by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jul 27, 2015
I started working in a church—Denver’s largest United Methodist Church, no less—as an intern my second year of seminary. I was in charge of the young adult group….that had yet to be formed. There was nowhere to go but up!
I ended up staying on staff there at St. Andrew’s for six years, and being there on Sunday mornings (whether or not I had a part in the day’s service) was just part of the gig. But once I left to work on AfterHours full time, and didn’t “have” to go anymore, I didn’t. What is even more disturbing to me is the fact that I don’t feel any worse for not going. As a matter of fact, I like having my Sundays free.
If recent polls are a reliable indicator, a lot of people feel that way. Maybe you do too. I know a ton of awesome people who don’t go to church, and there could be a hundred reasons why. We church people have to own that at least for some of them the reason is that church kinda sucks. Most pastors and churches have to try to do a lot with very little. It isn’t their fault. Maybe they need to do…less?
What’s It All About?
Most people I know who don’t go to church aren’t looking for a lot. They want community, they want to do good, maybe help make the world a better place. That’s kind of it. But it’s hard to find a community that you like and that pushes you to live more like Christ. A church that pushes you when you get lazy following God and that will also give you hope and hold you up when you’re about to fall. It is not easy and honestly, it’s easy to give up. And that’s just the people that are actively searching. Never mind those that have said to hell with it. Good luck with them.
For a long time I felt guilty about that. I realize it is not a reflection of my relationship with God. It is just as my friend Dave puts it, most of the time, I just don’t like the delivery system. I realized that if I could create a perfect “relationship builder” for me and God, it would include serving the needy in some way, being lifted up when I feel like I’m falling down, and being cheered on when I occasionally win. It would also include the encouragement to be grateful and give thanks for all I have. But I can’t speak for everyone. I took an informal poll on Facebook asking what people want to hear pastors talk about. About 20 people answered, and only ONE mentioned the Bible. ONE. And yet, that’s where we focus.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m cool with the Bible. I think it gives us a great blueprint for how to live like Jesus. I think the sad thing is that most people never move beyond looking at the blueprint to actually building the house (or in this case, kingdom). It’s easy to learn about Jesus, it’s hard as hell to actually start LIVING like Jesus.
I saw a poll recently saying that the most important issue to people in my denomination is that the church be focused on creating disciples of Christ (39 percent of respondents ranked it as first or second in importance.) One would think this is great news, until you read further into the report and see that the issues ranked near the bottom are things like poverty and children at risk (both 17 percent), and social justice (16 percent).
What the hell? We think it’s important to create disciples of Jesus Christ…we just don’t think that the things that Jesus thought were important are important? That’s like saying you want to learn to swim, but don’t want to get wet. You want to get a college degree but don’t want to go to school. You want to lose weight, but you don’t want to diet or exercise.
Taking care of the poor and those on the margins is a biblical imperative. It is in the Bible hundreds of times, yet we continue to ignore it. It sounds to me like we want the church to magically make us into disciples, without having to do the work to get there. Either that, or we fundamentally misunderstand what it means to be a disciple. Theologian Soren Kierkegaard had a third theory, beyond magic and misunderstanding: “The Bible is very easy to understand,” he said. “But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand it, we are obliged to act accordingly.”
That’s my take. I could be wrong.
This blog post was excerpted from LAST CALL: From Serving Drinks to Serving Jesus
. Author Jerry Herships writes, “It’s the story of what to do when you thought for sure you knew what the hell you wanted to do with your life…bet everything on it….and find out you were wrong. At thirty.” My friend Jerry is the salty-tongued pastor of AfterHours, a tight knit faith community of misfits and rogue disciples who have community and serve the community. “Those two things are our sweet spot. I think what we do pleases God and I think we are doing our best to walk like J.C.” writes Jerry, between sips of bourbon.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jul 20, 2015
At a recent clergy retreat I attended, we prayed a prayer that went something like this: “O Lord, keep us far from the riches of the world.” Each of us was sincere in our prayers.
Later it occurred to me that God is indeed answering that prayer! Many churches find that money is their limiting factor. I’m going out on a limb here. But I don’t think it’s because these churches are full of poor people. It’s because they act poor.
I don’t believe this is a theologically necessary state of affairs.
