Washed with Cow Pat

I can't quite believe the latest National Bank campaign. Gone is the vibrant Nigel Kennedy Four Seasons soundtrack and in is a slowed down version which sounds just like your cassette walkman (if you can remember those) running out of batteries.

And worse still, gone is the vibrant green. Instead they've washed their ads and their website in a fresh cow pat colour.

Here's a tip if you want to rebrand your church: use vibrant colours. Nothing muddy or washed. Washed and muddy colours give the appearance of weakness and dirtiness.

It is good to know though that even the big boys make mistakes!

Nitty Gritty - Part Three

In part 1 and 2 I talked about change and diversity as two key things churches must do to engage people today. These two are key, but presentation works alongside these and is crucially important.

3. LOOK GOOD

You've just got to look good. And not just your brand, but everything. This extends down to the carpet, chairs, newsletter and powerpoint shows. Everything has to be professional and be polished. Because that's what people expect. Anything less will lower their perceptions and reduce their 'experience' of church.

It starts with your logo. It's got to be contemporary and not cheesy. It's got to be bold and striking. This may come as a shock, but your logo doesn't have to include a cross or a stylized church building on it.

From there, you should adopt corporate standards: a set of standards for use of the logo and how stationary will look. It needs to all look the same, part of the same design family.

Presentation needs to incorporate everything. Going to church needs to be an experience, as people have become accustomed to experiences in everyday life. Listening to their iPod is an experience enhanced by the design of the thing and its ease of use, not to mention its popularity. Going to the movies is an experience, enhanced by the seats and screen size and the air conditioning and popcorn.

Better presentation of everything will enhance the church goers experience. This is far more important than you think.

Nitty Gritty - Part Two

So what else do you need to do to create an engaging and growing church?

2. 'DELL'erise

Take a leaf out of Michael Dell's book (I've said this before). He provides consumers with choice. When you order a computer from Dell, even a laptop, you can build it exactly how you want it. You decide how much ram and hard disk space you need, how big the screen is, the processor speed and even what colour it is. You decide. That's the key. This micro-segmentation is the future of commerce and to a larger extent, culture.

Churches need to provide options. One service for 200 people no longer works. Churches need to offer multiple services; that's how they will grow. By offering choice, people will be attracted to something that engages them personally.

Needless to say, each service needs to be significantly different. It's no use transplanting the same service structure at a different time of day, expecting to attract a new crowd.

We live in a very 'me' focussed world where everything is tailored to making people feel personally engaged and satisfied. This may not be the Biblical way, but it is the way of the world. Churches need to aim at taking advantage of this to draw in people.

Effectively it's product extension. Take your existing product, multiple it, change it and pitch it at a different market.

The Nitty Gritty

OK, let's get down to business. Enough skirting around the real issues. What do churches need to do to survive? What do they need to grow in the 21st century? These are the tough questions and they have answers that I imagine most churches don't want to hear.

1. CHANGE

I managed and coached a basketball team in the Canterbury men's league once. We beat everyone and were playing the equal first placed team in the league in the last regular season game. They were good and we were getting hammered. After a whole season of victories, it was unusual for us to be behind, and by so much (20 points from memory).

I called a time out with five minutes to go and said to the guys, "We've got to change the way we're playing. Let's do something crazy, something they won't expect."

Their answer was, "But Steve, we'll just end up losing by even more."

They were more content to play as they were and lose by 20 than change the way we played and risk losing by 40, but giving ourselves a small chance at winning.

I'm not sure that they realised that losing by 40 or 20 is the same thing. You lose.

Churches seem to think they can carry on as they have been for 50 years doing the same thing in the hope that people will change and 'come back'. Services are the same today as when I was a kid. Nothing has changed except we now use a projector rather than an OHP.

Change the structure of the service. Vary it up. Throw out some elements and get some new ones. How about couch testimony time? How about getting church goers to make a video diary of their week with God for show in the service? How about watching a Nooma DVD for discussion instead of the usual sermon? Whatever, just change.

People expect change and variety. It's the way the world works.

More in this series to come later.

Guest Post

I was recently asked to write a guest post for Brown Blog. It's about Fishermen Inc's new line of plastic Jesus figurines. Check it out here.

Bad PR for Christianity

I was walking down Lambton Quay just this morning when I came across a guy I've seen before. He wears a bowler hat and is dressed fairly smartly (not the guy in the image). But he mumbles under his breath and as you approach, steps out, arm outstretched to hand you a bit of paper. He continues to preach at you without saying hello or even acknowledging you.

He's preaching repentance from sin and says to passers by, "Look what you have done." I'm not sure of his exact message, but upon my return up Lambton Quay again 20 minutes later, I dreaded walking past him so much that I crossed the road.

