• You can’t systematize and organism

    Photo by sookie via Flickr (Creative Commons)

    For a while now I’ve been bothered by the desire to systematize church life. Whereas, the New Testament uses complex terminology and illustrations involving the family, farming, and the human body… our modern mindset tries to fit the church into a structure with rigid boundaries so we can manage predictable outcomes.

    Believers recognize that the church isn’t the building. But in effect, we limit how we think about “church” to the “our church” we go to. (Whereas, reading the book of Revelation we see Jesus address the church of a city, not individual congregations. And today other people tend to think of “the church” in regional or even national contexts impossible for New Testament readers to conceive of.)

    We chose how we experience church not from a geographical perspective like we see in Revelation, but at the very core, from a place of personal preference.

    Are systems bad?

    No. But they have intended and unintended consequences.

    Systems lead to structure. Structure leads to rigidity. Rigidity leads to roles.

    That’s how you end up with a high school music pastor. Or a pastor of stewardship. Or a person in charge of the prayer ministry. Or, for that matter, a teaching pastor. None of those roles are described in the New Testament. They’ve all been invented because we systematized an organism and replaced the narrative of body, farm, or family with business models– hiring program managers to manage people and programs.

    Photo by Julian Gajewski via Flickr (Creative Commons)

    Such things are a foundational misunderstandings and over-simplifications of how complex organisms such a family operates, a farm works, or how the human body functions.

    Can you imagine the chaos of 6 shepherds working the same flock by role? One guy makes sure the sheep are fed. Another person gathers sheep into smaller groups. Another is the lead shepherd so she just kind of makes sure the other shepherds are doing their jobs. And then there is the shepherd of the young sheep– he leads them all over the place but they sure do have fun!

    That’d be chaos. Wouldn’t it? Yet, the term pastor is very closely tied to that of a shepherd over a flock!

    The unintended consequence of control

    As I read and re-read the book of Acts I’m enamored by how wild the church was. It was a virus infecting every person it touched. No matter how hard Rome tried to squelch it, because the early church lacked systems it was impossible to control. One by one they captured, killed, tortured, and imprisoned those whom they thought were leaders. But it didn’t work! A decapitation strike only works when your organization has a head.

    Photo by Frank Tellez via Flickr (Creative Commons)

    The flip side is that today the American church is squelched by the systems of hierarchy it has fostered. There’s a bottleneck at every turn and the result is we have a large system mostly devoid of people, power, and impact. Why? We’ve systematized an organism.

    The church is decidedly unwild.

    It’s unnatural, it feels weird, and we blame the structure and the people within the structure and not the system itself.

    Environmental factors…

    All three of those things (families, farms, and the human body) are highly adaptable to the environment they exist in. A family isn’t a system where everyone does the same thing all of the time. (At least not in my family.) A farm morphs and mutates depending on the conditions on and off the farm. You might like to shepherd sheep. But if the price of wool dives, you might have to switch to growing alfalfa to pay the bills. And the human body constantly adapts to the environment it is in. It’s amazing how 50 degrees feels frigid in a San Diego winter but like a heat wave on the same day in Detroit!

    In the same way, church life is best when it reflects its community. Rather than expect the community to adapt to the rigidity of your churches system, imagine how many more people you could reach if you adapted your church to the community?

    Mutation and adaptability are enemies of systems and structure

    Systematizing is done to take the flexibility out and replace it with predictability. That’s why we have a Tax Day… a systematic day when all personal taxes come due.

    That’s why developing rigid systems for church life will never work to reach the other 90% of the population. The church was never intended to be a system, it’s an organism.

  • Incarnational living and the busy family

    Photo by fhwrdh via Flickr (Creative Commons)

    Here’s the deal: I don’t have nearly as much time, resources, or energy as I wish I did.

    And I certainly don’t have as much time, resources, or energy as my church expects me to have.

    Will you come to a meeting? Will you join a committee? Will you come to a picnic? Will you come to clean the neighborhood? Will you join a Bible study? Will you go on a mission trip? Will you help on Sunday mornings?

    The list never ends.

    I’m just happy to make it to church on Sunday. Literally, that’s about all I can muster most weeks.

    But in the churches eyes? You hear the groaning from the staff, “We can’t get anyone to do anything…” “People don’t support us like they should.” “We could do so much more if people just pitched in.” “80% of the work gets done by 20% of the people.”

    This exposes a deep disconnect between those in leadership and those who are a part of the congregation.

    There’s an assumption from church staff that I have lots of free time that I will give if only they can pitch it to me in a way that will motivate me. And I have an assumption that my church staff just look at me as a body who should be serving more. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

    Not the church– the neighborhood

    It’s so easy for me to confuse what incarnational living is all about.

    At its root, that’s just a fancy word for “living like Jesus.” Jesus, 100% God, chose to become 100% human. (Phillipians 2:6-8) As John 1:14 says, “He made his dwelling among us.” And while he was on earth he chose to invest in things of the community instead of merely hanging at the Temple.

    If we are to follow Jesus’ example of how to live… we need to spend way more time with the people of our neighborhood than we do with churchy people.

