a book for a new kind of church

*** Disclaimer, JR Woodward and I are friends, and we've worked together on several projects and initiatives. He is a genuine lover of God and people, and his heart's cry is to see God's Kingdom come and will be done on earth as it is in heaven. To say JR is a unique person would be an understatement. I wish there were more like him . . . ***

Like some of you, I'm exhausted by reading authors who rail on and on about what's wrong with the world or the church or Christianity or Christ-followers or whatever other construct they're frustrated with. I think most of us can agree, the western church and the Kingdom of God are not in sync; at what point do we stop complaining about what's wrong and start visioning about what could be?

Enter JR Woodward and Creating a Missional Culture. 

JR is a long-time church planter and equipper of church planters; his entire adult life has been spent in this field. Plus, JR is a voracious reader and remember-er of books, and he has a unique capacity to pull various streams of thought together into a cohesive understanding. But beyond all that, JR has the courage to actually implement the things he's learning in the communities he leads and serves.

In part one, JR gives a brief diagnostic on contemporary culture and its affect on the church. He offers sound, Biblical perspective, and Spirit-led, field-tested advice on how the church can live into its calling to be an alternative culture offering grace and hope to a hurting world. You will be encouraged in part one.

In part two, JR offers his perspective on leadership in the church. Not surprisingly, few of his comments can be found in other leadership books, because JR's comments are rooted in a macro-understanding of the Kingdom of God and the potential for a missional culture. You will be challenged in part two.

In part three, JR shares a fresh understanding of the five giftings Paul described in Ephesians 4. This section may feel a tad idealistic -- not that that gives us an excuse not to aspire towards it -- but I know personally that JR has lived and led into these thoughts in his leadership. You will be inspired in part three.

In part four, JR casts a vision for how a missional culture could be a blessing to its members, the local community, and the world. He's not offering cliche statements or abstract possibilities; JR shares legitimate ways church leaders can lead their communities to be a place for God's kingdom to come. In part four, you will be motivated.

And if rich content isn't enough, JR gives specific tools to help identify and develop the five gifts in your local church.

I can't think of a better book for an aspiring church planter or a seasoned veteran. Every reader will learn and grow after reading this book, and you'll probably want to read it more than once.

I recognize my review is as much of an endorsement as anything, but I'm sharing honest thoughts after a second reading of Creating a Missional Culture in a small group of church leaders. You will not be disappointed.

jr hi vs. sr hi energy

A few years ago, I wrote a blog for Kurt Johnston and Scott Rubin on their junior high ministry blog addressing the different energy levels for junior high and senior high students. I didn't make the same mistake I discussed in my previous blog, but I revisited it all over again last weekend as our combined groups had a sleep-over in our church building for our Dare2Share weekend. (If you have questions about Dare2Share, I'd love to answer them. I'm a big fan. And I don't even get paid to say that!)

It was a long night. It was a miserable Saturday for most of the junior high students. I can't wait to evaluate our weekend with our team :)


If you're a nerd like me, here are a few articles to help you think through things a little more clearly.

• the science of adolescents and sleep from PBS Science
• the psychology of adolescents and sleep from Psychology Today
• a lighter article on adolescents and sleep from Wall Street Journal
• a super helpful article to share with students and parents from Teen Health

As you plan your next event for junior high students, here are a few tips to keep you out of trouble:

1. Think about your schedule. Sr Hi students can deal with conversations that last until 3AM and still manage a 7AM breakfast. Jr Hi students – not so much. Maybe for one day. Or even two. But if you’re planning to end your camp with a late-night Thursday movie night, don’t plan an early morning devotion on Friday. Before you finalize your event schedule, give serious thought to the stamina level of Jr Hi students. 
2. Think about your meals. I like pizza as much as anyone, and Coco-puffs are awesome for a quick breakfast (and for blowing out of your nostril), but I’m not counting on either for nutritional value. Once again, planning one or two meals for convenience isn’t going to ruin your Jr Hi students, but feeding them a week’s worth of junk food will affect their energy and behavior. When you’re planning your menu, balance cost with nutrition when you’re planning for Jr Hi students.
3. Think about your adults. Let’s be honest, some of our adult staff “get it,” and some don’t. When it comes to spending a few days with tired Jr Hi students, make sure you’re choosing adults who genuinely care for and appreciate the nuances of working with Jr Hi students.

Before you unleash the Darth-Vader-stare-of-death the next time your favorite junior high student starts to melt down, think about your schedule, your meals, and your team. Offer them a little bit extra grace. And ask God to give you a little extra patience.

What do you think?

simply youth ministry show

Check out this week's Simply Youth Ministry Show.

the simple truth bible

I can't begin to describe how excited and humbled I am to see this project on the shelves.

Nearly a year ago, Nadim Najm invited me to be the general editor of a devotional Bible project that was Biblically solid, relevant to students, and thorough enough to challenge seekers and deeply committed students to deepen their trust in Christ.

Here's the official Group promo stuff:

Imagine empowering your students to spend just a few minutes each day discovering a life-shaping, thought-provoking, Jesus-centered truth that can transform them into the kind of people God crafted them to be.
Sounds like a worthwhile investment, doesn’t it?