I just can't see any point to this kind of envangelism. What kind of person would respond? Will anyone repent just because this old man, whom I wonder if he isn't slightly mentally ill, says.

I find this approach counterproductive for Christianity. He is undoing much of the great work that churches and others have done. We seem to battle ourselves don't we? Christians fight with each other because we can't agree on theology or how to engage people with God. So we all take a different approach, cancelling each other out.

That's why seeing street preachers upsets me. It's like bad PR for Christianity.

But, maybe God does use him? Maybe someone will be in heaven because of a seed planted by the Lambton Quay preacher?

Oxygen #13 - The Unexpected Gift

Well, Oxygen is now over for 2007. 17 people attended the very last service which was entitled "The Unexpected Gift". We talked about how Jesus was truly unexpected and not really what the Israelites wanted. They wanted a rider on a white horse to ride into town and overthrow the Romans, restoring them as the world's most powerful nation. Instead they got a baby in a smelly manger.

I began by asking people to try and balance 10 4 inch galvanized flat top nails onto the head of one 4 inch galvanized nail head. Think it's impossible? Check out the images below. God sometimes has very unexpected solutions for us.

How do you measure success?

This is an important question in any ministry. Ultimately, the answer lies with God, who knows each of us and whether our faith journey is advancing or retreating, or worse, remaining stagnant.

As this is really impossible for us to measure (due to the millions of variables God must take into account!), we must find other ways of measuring ministry success. The default is usually numbers. Are we growing, or shrinking? More or less than last year? How many new people? And so on.

Recently published stats in the Baptist Magazine (December 2007 issue) reveal some sad, but not too surprising trends. According to their statistics, the entire growth of the Baptist church in New Zealand measures just 30 people. That's an increase in the past 12 months of 0.07%.* Is that success?

Is this not a wake up call? We must be doing something wrong to achieve such poor results.

I also read in the same paper, the names of those who have been elected at the Baptist Assembly. People who will be the leaders of this union for the next year. I know only a few, but ask this question: how many are under 40? How many are under 50?

I greatly value the wisdom and insight of the 'older' generation. The world would be a disaster without them. But I think it's time for some young people to lead. I greatly value their enthusiasm, sense of risk and desire for change. These attributes are what's going to turn the 0.07% into 7% and then 70%.

* Adults 28,869 down 189, children 8,193 down 110, teenagers 5,238 up 329.

Trying too Hard?

Is this good marketing for a church? It's funny, yes, but is it just plain trying too hard? Would this sign really attract people?

Churches have a tendency to overthink marketing. They also have the 'pinch other people's ideas' disease. How many churches have used the Tui campaign as a basis for a funny sign?

If church is that good, and we worship a creative God, surely we can come up with our own unique, relevant and engaging messages?

Home made Proverbs

As promised, here are some of the home made proverbs from the service, plus a few serious one's people shared:

Man made omelet so woman shouldn't...
These sayings deserve tears
Without laughter, even faith gets difficult
While a kiwi laughs, clowns make lemonade
Don't waste your weetbix, share it with a crocodile
The spill on the carpet happens after it is cleaned

Someone shared this quote as one that has left an impact on them:

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.”

M. Scott Peck (American Author)

Oxygen #12

Oxygen 12 was on Friday and was attended by 17 people. We looked at wisdom and where we get it from. A fascinating group activity produced some interesting proverbs (which I will post here tomorrow).

I was interested to read in a commentary recently that Proverbs actually encourages Christians to learn and make use of human wisdom and experience. In a sense, it is a book demonstrating how best to go about that.

I was also interested in the concept that Proverbs reflects three social backgrounds, one of which being the life of the family. "The teachers often speak as father and mother to the hearers as their children,"* reads to commentary. Behind this implication is the notion that the home is the natural place for teaching and learning about life, wisdom and the way of righteousness.

This is certainly something to think about as the school system leverages these values away from parents more and more. What will society look like if the home is not the place for teaching and learning about life?

* New Bible Commentary, page 584.

Fantastic Marketing Stunt

I am not a Marc Ellis fan, but you have to tip your hat to the man for his latest marketing stunt. He let off some explosives on Rangitoto this week to simulate an eruption. The smoke billowing from the volcanic peak could be seen all over Auckland and sent people running.

My marketing lecturer said to me once, that no publicity is bad publicity. This is a common saying but I am not sure if it's true. In his context he was describing a legal case Guinness were having in the UK. He worked for Guinness and said the nightly mention of the story and displaying of the Guinness logo on the BBC (no ads channel) was absolutely priceless.

Marc Ellis, for all that he will be fined and raked over the coals for this stunt has gained some serious mileage. The stunt was an awesome marketing ploy and no doubt has driven tens of thousands to his new website.

