This is going to be so cool…
4. Finished a baptism video for two of the people who’ll be helping us out.  Here it is:

This week, pray for:

1. Our weekly get-togethers, that they will start to become second nature to those who are going to be a part of our first simple church.
2. Trevor and Rachel Lofton, who will be moving here in July from Knoxville.  They’ve found housing, but no jobs yet.  Pray that they’ll find jobs.
3. More relationship building–that we’ll meet new people and start building new friendships with those far from God.  I’ve got some ideas for doing that.
4. My wife Laura did quit her job last week.  She has an interview later today, and some other options with some other home health agencies.

“You do WHAT for a living?” Part 3

There’s something else people tell me when they find out I’m a hospice chaplain.

“It takes a special person to do that.”

I don’t know if they mean special as in unique, or special as in special education.  Either way, I don’t think it’s true.  It takes a special person to crack the human genome.  It takes a special person to do a 90 minute space walk to repair the Hubble Telescope.  It doesn’t take a special person to love someone in need.  I do think those who are best equipped to do hospice work are Christians.  When the Holy Spirit takes your heart, breaks it, and transforms it so that you no longer live for self, it’s easy to love those who are in such need.  I’m not saying the work is easy–sometimes it is downright emotionally devastating.  But, as the old hymn says, we’re to rescue the perishing and care for the dying.

The ancient Christians would go into cities infested by plague when everyone else was fleeing.  They would care for the dying, even losing their own lives to the disease.  They were simply being like Jesus.  That’s all I’m trying to do–be Jesus to these people who are dying and to their families, both before and after their passing.

Turnover in our company is pretty steady.  Hospice work can burn you out, and the main reason (in my opinion) is that hospice forces you to face your own mortality–that one day, it could be one of your family members; that one day, it will be you.  As a follower of Jesus, I’m prepared to face my own mortality.  It makes my job easier for those people of faith.  It also breaks my heart for those who aren’t people of faith.  But that’s what helps me do my job–I’m simply trying to be Jesus to those who’ll have me visit them.

How are you being Jesus to those in pain–whether it be physical, spiritual, emotional, or relational?

“You do WHAT for a living?” Part 2

Yesterday, I posted that I am a hospice chaplain.  That usually results in two reactions from people…

“Wow, you’ll do well at that.”

“Wow.  That’s gotta be tough.  You sure you know what you’ve gotten yourself into?”

Before I address those reactions, let me clear up a myth about hospice.  The hospice movement is relatively new, having been in existence for only several decades.  People hear the word “hospice” and automatically think one thing:  death.  Many people think slow, untimely, painful death.  In some cases, that is true.  But having worked in hospice, let me tell you this:

Hospice is about life.

Hospice is about stories.

Are our patients facing death?  Yes.  Some much sooner than they should.  Most are facing terminal illness for which the doctors have said there is nothing more medically that can be done.  But they are still living (although I have done spiritual assessments on patients who died hours later), and their families and friends will still be living after their loved one passes.  My job, along with the jobs of my team (nurses, aids, volunteers, social worker) is to help our patients live as comfortably as possible during their remaining time in this life.  We neither hasten nor hinder the dying process.  We bring comfort–whether physical comfort, comfort in social and financial issues, or spiritual comfort.

I get to assist with a lot of life review.  I get to hear people’s stories.  Some are inspiring.  Some are tragic.  All are about life.  I have a chance to help people and families start to find closure, to mend broken fences, to seek forgiveness, and to give forgiveness.  I am humbled that I’ve been given the opportunity to be a part of that.

Is it tough sometimes?  Yes.  We get attached to our patients, and it is tough when they pass away.  This is especially true in my case, for while most of those who ask for the chaplain (I only go see those who ask for me) are people of faith, some are really struggling, hoping they are good enough for God.  Some desire to talk about it, others do not.  Others pass before we’re able to talk about it in depth.  That is tough… but it reminds me how important my part of the hospice team is.

So is it tough?  Yes.  But it is one of the toughest jobs I’ve ever loved (disciple-making and church planting being the others).

Tomorrow, I’ll talk about another myth about my job that people have mentioned…

“You do WHAT for a living?”

Before moving to NC, I’d been in full-time professional ministry for nearly five years.  Before that, I did what Christians call “tent-make”.  The term refers to a dude in the Bible we know as the apostle Paul.  When he was in the ancient Greek city of Corinth (the Las Vegas of the ancient first century world), he supported himself by making tents during the week and did church work on the weekends.  Tent-making now refers to working a “secular” job to make a living while doing ministry.

The five years I spent in professional ministry were great.  But the longer I went, the more uncomfortable I was with the idea of getting paid to preach, especially as the economy started it’s nosedive at the end of 2007.  When we knew God was calling us to NC, I knew that I would no longer be in “professional ministry.”  Would I still plant churches?  Absolutely.  Would I still “do ministry”?  You betcha.

I just wouldn’t get paid for it.

So how am I tent-making?  I’m a hospice chaplain.

(Insert collective gasp from readers here)

Starting tomorrow, I’ll let you in on the typical reactions I get from people as well as what my job is like.  And it isn’t what you may think…