Jesus had a trade. So did his disciples. His later apostles did as well. When Jesus and his disciples were traveling, they were richly supported by a network of women who financed their material needs.
While the author of 1 Timothy 6:10 writes, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil,” we sometimes act as though money itself is the root of evil. The truth is money is simply a tool through which we express our values.
What if we were to pray that God direct the riches of the world to us and through us to bring about healing, reconciliation, justice and wholeness in our communities and world? I wonder what might happen then?!
We need a new consciousness around money—one that allows us to be honest about our needs and the unlimited God we serve. Money is not in short supply. But if we believe it is, we will act, and ask, accordingly.
The most awkward moment in many church services comes when the offering plates are passed. Rarely is an inspirational invitation to give offered. Instead, code language, which only church insiders understand, may be used. Ushers themselves are often under-trained in actually passing plates to the people. Many a time I’ve wanted to put something in an offering plate but it never made it to me. It’s almost as if the ushers are apologetic about bringing the plate around. Music may play during the offering. But this offertory music is not connected with the offering of our financial gifts or our lives. Sometimes I wonder if it’s real function is to distract from the the embarrassing matter of collecting money. Finally, people stand while the doxology is sung.
Money makes the world go ’round. And churches need it as much if not more than other organizations. We have holy business to attend to: acts of justice, works of mercy, support of denominational initiatives, paying the salary and benefits of leaders, mortgages, heat, light, etc.
So why these mixed messages about money? Why awkward silences and the lack of clear direction or invitation? The truth is, many people want to express their gratitude to God, yet they don’t participate in the offering.
Here are 5 reasons why:
1. We don’t ask them to give. Yes, this may allow us to avoid awkward moments that make it seem like the church is “all about money.” But we also sidestep teaching moments, miss the opportunity for spiritual formation of life-long givers and don’t give people a way to express their gratitude. Worse, we hinder spiritual growth.
2. We ask them to give to the budget, but not to mission or ministry. Thus they don’t connect their giving with transformational activity. Don’t highlight the building or leadership salaries. Instead, highlight what buildings and salaries make possible!
3. We don’t ask for enough. Have you ever noticed that some people are only deeply motivated to give when challenged? If the “ask” isn’t big enough, they won’t bother giving. Are you asking for enough to get the attention of these givers? If not, you are blocking their spiritual growth, and the church’s ministry.
4. We have lost our vision for ministry and our passion for mission. They can tell the church is in maintenance-mode or a downward spiral. In one church I served, we redirected “the Pennies from Heaven” offering from paying off the mortgage to specific missional opportunities. Giving increased dramatically. Same people. Bigger offerings. They were jazzed by the vision and passion.
5. We don’t ask God to fully, richly, lavishly fund our ministries. Again, it’s that awkward relationship with money. And with vision.
We have not because we ask not. It’s time to start asking: inspirationally, invitationally, intentionally. Stop making excuses for why our churches are poor. Instead, it’s time to open ourselves to all the gifts God wants to bless us with. Acting poor won’t get it done.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jul 13, 2015
We spend lots of time trying to get children in to church to develop their faith. But there’s an even better venue outdoors for that.
Spending time outside in unstructured play is critical to children’s growth and development. Including their faith development. Playing outdoors increases confidence, inner peace, and a sense of wonder and awe. All the stuff we want them to get from church. Not only that, it reduces depression, obesity, and ADHD. Despite the spiritual benefits of being outdoors, many Millennials and Digitals now experience “Nature Deficit Disorder.” (Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods describes this modern day neurosis.) And with it, comes Spiritual Deficit Disorder.
Here are some solutions for Christian Educators that engage younger generations, inspire fun, and bring out the kid in everyone.
It’s no longer a given that young people will play outside or spend much time outdoors. Returning children to nature, to cultivate a sense of awe and wonder, is a crucial part of Christian education. Connecting the creation to the Creator magnifies the learning experiences of children. Yes, there’s a time and a place for attending Sunday School, church, and other building-based activities. But here are some nature-oriented activities you can do this summer:
The Basics
Get Creative
- Design a Vacation Bible School that takes children outside. Give them time for play, reflection, and outdoor exploration.
- Tell a Bible story or parable outside. Help young people make a connection between the words of scripture and the world around them.