He reminds me of a young and stupid Richard Branson who is probably the master marketing stunt puller.

Free Rice

Yes, here it is. Free Rice. Check out this site, it's awesome. Learn new words and donate free rice to Africa via the UN. It's real and it's pretty cool.

www.freerice.com

Back to Basics

A couple of weeks ago, Willow Creek Community Church (one of the most influential churches in America) made some remarkable statements. They released some research into how well their church programmes and activities facilitated spiritual growth.

Greg Hawkins (executive pastor) says “Participation is a big deal. We believe the more people participating in these sets of activities, with higher levels of frequency, it will produce disciples of Christ.”

In essence, this is the philosophy of most churches in the western world. The idea is that by creating programmes and activities, people will grow spiritually through participation.

Hawkins continues; “I know it might sound crazy but that’s how we do it in churches. We measure levels of participation.”

But when the research came back (now published in Greg's book 'Reveal'), Willow Creek leaders were shocked at the findings. Bill Hybels explained at a leadership summit recently: "Some of the stuff that we have put millions of dollars into thinking it would really help our people grow and develop spiritually, when the data actually came back it wasn’t helping people that much. Other things that we didn’t put that much money into and didn’t put much staff against is stuff our people are crying out for."

After 30 years in ministry, Hybels calls this the "wake up call of his adult life."

He said that what the church should have done when someone became Christian was encourage them to become 'self-feeders'. In other words, encourage and help them to read their Bibles, pray and build relationships on their own.


For a fuller article, check out this blog. It also has all the links to the Willow Creek resources should you want to check out the research further.

Oxygen #11

Last night we looked at being the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13). It's an amazing call by Jesus, and it means to be more than just flavour.

19 people came and we had some challenging displays of what salt is and how we are to mimic it's qualities in the world.

Salt crosses cultures: salt is important in every culture. How do we cross cultural boundaries?

Salt preserves: salt is used widely for preserving food. What is good in the world that we would like to preserve?

Salt heals: salt has cleansing qualities and aids the healing process. How do we bring healing to the world?

Salt provides traction: one of the biggest uses for salt is on icy roads. What issues do we stand firm on, unprepared to compromise?

Salt stings: salt can burn the skin. How and when do we agitate to cause change in the world?

Salt has more than 14,000 uses and when we unpack what Jesus meant when he said to be the 'salt of the earth', we find an amazing personal challenge. But many Christians and churches keep the salt in the shaker. They don't take it to the world. We're all guilty of that. How can we change and provide the world with the flavour, healing, agitation and preservation it needs?

It makes you think?

It certainly does make me think. It makes me think that Victoria University is either strapped for cash or has no creative talent whatsoever, that they have to keep using the same old marketing campaign week in and week out.

You didn't think you would be let off the hook did you Vic?

Surely, there must one of your marketing students who has a new idea you could use to attract new students? What do you think using the same old tired campaign communicates to people? What could it say to prospective students?

Why is it in this country that once someone latches onto a good marketing campaign like Tui below, they thrash it until it is bleeding?

Come on

Come on Tui, give us something else. You've got to be joking. This campaign should have been retired three years ago. I hope you're not still paying a marketing agency for this.

Brand Promise

As soon as I saw the most recent Noel Leeming ad starring Erin Brokovich talking about the 'buzzards' circling for that sale, I knew they had made a mistake. They essentially are promising something they most likely cannot deliver - a totally transformed customer experience. I.e., leaving the customer alone to browse instead of asking them if they needed help.

Already their brand promise is failing. This from the NZ Herald last weekend:

"Lesley writes: Apparently Erin Brockovich feels the same way I do about annoying sales staff hanging around while you're trying to browse. I spent some time in Noel Leemings over the weekend, just having a look around while my husband bought an electric shaver. I couldn't help overhearing one of the new Noel Leemings endorsements by Brockovich as it played on a store TV. In it she stated (and I paraphrase) how much she hated the buzzards that come swarming around when she is trying to browse in a store and how she likes to be given space to shop. I'd like to note that, in the 15 minutes I was in the store, I was approached by no less than five separate staff all asking if I needed help. Either I appeared to be in a perpetual state of confusion and in dire need of expert guidance, or Noel Leemings staff should listen to their new spokesperson and back off a bit."

If your brand promises something to the consumer, you must deliver or the results are far worse than if you'd never made the promise in the first place. "Noels", as they're now calling themselves, has surely earned this week's 'Brand Stupidity" award from me.

New Zeland, Secular?

The World Values Survey recently published findings from a survey of 85 countries. The survey revealed that New Zealand was one of the most secular (post-modern, post-Christendom) nations in the world, right up there with Japan and Sweden.