    That’s where the frustration lies for me. The invitation/temptation is constantly to get involved with the things of my church. All I have to do is say yes! Yet in reality, living incarnationally is an invitation to bypass most church involvement for the sake of living like Jesus in my neighborhood.

    A realistic pace

    Here’s my week:

    • Monday – Friday: Get the kids to school, go to work, come home, spend time with the kids, do some chores, spend at least 15 minutes alone with Kristen. Go to bed. Monday night we have community group, [taking time off from that with baby] Tuesday I help with youth group, Wednesday the kids go to Awana. That leaves Thursday and Friday night “open” each week.
    • Saturday: Get stuff done around the house. Mow the lawn, weed the garden, etc. We try to do something with the kids like go to a movie or play mini golf.
    • Sunday: This is our day of rest. We lounge around a bit in the morning before church. We go to church from 10:30 – 12:30. When it’s warm, we go to the beach.

    That leaves very little extra time for other things. And there are a whole lot of voices telling me how to best utilize that time. (More time with my kids, shuttling my kids to sports, I should be working out, take a seminary class, volunteer at the school, volunteer at church. This list never ends.)

    We have an infant in our house. Want to know how I want to utilize that extra time? Sleep!

    Sure, I could squeeze a couple more activities into that weekly line-up if I wanted to. But I’ve also learned that if I jam too much in there, there’s no joy there. It’s just not a realistic pace for this stage of life. I prefer to leave Livin’ la Vida Loco to Ricky Martin.

    Ultimately, squeezing the life out of a busy schedule for the sake of one more thing at church is not incarnationally living, is it?

    If I’m really honest… loving my neighbors is really all I can swing.

    The question is simple: Is that enough?

    What do you think? How should we teach people to balance involvement at church with involvement in the neighborhood? If the net result of ministering to people with full lives is less programs, how could the church impact more people with less programs? What would the roll of church staff be?

  • The Sea

    ten things i have learned about the sea from lorenzo fonda on Vimeo.

    I was mesmerized by this short film. Like the filmmaker, there is something about the ocean that speaks deeply to my soul.

    If I had unlimited time to travel, explore, and write… traveling by cargo ship would be incredible. Am I the only one who looks at this film and says, 14 days from San Francisco to Xiamen? Yes, please!

    ht to Likecool

  • VOTE: Cobra Pit Cleaner Ad

    Contest: Submit a Craigslist-styled ad for the video above. (Entries closed, see entries here)

    VOTE! Read the three entries below and cast your vote. Winner announced Wednesday morning.

    Finalists

    A: Middle-Management Position – Submitted by Kevin A.

    Middle-management position has recently become available to oversee a quiver of ground-floor executives hungry for leadership. The selected candidate will demonstrate the ability to think quickly on their feet while maintaining order in chaos. Experience in sorting socks preferred but not required.

    In accordance with our company’s new-hire policy, employee’s first check will be held for two weeks.

    B: Animal Caretaker Wanted – Submitted by Jason B.

    Tired of the rat race? Like working outside with interesting animals? We’re looking for a reliable, venturesome, hands-on person who will clean and maintain an exclusive over-sized worm farm. Previous experience HIGHLY recommended, but not required.

    Excellent Benefits include: A swig of whiskey to start each shift properly relaxed. All the Easter egg shells you can find are yours to keep. The company may opt to purchase life insurance on Caretaker (came in handy with last employee).

    High-quality broom and pooper-scooper provided. Must supply your own sandals and first aid kit.

    Serious inquiries only. Don’t let this opportunity slither away!

    Location: Conveniently located just 43 miles from local hospital.

    C: Volunteers Needed to Help Stop Impended Cobra Infanticide – Submitted by Matt C.

    Are you passionate about cobras and their babies? Does it sadden you to witness the rampant cobra infanticide we see in the news all over the world? Now you can do something about it!

    See one cobra infanticide in action here. (warning, this may disturb you) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIMigVo1pyA

    Wouldn’t it be great if a great big PAPA cobra stepped in to rescue those baby cobras?

    We are organizing volunteers on every continent to dress up as PAPA COBRA’S and interrupt cobra baby infanticides as they occur. Here is an example of a PAPA COBRA: http://www.team-mascots.com/mascots/mascots%20images/snake_cobra_275.jpg

    That could be you! You can rescue the baby cobras in your neighborhood! If you are interested in volunteering in a high-density cobra zone like India or Indonesia, please indicate that in your email. We have some wealthy PAPA COBRA donors who’d like to help you fly there to help thousands of baby cobras this summer!

    Contact us today by responding to this ad or visiting our website: www.helpbabycobras.com

    VOTE – Voting closes Tuesday at midnight (PST)

    Note: Winner to receive a $25 gift card from Amazon.com.

  • Megan and I at the wedding



    Megan and I at the wedding, originally uploaded by mclanea.

    Proof. I do own a tie.

  • The Civil Wars: My Father’s Father

    I have a not-so-secret love affair with The Civil Wars. Their harmonies are chillingly beautiful.

    If I were a concert promoter I’d be booking these guys now. Their stock is on the rise.