- Take children on nature walks. Focus on streams, birds, trees, flowers, clouds, bugs, animals, or other nearby natural features.
Go All Out
- Create an outdoor play environment on church grounds for use by Sunday school classes and the surrounding neighborhood. Incorporate trees, sandboxes and birdhouses to observe wildlife, and paths and bridges to explore interesting natural features.
- Clean up and green up an unused or abandoned area in your neighborhood as a child-to-child outreach from your church. Engage the children in your church to create a green play area for other neighborhood children.
- Put together a church camping weekend. Design a worship service that incorporates readings from Genesis and the Psalms as well as silent meditation time. Focus on caring for the creation as a way of loving God.
- Design a summer retreat in which adults mentor young people in the vital connection between spirituality and nature.
At Home
Take a Sabbath from the computer and the television. Spend time outdoors. Garden, hike, fish, camp, hunt, go bird-watching, enjoy nature walks. Take children, grandchildren, and other children with you. Introduce them to the wonders of nature. Breathe deeply. Relax. Enjoy!
Step Away From the Screen
It’s not only children who develop Nature Deficit Disorder. Adults get it too. We have traded green time for screen time. So here’s an idea. Put down your phone or turn off your computer and step outside right now for a much needed breath of fresh air. Yes, right now. Feel your spirit begin to fill up again. And your sense of awe and wonder begin to return. Now, isn’t that better?
Adapted from 7 Simple Steps to Green Your Church by Rebekah Simon-Peter, (C) Copyright 2010.
Photo of boys running courtesy of chrisroll at freedigitalphotos.net.
Photo of girl blowing bubbles courtesy of pat138241 at freedigitalphotos.net.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jun 26, 2015
How to Tell If Your Church Dreams Like Jesus
Organizations get the exact results they are designed for. A superb design yields superb fruit. A faulty design yields less than desirable fruit. It’s no different with churches or other non-profits. A kingdom-oriented design yields kingdom fruit. Consider Jesus’ own ministry. It began with his dream of the Kingdom of God. This vision undergirded his teaching, preaching, prayer and healing. It informed the financial and organizational structure of his movement. Not to mention its outreach and public relations policy. It shaped his whole ministry. This movement had modest beginnings but it utterly changed the world as we know it. If you want your church to thrive, best to start with the dream of Jesus. Churches that dream like Jesus are more likely to get kingdom-oriented results.
If your church makes disciples, brings hope and healing to others, connects with the community to make a better world, and includes a wide variety of people, it’s because your church is set up for that—from the vision, through the preaching and praying, right down to the organizational structure itself. On the other hand, if your church hasn’t made a new disciple in decades, has a shrinking impact and disappearing budget and hemorrhages members, that’s because your church is organized for decline.
To see where you stand on this issue, and if your church dreams like Jesus, take this quiz. Then, let’s talk.
If your church scored 13-18 correct, congratulations. You are wide open to the dreams of Jesus for your congregation and community. Dream on! Take care that your organizational structure remains agile enough to respond to shifting needs. Be sure your leaders are nimble enough to respond to the movement of the Holy Spirit. Keep your leadership grounded in prayer, and open to new ways of expressing the dream of Jesus.
If your church scored 7-12 correct, be alert. It either means Jesus’s kingdom dreams are starting to take hold in you OR you are starting to close off to them. Press on for the former by re-energizing your church’s vision. If it’s grounded in Jesus’ own dream, build on it. If it’s not, gather up your courage and boldly lean in to new territory. Expand your church’s comfort zone by taking Jesus’ riskier teachings to heart. Ask the Spirit to lead you toward organizational changes that enable you to speed up decision making, allocate greater resources towards hands-on outreach, and up your willingness to take risks for the kingdom.
If your church scored 1-6 correct, repent. It’s time for a radical turn around. Preacher, get busy and get bold. Pray-ers: shift your petitions from reactive to proactive. In other words from internal matters of health and well-being to what God wants your church to be doing, spending, risking, giving, trying. Begin to dream Jesus’ dreams for you. Lay aside the ways you have been doing things and draw closer to Jesus. Ask him to guide your church. Then have the courage to let him.