Today, Dr Kevin Ward from Knox College cites in Challenge Weekly recent statistics by UMR Research showing that New Zealand is far from a secular nation. He says that 56% of Kiwis believe in God and 51% said they believed God had some involvement in creation.

He also states that church attendance is likely to be in the high 20%. This of course represents a gap between stated belief and actual practice. He says, "In a culture where church attendance is still viewed positively, people answer questions in a way the culture indicates they should answer."

I find this opinion that church going is still viewed as positive in this country as baffling. I couldn't disagree more and in fact would say the exact opposite, that church going is viewed by the general (secular) public as completely irrelevant and archaic.

If church going was viewed so popularly, why don't more people go? It certainly is nowhere near the high 20s as he states in the article. It can't possibly be. That would mean that over 1 million people go to church regularly. If there are 2,000 churches in New Zealand (a guess), then that would mean 575 people per church. There certainly aren't 575 people in my church.

It's not the belief in God that makes us secular or not secular, it's the gap between stated belief and practice. This is a very unchristian country, with ever decreasing tolerance for religion and Christians.

The church must admit this and look at how to change it.

Everything I Don't Have

David, coming to the end of his life, wrote Psalm 37. It's like a reflection from a tired old man that has had enough of 'fretting' and his feelings of 'envy' towards what the 'wicked' man has. It reads as though he's given up striving to get what he sees others have, and has given over to trusting the Lord and that what he will inherit is infinitely better than anything he can get in this world.

The Psalm is his exasperation for younger people who live to be the Joneses' equal: having everything they have and ensuring they're not left out of life. I certainly am among them: wanting things others have for whatever reason.

I do love verse 23 in particular.

23 The Lord directs the steps of the godly.
He delights in every detail of their lives.
24 Though they stumble, they will never fall,
for the Lord holds them by the hand.

How is it that a God of everyone and everything delights in every detail of my life? He directs my steps, so everything I have is from him. And I suppose, everything I don't have is from him too.

It's motivating to think that everything I do, he watches and takes note of, not to condemn, but to enjoy.

Service #8 - 10 + Starbucks and the Great Excuse

It's been a while between posts but Oxygen continues to develop. In the gap we've had three services. The first was full at 25 people, with the two since then having 17 each. All three services have been different and it amazes me how God continues to inspire us to deliver completely different services fortnight after fortnight.

I am reading a book at the moment; "The Gospel According to Starbucks" by Leonard Sweet. It's an interesting read, with an seemingly stupid comparison between Starbucks and church as a theme. It looks at why customers cue to get into Starbucks, but not church. Starbucks sells 30 million cups of coffee every week.

Starbucks is not just selling coffee. Starbucks sells an experience. It's the experience of the setting, music, aroma and the thrill of holding the now famous Starbucks cup. Starbucks is becoming ever more influential in culture and their success cannot be ignored.

Starbucks knows that its product is rooted in the human desire for relationships. People primarily go to Starbucks to talk, not drink coffee. Coffee is just the great excuse.

Church has its own experience. Unfortunately, it's not as engaging as Starbucks for me (even though I don't drink coffee). What is it that Starbucks has that church doesn't?

Oxtgen #7

Oxygen #7 was on Friday. 16 people came. We looked at what satisfies us and in doing so watched some TV and listened to the Stones'! When was the last time you heard the Rolling Stones in church?

Our key verse was from Isaiah 55: 1-3;

"Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost.

Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.
Give ear and come to me;
hear me, that your soul may live. "

It's a constant challenge for us to fix our eyes on Jesus rather than on that Digital Camera or those new shoes we want. Looking over the fence to see what they've got is tempting and a constant trap. The thing that gets me is that I find myself looking at what other Christians have compared to me, not just physical things but also in their relationship with God. It's hard not to compare ourselves with others.

The world seems to be a big ball of 'unfair'. I think it's about being content with where we are in life and where we are with God.

Thanks for coming to Oxygen.

Water of Life

Oxygen #7 is tonight. It's a cool service looking at what really makes us satisfied in life.

Indeed, the water I give will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

I am pleased to say that our Oxygen team has doubled in size. We've now got eight people involved in putting the services together, which means we can split into two teams. This will result in less of a workload for people and more time to shape services.

We recently did a survey of Oxygenites as well as those at MBC who haven't been to Oxygen. One reasonably common theme was the desire of some people to incorporate more discussion and sharing time into the service. This is an interesting idea, and one that we have talked about before. We are keen to introduce this over the next few months.

However, does it take away from what Oxygen is? Oxygen is a time of reflection, an attempt to create a personal space for people to connect with God. Does corporate sharing encroach on that?

It's something we'll have to think hard about as we look to introduce some sharing elements into some of the services.