The Simple Truth Bible features 366 daily devotionals—each one a tasty, bite-size morsel that powerfully reveals what it means to deeply love and trust God, to lead a Jesus-centered life, and to lean on Scripture for guidance and wisdom. Teenagers will discover how to experience hope in the middle of tough times, how God deeply and passionately loves them, how to build an authentic friendship with Jesus, and how they were created to lead a life of impact in this world and for eternity.
Each devotion includes:

• Thoughts on a specific passage of Scripture and how it relates to students’ lives
• Insights to help teenagers turn their thoughts into prayers as they spend time with God
• Ideas to follow if students want to spend more than a few minutes each day with God
• Perspective on how that day’s passage fits into the big picture of the Bible

The Simple Truth Bible features contributions from some of the leading voices in youth ministry today, including Kurt Johnston, Mark Oestreicher, Tim Levert, and Greg Stier. The writers skillfully connect the dots between the ancient truths of Scripture and the issues teenagers face living in the 21st century.
Help students join a generation of teenagers committed to experiencing God’s constant, daily presence in their lives!

Get it! Read it! Share it!

Now let me share a few reasons why I'm even more excited. This devotional Bible includes a dozen or so articles that I believe will help students continue to grow in their trust in Christ. Articles on "how to read the Bible," "helpful spiritual disciplines," and "why do we have the Bible, anyway?" offer students additional help as they navigate their own faith journeys. Each devotion will take 5-10 minutes (including a guided prayer time), but there's an option for those who want a little something more. Plus, each devotion recognizes the passage of the day as one of four cycles of the overall story of the Bible:

• oneness with God
• sin and separation
• consequences and crying out
• God hears and restores

I believe your students will learn how to read the Bible better by using this daily devotion.

What do you think?

students and social media

When I grew up, our family had one phone. It was mustard yellow, had a rotary dial, and a 20' cord. It stayed in the kitchen, on top of a stack of telephone books, and if you wanted to privacy, you could just make it outside to sit on the back porch. When I was in High School, we got our second home phone, and it stayed in our parents' bedroom on top of the 30lb answering machine.

My . . . how times have changed!

I got my first cell phone in 1999. My church provided it for me, and I had 30 minutes per month. No texting, no apps, just a phone. My iPhone now has more processing power and more memory than the computer I used in seminary. I have 100+ apps -- 20+ that I use almost every day -- and if I bought the Bluetooth keyboard, I may not even need a computer anymore.

My . . . how times have changed!

Don't misunderstand me -- I enjoy technology. I struggle when new gadgets come out, because I want them. Now. And when I see teenagers sporting better equipment than what I have, I'm tempted to confiscate it under the guise of "it's being a distraction" and forget to give it back.

But what is technology doing to our culture?

Back in the day, I read a great journalism book called Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman. It's a little dated, but Postman argued that television was hurting our capacity to think deeply and have significant conversations about meaningful topics.

I believe the same thing is happening in our culture today, because of our addiction to social media.

Again, please don't misunderstand me -- I enjoy technology! But I see the struggle in my own life, and I've read a little research discussing it. (If you're a nerd like me, check out this article from the University of Chicago, this one from the Huffington Post, and this one discussing the potential for social media addiction to become a diagnosable medical disorder.)

OK, but what do we as parents do about it? You can find a ton of opinions about approaches parents should take with regards to their adolescents' social media usage. Read them all, and weigh them against the truths of scripture. My favorite culture expert is Walt Mueller and the Center for Parent Youth Understanding. His newest project, the Digital Kids Initiative, is providing some solid resources for parents looking for help. (I especially like their handouts and family covenants.)

Here are a few thoughts on what we parents can do to strengthen our influence on our students' social media usage:

1. Have lots of conversations with your students. What students are doing online is important to discover. But it's equally important to learn the "why" behind the "what." Our goal is long-term healthy relationships with our students, so let's spend time listening to what they're saying -- by their words and by their actions.

2. Set a good example. If we're encouraging our students to limit the amount of social media usage they engage in, it's probably helpful for us to lead the way. In some areas, "do what I say not what I do" is appropriate, but in this case, moderation is the right thing to do. Even for adults.

3. Resist pressure and set healthy rules. On some level, I believe every parent walks a tightrope between being a friend to our student and being an adult. In this case, our teenagers need us to be an adult who sets healthy boundaries. Even if it's not popular.

4. Monitor your student's technology usage. While I favor the approach of the mom in this story, I recognize others disagree. From my perspective, accountability is good in everyone's life, regardless of age. I'm a big boy, and I open my life up to two close friends on a weekly basis. Because I need help to live into the values I profess.

5. Show an interest in the things your students are interested in. By the end of a day, I'm on stimulus overload, and all I want to do is sit somewhere and relax. At the same time, my kids are excited that I'm home, and they want to tell me the details of their day, on a minute-by-minute basis. My short-term-strategy is to send them away so I can rest. But my long-term strategy is to build a deep connection with my kids, so I listen to their stories, play their games, and watch their TV shows with them. I want to be connected to my kids in the good times, because it's that connection that will help me walk them through the more challenging times ahead.

What do you think?