Will they come back after Christmas?

Mary and Joseph had to stay in the stable because there was no room in the inn. Too many census travelers and not enough rooms!! Christmas is a time when you can expect visitors and even unexpected guests at your services. So make sure you are prepared and accommodations for guests at your church this Christmas are visitor friendly.

Have your best greeters on duty to make people feel welcomed. People who can give directions to restrooms, nursery, or answer questions about the church. Encourage your regular attendees this Sunday to be especially guest friendly on Christmas Eve. Do not mind if someone is sitting in their pew Christmas Eve ( no glaring down the pew) or if there are restless children in the sanctuary (turning around and staring.) Imagine Mary having to deal with shepherds—smells and sheep!!

In the midst of all the commercialism of the season, Christmas Eve is a time when people are open and can hear the ‘good news’. Their returning after Christmas may depend on if you made room for them on Christmas.

Paul Young Author of The Shack

Paul Young,author of The Shack, spoke November 9th at a fund raiser for the Parish Resource Center . This best selling novel has touched the lives of thousands of persons. At the end of his almost two hour presentation, you could have heard pin drop in the audience of 800. While Paul's personal story is amazing, I was particularly touched by the story of his mother and how an event in her life as a student nurse in 1946 would come full circle to reconcile her to her author son whom she thought had written something heretical.

If you attended our event or if you have heard Paul Young speak, what part of his story touched you?

Also, who is an inspirational speaker or author you would like to see the PRC bring to Lancaster in the future?

Eight Word Mission Statements

A recent Harvard Business Blog suggested a mission statement be only eight words --Verb,Target, Outcome "Save endangered species from extinction". Peter Drucker said a good mission statement should fit on the back of a T-shirt.

A good mission statement should be clear and concise and inspire people.I am planning to work on the PRC's mission statement -shorten it, make it clear and concise so people know our purpose. (The mission of the PRC is to strengthen congregations of all religious faiths by helping them train, coach, and equip their members- lay and clergy – for service and leadership) Suggestions?

Is your mission statement eight words, could it fit on the back of a T-shirt? Is it clear, concise and does it inspire?

Is your church relevant?

I recently came across several Internet articles/resources about ‘relevance’ in the church. One was a video about worship and the conflict that can occur between being relevant and worship being reverent. (I must confess that I lost the link to this video and 'google' did not help. It featured Ed Stetzer of Lifeway Research-- Note to self : always 'bookmark' !!)

A book review of "Hipster Christianity" by Brett McCracken quoted the author's criticism of churches trying to be ‘hip’ and not ‘real’. http://bit.ly/aHhscS

A CNN Belief blog quoted Michael Spencer of the Christian Science Monitor, ‘that one of the reasons that churches are on the decline is the church’s rabid pursuit of “relevance” and “pragmatism” that has produced in many churches a shallow vacuity.’ http://bit.ly/9gTVA1

How do we best communicate the message of faith in a changing culture and at times a world indifferent to the church? A message that is not relevant will have difficulty connecting with people. Paul knew his gospel had to be communicated in a relevant way with the Greek world of his day. But he also knew that what he preached would be foolishness to some. At the same time we need to be relevant, we need to be faithful to what is the core, DNA, of the kingdom message.

Is there anything that is keeping your church from being relevant and faithful?

Church Vitality

Just read the new Christian Century that arrived today. In it was a report on a study of United Methodist congregations on "key factors impacting vital congregations". The study's report identified four key areas that fuel vitality. 1- Small groups and programs, 2- Vital worship with mix of traditional and contemporary and relevant sermons, 3- mentoring by clergy ,4- Effective lay leadership.

I am also reading Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer's book , "Transformational Church" where from their research of churches across the country they identify seven key elements for vitalization-transformation. 1- Missionary Mentality, 2- Vibrant leadership, 3- Intentional Relationships, 4- Prayerful Dependence, 5- Worship, 6- Community , 7- Mission

Both studies seem to compliment each other. Keys for transforming and vital congregations include: Worship that speaks to heart and mind, a Passion for Mission-especially in the local community, Lay leadership that is growing spiritually and is equipped to serve, a place of Connection and Community.

A key point in the Transformational Church" is that ultimately vitality is of God and under girded by prayer.

How does your congregation fair in these key areas??

At the PRC, we are offering workshop that focus on equipping the laity, vital worship, and meeting the needs of the community. Check our website for a full listing. www.parishresourcecenter.org

Environmental Disasters

52 Days and counting ---the oil spill environmental disaster continues and will continue to effect the lives, livelihoods, and way of life for millions of people into the future. Some say it was a disaster waiting to happen. Many blame it on BP being unprepared or taking short cuts. Still others say it is a statement about our dependency on oil. No matter what, pray for the people of the Gulf coast.

This morning I read an article by Bill Easum noting that 40% of American churches worship less than 50 each Sunday and the average age is 65. Add to this that less than 2% of these churches are growing and Bill states it is a formula for a major disaster in the Christian church in America. Like the oil lurking beneath the surface that we cannot see and fully determine its impact, so the impact of this decline is hard to realize.

I do not want to play down the BP oil disaster ( it is huge) , but are churches, denominations, and church leaders any more prepared than BP was prepared to take action to prevent this disaster or limit the damage ? Many church members and pastors know their church is declining, but are they aware of the implications? Are they, are we, prepared to take the necessary steps to prevent this future impact on the religious life in America?

(Read Bills ideas http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/notes/21st-century-strategies-inc/no-title/434068502124

Facebook novice

I am a Facebook novice! I have had a Facebook page for about eight months and have about 100 friends and am a fan of several groups. I rarely put any personal comments on a page. One ‘friend’ told me, “You never post anything!” so then next day I did post something on her page! I do make some personal comments on my niece‘s and son Rick’s page.

I primarily use Facebook as a professional tool to network and learn what is going on in the larger church world. I do this by becoming a friend of such church leaders like Bill Easum, Adam Hamilton, and Len Sweet (Len posts, tweets, about everything!!) as well as other pastors and para-church workers such as Linda Stanly of Leadership Network.

I look at my Facebook page several times a day and almost every day I can find a new connection to a resource or idea for ministry that is on the web. The connections are amazing. The danger is you could stay on line tooooooo long!

I have found great resources like Church Central.com, and Faith Inkubators, as well as some edge sites such as Churchtv and THEOOZE. “Friends” have refereed me to excellent articles, some of which I would have never known about or it would have taken time to sort through a Google search!

At the PRC, we are planning to expand our work using social media .This will include everything from a Facebook page to online courses and webinars and in the future video conferencing. This fall we plan to have a workshop to assist congregations in their use of social media. The forms of social media will change, but it is here to stay.

I am a novice and we are learning at the PRC, but I believe it is something I must learn to use even better for myself and the PRC. I hope you will join us in this journey of learning and be willing to share your thoughts and learnings also.