Bye Bye Law

One of the many things that puzzled me for a long time about God and the Bible was the Old Testament concept of the 'Law'. The Law features heavily in the Old Testament as a way of getting right with God. To do so, one needed to offer perfect sacrifices or perform some other action to please God and purify themselves.

Then Jesus came. No longer did we need to adhere to a set of rules to be made pure or right in God's eyes. Now, it was done by the heart. Jesus' life made it possible for us to have a very personal and intimate relationship with God, something I think was a rare occurrence for most ordinary Israelites in the Old Testament.

So what then does this really mean for me? Do I still follow 'laws' thinking that I will be seen in a better light by God?

It brings up the question of why we go to church. Has church become like a law; a 'must-do' part of our Christian walk? Why do you really go to church?

We could ask ourselves the same question about anything we do in the name of God. Why do we give money away? Why do we go to a cell group? Why do we help out at the local city mission?

If there is no heart behind our giving money away to the church, does God really want it? I don't think he needs it that much.

Without really wanting in our heart to change the world, we're just peddling our own self-doubt and our misguided sense that we're worshipping a rule following God.

Oxygen #6

Oxygen #6 took place on Friday 17. 21 people came to see what God has created beyond our little dot of a planet.

God measures his universe in the span of his hand. It's far too big for us to do that, so we need to measure it with what we call a light year. This is the difference light travels in one year - 9.4 trillion KM. That means that light travels from the sun to your skin ( a distance of 150,000,000 KM) in just over 8 minutes.

We looked at spectacular images from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the Hubble Telescope and also from Voyager.

Images above: Top: Seven Sisters or Pleiades. Mentioned three times in the Bible (Job 9:9, 38:31; Amos 5:8). Middle: The Whirlpool Galaxy, 23 million light years from Earth. Bottom: an image from Hubble of the very centre of the Whirlpool Galaxy.

Probably the most stunning image of all for me is called the Pale Blue Dot. This is an image sent back from Voyager as it was about to exit our solar system, 6 billion KM's from Earth. The image is looking back to where it had travelled, past all the planets. The coloured rays are light reflecting of Voyager. In one of those rays you can see a pale blue dot. That's Earth from 6 billion Km's away.

Is this what we look like to God? We really are insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Our planet is a tiny dot in a universe so big that we've only just scrapped the surface.

God sent his son to that little blue dot to die for us. For you and me.

Friedrich Schiller said this once, “the universe is one of God’s thoughts”. Isn't it fantastic to think that so are you.

Oxygen #5

Oxygen 5 was last night. It was completely different to the others in that most of the night was spent on creative arts.

The theme was Hope, and the service title was: Maybe the Best of Things (a quote from the Shawshank Redemption).

I began with a talk on 1 Peter 1:3-5 (I attach the talk below). It focussed on our 'living hope' which is given to us through the conquering of death by Jesus Christ.

From there we moved to thinking about three questions: What is it that you hope for? What do you think God hopes for you? How does this change the way you live now?

People were free to express their hopes through painting, sculpting or creative writing. 17 people were in attendance.

Talk:

What is it that you hope for? Think about that for a moment. What is it that you hope for in your life?

A new car? Job? House? A baby? More money? Friends?

We are prone to using the word hope synonymously with the word wish. I wish I had more money. I wish I had a better job. I wish I could have a holiday in Europe.

Wish and hope are different. The things we wish for might never happen. The Greek slave Aesop once said "We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified."

But hope is on a different scale. Hope is macro, and wish is micro.

Hope, I’ve heard it said, is the last thing to die. It is the very final thing that we have left. But sometimes, it can seem like even God himself has lost his grip on our circumstances. Sometimes it can seem that we have dropped off God’s radar screen.

Was there a time when you felt that hope was all you had left? Nothing you could do could change your circumstances, and the tunnel appeared to have no end. What was your hope?

What is that hope that exists within us?

The apostle Peter describes this hope in 1 Peter 1:3-5. It says;

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.” TNIV

What is our ‘living hope’?

The basis of our hope does not lie in our own perfection or righteousness. It lies in God’s great mercy, a living mercy that never dies. That mercy allows us to appear blameless before God despite our failings, or our circumstances.

Our living hope is our inheritance, which can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is guaranteed, held aside for you, kept by God for you.

This inheritance is promised to you: “For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God in his grace gave it to Abraham through a promise.” Galatians 3:18

He gives it to you through a promise, not because of your efforts.

In your worst circumstance, what could be worse than death? What is the most extreme place we could be taken to, before we may lose all hope? Near death?

But our living hope is in Jesus Christ, who has conquered death. He has conquered the most unconquerable of circumstances. And through that, we are shielded by God’s power, because we have faith in him. Shielded by God’s power.

So what situation have you been in that wore you down to one final hope? What was that hope?