Jesus’ dream is always available to us. It’s as close as the Lord’s Prayer, and as near as your next breath. No matter how your church scored, don’t give up hope. Even one step in the right direction can begin to shift the results your church is producing.
My passion is helping the church remember how to dream like Jesus. To that end, I love transforming church leaders and the congregations they serve. Consider these concrete, proactive actions you can take: 1. Sign up for the online class Maximizing Your Leadership EQ. 2. Schedule a Platinum Rule for Thriving Congregations retreat for you and your leadership team. 3. Register now to get Early Bird Savings for Track 1, 2 or 3 of Creating a Culture of Renewal. Groups begin this September.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jun 22, 2015
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the dreams of Jesus. Not his night time dreams. But the dream that drove him day by day. It was never far from his awareness. He talked about it, taught about it, and prayed about it. Both his healings and his post-resurrection interactions reflected it. As I write about in The Jew Named Jesus, it was his self-stated reason for coming.
Call me crazy, but I think if we were to recapture Jesus’ own dream, our lives as followers 
would be fuller and richer. Our discipleship would be truer. Our churches would be re-invigorated. The world would be transformed.
What was Jesus’ dream? In a nutshell: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We think of this line as part of the Lord’s Prayer. But I think of it as Jesus’ dream. His dream for us, for humanity, for all creation. The Kingdom figured in everything Jesus did. First he announced it, then he enacted it through miracles and healings, then God inaugurated it through his resurrection.
What is Jesus’ dream? That the beautiful, creative, abundant, gracious, life-giving, blessed intentions of God would be as fully realized on earth as they already are in heaven. That heaven would be reflected here on earth. That we would fully embody God’s will in all our dealings.
So that means a few things: first, the well-being of the earth is essential to Jesus’ own dream. This is where God’s salvation plays out, not in an afterlife. Second, it means we’re called to be active participants. Third, it means that we have to elevate our consciousness beyond the physical to sense the deep spiritual movement of the Divine will and consciousness within us. In other words, we have to let the dream move us to new actions, new conversations, and new ways of being.
Pope Francis has caught the dream. In his recent encyclical, Laudato Si’: On the Care of our Common Home, he articulates a new vision of the Kingdom of God here on earth. Where both the poor and the planet receive preferential treatment.
He also articulates what it takes to get there. “Many things have to change course, but it is we human beings above all who need to change. We lack an awareness of our common origin, of our mutual belonging, and of a future to be shared with everyone. … A great cultural, spiritual, and educational challenge stands before us, and it will demand that we set out on the long path of renewal.” (paragraph 202)
United Methodist Bishops, too, have written about the need for renewal.
The necessity of human renewal, of re-imagining what it 
means to be human, was made devastatingly clear when an armed 21-year old man joined a prayer meeting and Bible Study at Emmanuel A.M.E. Church in Charleston S.C. Less than an hour later, Dylann Roof, a white southerner with racist beliefs opened fire on this inclusive gathering. Nine black spiritual and civic leaders, including 3 pastors—one of whom-Rev. Clementa Pinckney—was a respected state senator, lay dead.
Followers of Jesus, this is a potent time to embrace Jesus’ dream and make it our own. Here are some insights about how to dream like Jesus from the week just past:
- Dream a bigger dream. This sweeps people up with you and creates a current that moves things forward. Family members of the slain forgave the killer. They urged him to repent. They did this not to let him off the hook. Or to whitewash racism. But to free themselves of hatred and revenge. And to be ready for a better future.
- Speak up even when powerful forces threaten you. Climate change “skeptics”, whose funding can be traced back to the fossil fuel industry, sought vigorously to dissuade Pope Francis from speaking out on climate change, or at least to include their perspective in his paper. Pope Francis, a chemist by training, and a life-long advocate of the poor, instead chose to call all humans to a vision where our common good outweighs the financial interests of some corporations.
- Love is the answer. In conversations with clergy from a variety of denominations, I have been struck by the cynicism and despair the church shooting has engendered. Love wins. Love always wins. Keep hope alive.
- Do justly. The search for justice is not easy. Biblical definitions of justice do not equal revenge, but of all creation living together in peace and harmony. What can you do in your corner of the world to create a world that works for all creatures and all people?
