by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Mar 28, 2014
Has your church been infected? If so, you’ll need to know the 5 warning signs of congregational renewal.
1) Prolonged and increasing bouts of new and creative ministries
2) Excessive enthusiasm among church leaders
3) Better communication and less conflict
4) A re-energized focus and renewed sense of spiritual direction
5) A more powerful connection with God’s mission and purpose
If you see telltale signs of congregational renewal in your congregation, good for you!
If your congregation hasn’t been bitten by the much-anticipated (and not at all deadly) “Renewal Bug” yet, rejoice!
I’d like to share with you ways to create the conditions for renewal to take hold in your congregation!
Join me for a webinar on Wednesday, April 2, Noon-1pm MT for an introduction to Creating a Culture of Renewal, an empowering and comprehensive approach to self-awareness, leadership and ministry!
With measurable results!
Shoot me an email and I’ll send you the login information for the webinar. Attendees will receive a gift from me.
In the meantime, you can
download a brochure and learn more about Creating a Culture of Renewal today!
Blessings,
Rebekah
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Feb 6, 2014
True confession: I didn’t have a very high expectation of Bible studies when I first started going to church as an adult. I was prejudiced against the word “Bible” itself. I thought the initials BS in the bulletin stood for, well, B.S. I’m not sure why, but I didn’t expect to learn anything new. Boy, was I in for a surprise!
Do your people carry the same unconscious prejudice? The truth is a vibrant study of the Bible can transform a whole congregation.
Here are my top 3 tips to keep Bible study fresh:
- Adopt a sense of curiosity. Especially when reading the parables of Jesus. They don’t go where his listeners expected them to. The parable of the Good Samaritan should have had a Priest, a Levite, and an Israelite passing by the wounded man. Not a Samaritan; not your mortal enemy. Seriously??
- Go slow. Shoot for quality not quantity. Be willing to see a new word, notice a twist of phrase, ponder a turn in the story. I love the story of God calling Samuel. And the humility of Eli, even in his failings.
- Consult a new commentary. When pastoring an African-American congregation, I got the Original African Heritage Study Bible. It gave me a whole new perspective on things. Like how many characters in the Bible are black, how much of the Biblical story is set in Africa, and how completely unbiblical racism is.
Would love to hear how the Bible comes alive for YOU!
Also, if you’re interested in bringing a new depth to your Lent and Advent studies, shoot me an email about teaching Reading the Bible with Jewish Eyes or Christmas through Jewish Eyes at your church.
Here’s to a fresh look at an ancient book!
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jan 30, 2014
This week, I bring you the last tip for people of faith who are resolved to evolve in 2014. In case you missed the previous ones, Tip #1 was Get Authentic. Tip #2 was Get to know Jesus, again. Tip #3 was Be bold!
Here’s Tip #4: Do it Wrong!
You heard me right: Do it wrong.
Here are five reasons why doing it wrong may just be right.
1. Trying something, even if it’s wrong, may be better than not doing anything at all. Peter tried to walk on water. Yes, he got afraid and lost his buoyancy. But we wouldn’t have the idea of stepping out on faith if it weren’t for him!
2. You may get something else right. Some of the best things have come about because somebody did it wrong. Post It Notes were a result of a glue that was too weak for it’s intended purpose. The glue got nixed. But we got Post It Notes!
3. All the stuff we now think of as “normal” was once unimagined. Worshiping in cathedrals was the norm in Christian Europe, but house churches were the norm in the American Frontier. Who knows what the future holds? Try your new idea, even if it doesn’t pan out.
4. The world is changing quickly. As one blogger wrote, “By the time you put in all that work to do it the way they told you it is done, they aren’t doing it that way anymore!” What if the Israelites had insisted on bringing farming equipment with them out of Egypt and into the desert? They would’ve missed the beauty of the manna. And the building of their faith. Follow the prompting of the Spirit…and do the next right thing. Even if it turns out to be “wrong.”
As you resolve to evolve this year, have the courage to do it wrong! Who knows? It might turn out to be just right.
I would love to hear the things you are doing wrong…and right…this year! Let’s talk.
In the meantime, did you catch the thing/s I did wrong in this note?
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jan 18, 2014
This week, I’m continuing to share tips for people of faith who are resolved to evolve in 2014. Tip #1 was
Get Authentic.
Tip #2 is Get to know Jesus, again.
When Jesus first came to me in a vision, over 20 years ago, it was a shock. Not only that he was in the business of appearing to Jews like me, but that he didn’t look anything like the pictures I had ever seen of him! He wasn’t blond haired and blue-eyed. He wasn’t white. He didn’t have straight hair. He wasn’t tall. He wasn’t somber. He was curly-haired, olive-skinned, short and handsome! And most definitely Jewish. Just like a close reading of the New Testament would later reveal to me.
What’s your picture or image of Jesus? Maybe it’s time to be open to a change!