"The Problem with Preaching" - Don't Shoot the Messenger

I was on my way back from getting some quick groceries tonight when I walked past a bus stop. There I saw about twenty kids and adults of mixed race waiting for their bus. As the cigarette smoke drifted up my nostrils, I was saddened suddenly by the thought that most of these people have no idea that there is far more to life than what they know.

This morning I opened the Baptist to find numerous articles and letters regarding an article published previously in the magazine called The Problem with Preaching, by David Allis (read it on Paul Windsor's blog). I dug the article out to see what the fuss was about. After a long read (many millions of words), I was struck by it, obviously as many others have been.

Allis effectively advocates that churches, or ministers, should stop preaching, as it is ineffective. He makes some very valid points, but also some uninformed assumptions.

I agree that preaching does not teach someone how to personally learn from the Bible (point 5). Preaching is not used to demonstrate how one should read the Bible and apply it to their own lives. This causes what Allis describes a dependency on being 'fed' each week. I believe this to be true, that most Christians come to church not to learn, but to feel as though they have reconnected with their spiritual side for at least another seven days. It's kind of like a validation process.

He goes onto explain how expensive preaching is. He calculates that preaching (at a total cost to the nation of about $1 million per week) is a waste of money. Allis wants to redirect that money to the poor of the world. While I feel that preaching may be less effective than most preachers or academics believe, it serves as 'training' for Christians who regularly have to refix their training wheels. I think Allis forgets that there are two goals of a church; one to empower, encourage and equip Christians to; two; go and make disciples. Without the first part, the second would be pretty thin. How can the church save the poor if we're all relying on our own interpretations and theology instead of that of the Bible?

Allis makes one huge assumption that has been proven to be incorrect. He assumes that Christians read their Bibles (regularly). They do not. Only 21% of Christians in New Zealand read the Bible everyday. Just because it is available doesn't mean people read it. He rightly says that study material is cheap and widely available, but wrongly assumes people actually use them.

Much of what he is writing about is evident in today's society because of the shift between modernism and post-modernism. Some of us are modern, some post-modern and some are in between. So, no one thing is going to please all.

However, having said all this (and this is hopefully the longest post I'll ever write!), I commend Mr. Allis for what he's done. He's stirred the pot, shaken the stick and opened the can. The worms that have popped out need to pop out. We can't bury our heads and do the same thing over and over because that's how it's always been done.

I am sad for those bus stoppers. They're not interested in preaching, or church, even if they became Christian. The church of today doesn't stand much of a chance with them. They need something totally different. Maybe some of them need something like Oxygen? Maybe others something else.

My final word is this; I think he wrote this article to get a reaction. He did it to provoke. He did it because change is happening and this is part of moving everyone along. Don't shoot the messenger.

Blue Ocean Faith cont.

Thinking about Oxygen as a reinvention of church; I am not sure it is. It's still church, in the same confines of traditional Sunday morning church. If you boil it down, we're just unplugging some elements and plugging in some new ones.

The traditional model of church is based around two main elements, worship (singing) and the sermon. Interspersed around these are notices, promotions, offerings and prayer. I think it's more or less the same no matter which church you go to. These elements may appear in a different order, but they're all the same.

Oxygen has gotten rid of most of these; no singing as worship, no notices or promotions, the offering is not mentioned aside from in the welcome PowerPoint and there are no other 'sales pitches'.

We purposefully moved from Sunday to Friday and out of the main church building into the back hall to get away from any common perceptions that people (non-Christians) may have of church that may prevent them from coming. And we've shortened it, only because I think people want church to be shorter.

But does that constitute a reinvention? Is that Blue Ocean (see post below)?

I am finding this a really good question and a good way to qualify what we're doing. I would love to say we've reinvented church, but is that really possible?

Blue Ocean Faith

There's a new phrase being bantered around the business world: Blue Ocean Strategy. It's about reinventing what you're doing, rather than competing within the confines of an industry and trying to steal other people's customers.

Mike Metzger, writing recently for the Clapham Institute, says "Businesses that keep using the same language are fishing in red oceans - where the market space gets more crowded, the lines get tangled and the competition turns the water bloody."

He goes on to use the red ocean as a synonym for church today. "It's a continuous film loop of sermon series covering worship, family, fellowship and evangelism... perfectly designed to yield the results we are getting."

Albert Einstein once said that we can never solve a problem in the framework in which it was created. Metzger suggests the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting to get a different result.

It's no secret that church attendance is dropping in the U.S. as well as New Zealand. New churches that grow rapidly are more often than not growing through 'transfer growth' (people moving from one church to another). There's no real growth - we're just fishing in the same ocean.

In Blue Ocean Strategy, customer demand is created. Metzger says that Blue Ocean Faith is “…not an emerging church. It’s not a rehashing the same information. It’s helping people imagine an old faith in a new way.”