We can’t make Jesus’ dream come true. But we can align our dreams with his. Then ready ourselves for their manifestation. As I write in The Jew Named Jesus, Church historian Diana Butler Bass notes in her book [Christianity After Religion], the first Christians believed that Jesus would restore the kingdom; medieval Christians believed that the church was the kingdom; Reformed Christians believed that true Christians embodied the kingdom in word and sacrament; and modern Christians believed they could create the kingdom through their work. But there has also been another story about the reign of God—the notion that God’s people anticipate and participate in the kingdom through spiritual practices.” The spiritual practices she goes on to name include prayer, hospitality, forgiveness, charity, and stewardship. These are akin to Jewish spiritual practices of worship, service to God, study, charity, and acts of loving kindness that Judaism teaches will hasten the arrival of God’s reign on earth. None of us can make the kingdom of God come. But we can practice being ready for it.
The best way to dream like Jesus is to practice the Kingdom of God, here and now.
by Rebekah Simon-Peter | Jun 8, 2015
In the classic children’s book, “The Little Engine That Could,” a long train needs help being pulled up and over a steep grade. All the other engines, including a heavy-duty freight engine say no. They’ve all got excuses. But one little engine, against all odds, says yes. It’s mantra? “I think I can, I think I can.” It does. On the way down the other side of the grade, the little engine rejoices, “I thought I could, I thought I could, I thought I could!”
Perspective shapes reality. Truth is, perspective IS really. If you think you can, you will. If you think you can’t, you won’t even try. Or as Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t–you’re right.”
In John 14:12, Jesus tells his disciples that belief in him will enable them to do just the kinds of things he is doing. Not only that, they’ll be able to do even greater things! Seems like a tall order. But after all, we’ve seen it. Health practitioners of every sort heal, revive and bring people back from the dead.
Educators and therapists restore hope and dignity. Governments, NGO’s and active communities of faith feed, support and love people by the thousands.
So why do so many churches put more stock in their apparent limitations than in Jesus Christ? Why is their mantra “I think I can’t, I think I can’t?” It’s unnecessary, unfaithful, and unattractive. That’s why I’m eager to share 5 things you can do to begin to turn that mantra into “I think I can, I think can, I think I can!”
- Stop rehearsing complaints. Every church specializes in its own kind of complaint, for example: the pastor never comes to visit or young people don’t want to get involved or we never play any of the new music here. Complaints feel empowering, but they keep a church in victim stance. Rehearsing them paralyzes a church and drives people away. Instead of focusing on what you don’t like, shift your focus to what you do like. Hold a round robin meeting in which each person takes a turn stating what they like about the church. Go around the circle 5 times. This forces each person to dig deep and get playful with their responses.
- Substitute we can for we can’t. Here’s how. Listen for statements that sound like: We can’t _______ because we don’t have enough ______. For example: We can’t start a youth group because we don’t have enough youth. Or, We can’t start a community garden because we don’t have enough space. Or, We can’t do an outreach to the poor because we don’t have enough money. Just for fun, step out in faith. Practice saying, We can ______ because we have just enough ______. See if, in fact, your new statement is true!
- Play with perception. The wind blows almost nonstop in Rawlins Wyoming where I once pastored. It makes almost everything tougher there. People hate it. But Dave Throgmorton, Director of Higher Education, saw this perceived limitation as an opportunity. Some years ago, he created the annual “Festival of Wind.” Now kite construction and kite flying, panels on wind energy, and fun contests are an annual occurrence. What can you do with a congregation of 80-somethings, a Sunday School of 4, or a shrinking town of 62?
- Build your belief. Read the New Testament with an eye toward the great things the disciples did. Notice where they stepped out in faith, walked on water, healed the sick, did miracles, fed and cared for each other, welcomed strangers, shared good news, baptized others, and formed new ways of being community. Talk about these things…not the ways they missed the mark. An excessive focus on disciple goof-ups reinforces an “I think I can’t, I think I can’t” mentality.
- Above all, be playful. Playfulness cultivates creativity. Creativity leads to positivity. Positivity generates hope. And, hope, as the scriptures remind us, does not disappoint.
There is SO MUCH that churches can do. Even those that seem to have insurmountable limitations. It starts with belief. In Jesus. In yourself. What is there to lose?