A recent Christian Century article, Jewish and Pacifist, made the case that “The separation of Jesus from his Jewishness is what led to the accommodation and eventual support of racism by traditional theology.” Not to mention centuries of church sponsored anti-Semitism!
It led to a “generic” or universalist Jesus that turned out to be white, European, and Christian!
Having a new experience of Jesus can refresh your faith. And shake the cobwebs out of your assumptions. It sure did mine.
I like the idea that getting the particulars of Jesus right–ethnicity, culture, religion–actually combats racism and anti-Semitism. Maybe all the isms!
This year, as you resolve to evolve, resolve to get to know Jesus, again. To help you…
- Read and discus The Jew Named Jesus. Pub theology groups, Bible studies, book clubs, others are reading and discussing this in a variety of settings.
- Host a wonderful Passover Seder, replete with Matzah, Hebrew blessings, and the cup of Elijah.
- Dig into whether the day of Jesus’ death was a Good Friday or Bad Friday.
To help you get into Jesus’ world, I’ve got another quiz for you with 3 questions:
What is the name of the calendar the year 2014 is based on? What calendar did Jesus follow? What is one of the main differences between the two calendars? The first one to answer all 3 questions correctly gets a free autographed copy of “The Jew Named Jesus.” Send us your answer, along with your name and address to claim your prize.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Sep 30, 2013
What kind of ministries does your church engage in? Are they inner focused or outer focused? Are they comfort-oriented or challenge-oriented?
In order to survive and thrive, churches need a balance of ministries that both support the church itself (inner focused) and extend the ministry of the church beyond its own four walls (outer focused).
In addition, they can be geared toward one of two different approaches. The first approach is a ministry that overcomes challenges by shaping and influencing the larger world (challenge ministry). The second approach is by offering comfort to and improving the lot in life of those who are facing challenges (comfort ministry).
For instance, operating a food pantry or soup kitchen may be a comfort ministry. Your church distributes food to those who have lost their jobs, are on the verge of homelessness, struggle with addiction, are chronically mentally ill, or are fleeing violent situations.
A challenge ministry might address root causes of homelessness, addiction, the vulnerability of the mentally ill, domestic violence, war or a floundering economy.
Here’s another example. Many churches gladly rise to the occasion of comforting those hit by natural disaster—whether flood, hurricane, tornado, mudslide or earthquake. You may have ministries that create flood buckets, collect first aid supplies, or rebuild homes or churches in the face of these types of disasters.
A challenge ministry would deal with natural disasters at a different level. It might address the source of natural disasters by cleaning up garbage dumps that clog urban drainage systems or by planting trees in deforested areas thereby preventing mudslides. It could also address root causes of poverty by challenging corporations that exploit the natural resources of poor peoples.
Finally consider the quintessential prayer ministry. Perhaps you have a prayer ministry that focuses on supporting and uplifting those facing cancer. You might also arrange rides for those who need chemotherapy or radiation and make sure there are meals prepared for them upon their arrival home.
On the other hand, your church may create a challenge ministry that seeks to clean up the local toxic waste site, the contents of which are leaching into the ground and contaminating your drinking water thus contributing to cancer.
Now consider the ministries of your church. How many are comfort ministries? How many are challenge ministries? List them.
Likely your church is heavy in one area and light in another. What types of ministries can be developed to balance that out? Who might you approach about these ministries? Think outside the box here!
Challenge ministries are important for they are a reflection of God’s power to right wrongs, and to bring justice to unjust situations. Churches in decline often find that moving from a focus on comfort to challenge re-invigorates them. It gets them back into the heart of God’s concern.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Aug 21, 2013
Just as Christians celebrate Easter and Christmas every year, so Jesus and his family—along with their relatives and friends—celebrated Passover every year.
It was a big to-do.
Each spring in the Hebrew month of Nisan they trekked from their home in Nazareth up to Jerusalem for the seven-day festival of Passover.
One year, as Jesus was approaching manhood by traditional Jewish calculation, “when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.” They may have gone up as usual but they didn’t come back as usual. The rest of the family headed home but unbeknownst to them Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, without even a word.
What Mary and Joseph would’ve given for a cell phone and a text message!
Without any digital advantage however, his parents were worried sick. They turned around mid-journey and finally located Jesus in the Temple. They weren’t that happy about it either. Mary scolds Jesus who was “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” Apparently, they were also asking Jesus questions because the teachers “were amazed at his understanding and answers.” Jesus, unfazed, wonders why his parents were searching for him. “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” His parents were as baffled by his actions and his response as Jesus was by their anxiety.
If this story is any indication, Mary and Joseph definitely trained up their child in the way he should go. He loved God, loved Torah, and loved learning—all pluses in the Jewish world view. As the years went by, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.” Mary and Joseph did a good job raising Jesus as a faithful Jew. But as parents know all too well, not every kid keeps the faith. What about Jesus? Did he take it on as his own as he grew up? Or did he leave it behind and become a Christian?
(Excerpt from The Jew Named Jesus, p 27-28, Rebekah Simon-Peter, Abingdon Press, 2013)