So, is Oxygen a reinvention of church? Is it a new way to imagine old faith? Are we casting our line into a blue or red ocean?

For more, check out the Clapham Institute

Expecting God

To begin the last Oxygen service, I read out a passage from 1 Kings 8. I read verses 6, 10 and 11.

6 "The priests then brought the ark of the LORD's covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim.

10 - 11 "When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. "

I was struck by this scripture earlier in the week when I read it. A commentary got me thinking about the fact that what we get from church depends largely on our attitude when we walk through the doors. Do we expect God to meet us there? Do we expect to hear from God?

I was always taught that it's OK to expect God to do things when we ask him to. Provided it's within his will of course. But do we really expect God to answer our prayer? Being honest, sometimes I don't. I guess that's only human.

Oxygen #4

Lump was the title of Oxygen #4 last Friday. We had a crowd of 22. It was a totally different service again with some new elements. We didn't have a message. Instead we had a Scripture read aloud (parable of the lost son) and then followed up with some questions allowing the hearer to put themselves into the story.

One thing about post-moderns is that they don't like to sit down and be told the answers. They like to think for themselves, generating their own ideas and opinions on what something might mean. This is a crucial aspect of post-modernism that I think that the church in general doesn't embrace.

We then played a Nooma DVD - Lump, about Rob Bell's son who stole a little white ball. If you haven't seen this or any other Noomas, try to check one out as they're a great resource, even if they lack solid Biblical references.

Communion closed the night and feedback was great.

The next service we're focussing on hope. We'll be using some creative arts to help people think about what they hope for and what hopes God might have for them.

Lump

The next Oxygen installment is tomorrow and the theme is Lump. It's based on the Prodigal Son, and the fact that God will welcome us home whatever we do.

We've almost made it to four services (of the original six planned) and we're feeling like it should carry on after the six. Feedback has been really positive, and I really feel God has used Oxygen to touch the lives of some who are struggling, new to faith or just tired of church.

Oxygen is really internally focussed at the moment - trying to attract existing church members from MBC. However, we have a much wider vision that ultimately will look at pulling in non-Christians from elsewhere in the community.

But for now, we're happy to get into the groove and learn how to follow God's lead in creating a unique, peaceful and engaging service.

But Wait a Minute...

Following on from our experience in the Anglican Church, we traveled across town for the next 12 or so months to a brand new non-denominational church community. Led by a dynamic young Pastor, it was established on little or no money and a lot of young volunteer help.

Just months after they began they had several families in attendance and only a year later probably around 120 regulars. When we left they had moved to a new location because they had more than 300 people on their books.

What were they doing so right that the Anglican church was doing so wrong?

1: Presentation - everything was presented as professionally as possible. Bulletins were in colour, lighting was modern, chairs were comfy and the auditorium was warm.

2: Young Pastor - youth attracts youth. Messages were encouraging and motivating, typical of a pentecostal church. I call it the 'You can do it' sermon.

3: Energy worship - all songs were no older than ten years, with most probably five years or less. Full band WITH DRUMS. Music was loud and singers energetic. Basically it was a rock concert.

4: Guest speakers - aah, yes, variety.

But wait a minute...

On closer inspection, there were almost no members of the church over 30. Very few had children and in fact, most were university students. This church had limited its target audience. Maybe this could be the key to church growth? Focus on one particular demographic?

Try getting the Anglicans to adopt this philospohy! Or the Baptists, or Presbyterians for that matter. Or the....

Gatherings in a Phone Box - The Anglican Church

"Of the total number of clergy - the 1,540 odd - more than three quarters won't see their 50th birthday again... And below the age of 30, there are four clergy, for this entire three-Tikanga church. They could hold gatherings in a phone box." From Anglican Taonga (national Anglican magazine), December 2005, page 9.

The Anglican church we went to had a 50+ year old vicar. Everyone under the age of 30 could have had meetings in a Honda Oddessy. The Sunday service was fully ritualised. None of the small youth group came to church regularly, and there was little input allowed from young people.

The pews were the old fashioned kind, hard and uninviting. The worship never broke through the 1900's barrier. Most songs were from writers who died centuries ago.

The church never grew. There was nothing remotely relevant to a young generation.

But what were its strengths?  It had nice people.  It had rituals - which were surprisingly quite cool at times.  But rituals left no flexibility in the service.  It felt like everything was done by the book.

The Anglican Taonga article continues... "The numbers tell us that the liturgy, ministry, worship, distribution of resources, the face of the church as it's seen by outsiders, orbits an older generation that has a particular understanding of the world, and of what's important and what's not."

It's nice to hear a church being honest with itself.