  • When companies listen

    I think the most powerful thing I do at YS is listen. Sure, I know what it’s like to be a youth pastor. Sure, I know some skills and tricks for building websites. Sure, I know a little about engaging with people in the realm of social media.

    Above all else… I am careful to listen 10x’s more than I speak. I read hundreds of blogs. I monitor dozens of Google alerts. I scan through thousands of tweets and Facebook status’ every day.

    How else am I supposed to tell the difference between someone complaining about a flight to Miami starting too late and an opportunity to host a cross-Atlantic dance party?

    Too many people/companies/brands/organizations/churches/celebrities use Twitter and Facebook like a customer list. They do whatever they can to build massive followings because someone in their marketing department thinks that making money has something to do with the size of your lists.

    In fact, the single most powerful thing any organization can do is listen.

    ht to The Next Web & Carol Phillips

  • Wedding Weekend

    Kristen Tucker & Adam McLane, Fall 1996

    I’m performing a wedding this weekend for long-time friend Dave Luke and his fiancee` Justine. Thinking about their engagement and wedding brought back this lovely memory.

    I’m not sure Kristen has changed a bit. But I’m glad that zit finally healed up and I got over the Friends look.

    I’m a youth pastor, you don’t think I never rocked a goatee at some point, did you?

  • Redemption Song

    Good Friday reminds me of this song and this moment for two reasons.

    1. May we sing songs of freedom this weekend. Jesus came to set captives free. May we celebrate and remember as ones freed from bondage.
    2. As we celebrate Easter this weekend, let’s remember that Jesus didn’t die just to redeem you. He died that His people might live as children of the light. (Ephesians 5:8) May we continue to have compassion on the Rudy’s of the world in the name of the one who had great compassion on us.

  • It’s going to take all types

    The church in America isn’t growing

    In every community around the United States only about 5-10% of people attend a church on any given weekend. (Easter & Christmas, let’s bump that to 15%.) If you believe that Jesus intended His church as the primary instrument of the Gospel spreading and prevailing in a community… this is a problem we need to deal with.

    First, some people question my math. My encouragement, do the math for yourself. In the next hour call every church in your zip code and ask them for last Sunday’s actual attendance. Then divide that by the number the census bureau says lives in that zip code. You’ll see I’m being very generous by saying 5-10%. It is likely 4% or less. Even less when you consider that each church you called probably rounded their numbers up and there are a good number of people who are actually actively involved in 2 or more churches.

    We don’t have anything to be proud about

    I cringe when I see church leaders bash one another. Gluttony, arrogance, and pride are the sins of pop culture Christianity today. Everyone has something smart to say. Everyone thinks their theology or practice or church or worship is somehow morally superior to everyone else’s. When people comment on blogs they say, “I agree with you ___, but I disagree with you ____.” David summed it up well, “In their own eyes they flatter themselves too much to detect or hate their sin.” (Psalm 36:2)

    None of us have it 100% right. All of us are equal in our failure to reach more of our community. Save your swagger for going out dancing with your “smoking hot wife” on Friday night. Name the biggest church in the country and then do the math. You’re rocking 25,000 in a metro area of 2 million? (1.25%) You have nothing over a church of 250 in a town of 14,000. (1.78%)

    We are all just doing the best we can to figure out how to reach our communities. We should encourage one another– instead of wasting our time lining up to bash people.

    Your theology isn’t any better or more perfect than the church across the street. (Within the confines of orthodoxy, of course.) And no one is impressed with your ability to make yourself look intellectually superior. If those theological legs aren’t walking next door to love your neighbors… well,  perhaps you’ve made Jesus your hobby and not your Lord?

    It takes all kinds of churches

    It’s easy to look at the style of church you like and say, “The world needs more of that.” But the reality is that each community needs all kinds of new churches. We should celebrate rich diversity in the body of Christ as opposed to espousing that one way is ideal and the rest are second best.

    We need big megachurch-copying-rip-off-artist churches. We need Jim-and-Tammy-Faye-money-grabbing churches. We need earthy organic churches. We need old-skool-indie-fundy churches. We need go-to-church-to-watch-a-dude-on-TV churches. We need stiff-necked-hymn-loving-Presby churches. We need clothing-sharing-community-development-loving-missional churches. We need almost-disneyland-just-built-a-slide churches. We need honky-tonk-country-music-loving churches. We need hip-hop-driven-urban-family churches. We need big-hat-potluck-loving churches. We need all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people with the love of Christ.

    There’s no room to say what kind of church is right and what kind of church is wrong when you are only reaching 5-10% of the population. We just need churches and we just need to reach people!

    What’s worthy of celebration?

    Churches working together. Churches loving one another. Church leaders choosing to unite. Churches choosing to reconcile age-old problems. Churches sharing resources. Churches sharing staff. Churches coming together for the greater good of the community. Churches flinging the doors open to newfound ethnicities in their community. Churches feeding the poor and caring for widows, orphans, and otherwise needy people. Churches tearing down the walls of their fifedoms for the sake of the spread of God’s Kingdom on earth.

    Let’s celebrate and talk about that. Tearing one another apart? I’ve got no time for such worries.