Oxygen #3

Oxygen #3 was last night. It was a prayer service, with 25 attending. It was deliberate attempt at trying to stay out of a 'routine' box; not doing the same thing each week. It worked really well, and felt relaxed.

We invited about eight people to create prayer stations. It was really amazing to see them all in the hall. It was also remarkable how different each one was.

The stations went from the global to the local; i.e. we prayed for Sudan and Iraq, our country and Government, Miramar, for people we know who are struggling and then for ourselves. People were free to pray at any station they liked, or just chill on the couches in the middle.

Not all Churches are Created Equal

I appreciate that not all churches are the same. I have had the pleasure of experiencing three different churches over the past few years that are poles apart in theology, structure and presentation.

The first was an Anglican church I attended for about two years. A wonderful little classic church, with a steeple and all that. But inside it was half full (and it was a very small church) and most of that half were 60+ years old. Someone died one week, representing nearly two percent of the congregation. I can't remember any new people while we were there.

The second was a newly formed pentecostal church not affiliated with any denomination. It grew from just over 100 people when we started going to more than 350 a year later. Several months after God called us to our current church (Baptist), they were on the TV news because they were attracting more than 50 new members a month.

The third is kind of in between in terms of structure, theology and presentation. It's the Baptist Church I currently attend.

What is the difference between them all?

I asked myself this many times as I considered how to shape Oxygen. Each of the three churches has their strengths. I'll look at these over the next few posts.

P.S. Oxygen #3 tonight!

Stop Asking God to Bless What You're Doing

Bono was asked to address the annual White House Prayer Breakfast in February 2006. It was a good speech, but the thing that stood out the most was this quote:

"Stop asking God to bless what you’re doing. Get involved in what God is doing -- because it’s already blessed."

This was something that a friend told him after Bono said he was continually praying that God would bless what he was doing.

I guess if God wants to use you for something, but you'd rather be asking for blessings elsewhere, he'll just choose someone else. How many times have I missed a chance God has for me because I wanted blessings for something I wanted to do?

It's kind of bold to say I think Oxygen is part of something bigger that God is blessing. Some call it the Emerging Church, but I'm not tagging it with more Christian jargon. However, it is part of the drive to deliver Jesus in a relevant and life-changing way to an emerging generation.

But, if it's not blessed, we'll find out soon enough!

Sharpening the Edge

The Baptist Union in NZ is hosting a conference in late July on emerging churches. It will feature stories and happenings in eight different spheres of church planting around the country. It's called Sharpening the Edge.

Lindsay Jones, spokesman for the Baptist National Resource Centre told Challenge Weekly (Christian paper in NZ) that participants will learn that church planting has moved out of the traditional model of establishing clones of the parent church. It is no longer about land and buildings - that is only one way to grow a church.*

Oxygen really came out of this idea - that the traditional (or 'modern') model of church is no longer working for some Christians. 'Post-moderns' are getting bored, tired and skeptical of the way Jesus is being presented.

I love this new attitude by my church, the Baptist movement in general and many other denominations - that really recognizes the existence of post-modernity and the fact that some Christians (maybe many) are no longer engaged by traditional church. There is a sense of excitement about trying new things, about risking it all to try and find out how to capture this new generation.

Oxygen embraces the concept of not cloning what we've already got (the traditional morning service). So we took it out of the church building and into a back hall. We took it away from Sunday, and moved it to Friday nights. We're playing meaningful secular music, and got rid of the singing. These are all deliberate attempts at creating something really new.

*From Challenge Weekly, Vol 65 Iss 24

Oxygen #2

Oxygen #2 took place on Friday. We had 25 people, many different faces. Feedback was again very good with some saying that they felt God had really spoken to them through the service.

I learnt a few key things on Friday:

• The service needs a leader. Someone has to be constantly monitoring the flow of the service and needs to step in when we cross the line from reflective silence to 'dead space'.
  
• The team is too small. We were minus one person on Friday, leaving four of us. That, and the fact that I hadn't delegated specific tasks to the team meant we felt a bit rushed.
• The more relaxed we are as a team on the night, the more relaxed people will be as they enter through the doors.
  

Oxygen already is finding a niche and will no doubt serve a segment of people who thrive on being still and quiet when focusing on God.

Do Nothing

The Bishop of Reading spent time handing out egg timers to to stressed commuters at the Reading Railway station one recent Monday morning. His message: take time out to do nothing - and start an adventure of self-discovery.

He urged people to spend three minutes a day in silent reflection and find out what might happen when they simply stop and rest.

Stopping and looking back I've found is a crucial part of walking with God. Deuteronomy sometimes reads like a broken record, as Moses relays God's message to the Israelite nation of 'remembering' what He had done. By remembering what God has done for us, we see the big picture, the whole screen rather than just a few pixels.

"Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands." Deuteronomy 8:2