• DCLA Recap – directors cut

    Let’s see… so much in this show to cover!

    – Brittany did a great job hosting the DCLA recap. She ran our registration area… but once she was done she got to join “the fun team” and run around with me capturing video and pictures.
    – The opening thing we shot on the Mall. It got super hot and by the time we got back to the convention center, about a mile away, we were both exhausted.
    – Right before we shot this opening scene Brittany and I witnessed one of the most bizarre moments of our lives. A woman was laying on the grass with the monument in the background above her… that’s all I can say as this is a PG rated blog.
    – Each night before we let the students into Big Room there was a massive “walking in” moment where we tried to slow everyone down. Here’s a video I took on my flip camera the night before. That’s Tic Long leading the way. Awesome moment.
    – The worship times with Starfield were insane. I had a hard time squeezing to the front. The kids jumping, dancing, and worshiping was a lot of fun. I’m glad we captured Scott Erickson painting and dancing as well. He makes his art fun!
    – I love the clips from students sharing about their DCLA experiences. You’ll hear a few of them reference the storyline. During 4 big room sessions the speakers covered the entire Bible and weaved students into God’s story of redemption for the world.
    – Shane Claiborne’s point about God loving Afghanistan and Iraq reverberated all weekend long. I heard people say AMEN but I wonder how many people are still wrestling with that point.
    – I’ve seen Tommy and Eddie (The Skit Guys) do their thing a bunch. But I have to say… I loved how they came up with new skits, even a serious one, to fit into the storyline.
    – There’s a couple of clips from the concert on Saturday night with KJ-52 and Hawk Nelson. Holy cow… the kids were into that. I was in the little pit between the stage and these barricades they put up. Lemme tell you, it was a little scary!
    – I’m happy the clip with the kid answering his cell made the cut into the podcast. That was stupid funny.
    – I’m also glad we included the part with the youth pastor, Verne. He and I exchanged a bunch of tweets during DCLA. I love how a couple students were like, “No, Verne doesn’t fart a lot.” But the one girl is like… “Yeah, he farts all the time!”
    – Brittany scared me to death. I found this little walkway above the ballrooms. I am positive we weren’t supposed to be up there as it was like 100 feet above the floor. You can see on the video that she is standing in front of this chest high wall. She was freaking me out since she wanted to stand on top of the wall! I’m not afraid of heights. But I am afraid of people falling off of things.
    – I caught the youth pastor from my in-laws church, Larry, talking about labs. He was great. I’ve never gotten to know him but I know he’s a big help to YS.
    – I think every student I interviewed, except the kids in Verne’s church, were from Jersey.
    – My favorite line in the show comes at the end… “DCLA is dipped in awesome sauce.” Amen to that.

    Big ups to Ian. He took 90 minutes of raw footage and strung together a 7 minute show.

  • Realistic Expectations for Church Staff

    realistic-expectation

    Most of my adult life I have been on church staff. But the last 13 months I have not worked at a church and it has provided me with a wealth of insights into what I thought people expected out of me versus what I expected out of myself. I think people working at churches have unrealistic expectations for their churches just like the people in the pews have unrealistic expectations for what their church staff should be doing.

    With that in mind, here are some of my realistic expectations of my church staff: (Please note I lump all staff together as equals.)

    – Remind me of the churches vision. Let’s face it, it’s hard out there raising a family and earning a living. That makes it very easy to forget what the church is all about. My default vision for the church is always going to be “meet MY needs.” If the churches vision isn’t about my default, I depend and expect the staff to remind me what it is. In our church’s case I need to hear and see tangible manifestations of the church’s vision… bridging cultures, bridging hearts.

    – Teach me from where you are in your walk with Jesus. We live in an age where Christians have access to the very best communicators of biblical truth on the planet with a single click of the mouse. Consequently, I think church staff feel compared to these other ministries all the time. But I don’t expect my church staff to be John Piper, Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, or any of the others. Those are all great leaders and I am thankful for them… but I expect my church staff to lead me locally right from the pages of what God is doing in their lives. Jesus didn’t select those people to be here in my neighborhood! But He did select this staff for this time– and I know Jesus is smart enough to place the right people in the right places.

    – Be professional. I know church staff feel an all encompassing, mind-swirling, burdening pressure to be all things to all people. The dumbest thing you can do as church staff is to buy into that lie. It’ll cost you joy and sanity! I don’t expect church staff to meet my every whim. I don’t even expect the staff to “be my friend.” Their role in my life is to be a spiritual leader– if the friendship thing happens that is fine– but it’s not an expectation I have. And I never expect their families to be at an event, or even Sunday morning worship. I do expect the staff to be prepared, to lead their ministries effectively, to be on time, to be courteous, and to represent the church to the community.

    – Set the pace. I am always leery when I see church staff buy into the now, NOW, NOW!!! mode. I just don’t think that is a sustainable pace. Very few churches in this world can sustain exponential growth. Moreover, I expect that each church has a “right size” when we should stop thinking about growing and start thinking about planting. I mourn the satellite movement. It’s as if they got the idea they should plant but don’t have the nerve to cut the strings from the communicator… as if the lead communicator is the reason 4,000 people show up to church!

    – Lead movements, not programs. It’s easy to focus on a tanglible program as a church staff. “This week I am leading VBS” or “This week I am taking students on a short-term ministry project.” While those are great, I don’t give a rip if they happen or not. If my church staff told me they were killing children’s Sunday School because it wasn’t helping them bridge cultures and hearts with City Heights… I’d be cool with that. The reason is that I have an expectation that the church will focus on a Gospel-driven movement in my community. Programs can be the enemy of people movements.

    – Remain biblically qualified. When I look at 1 Timothy 3 I don’t see anything unrealistic. I expect those things to be boundaries. Don’t whore around. Don’t be a sloppy drunk. Don’t blow money. Don’t cause trouble. Don’t be a hot head. Be a decent teacher. Be respectable and have an open heart.

    With all of that said, I think it becomes clear what our role is as the body. My job is to keep my expectations reasonable. And when my expectations aren’t met, my job is to go back and check my expectations against what is reasonable. As I look over this list I kept saying to myself, “This list needs someone to be the gatekeeper!” Each church needs a person who knows the staff intimately enough to help them establish boundaries. The church needs that same person to be an advocate for the staff to the church at-large, as well. It’s almost as if Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, knew what he was talking about.

    What are expectations you have for church staff that are different from my list? If you are on church staff, is my list helpful or harmful to you?

  • Philly Pictures

  • NYC Pictures | Day One

  • In NJ/NYC

    The McLane family is on vacation. We left on Thursday and flew from San Diego to Washington D.C. Over the weekend I worked at DCLA while Kristen and the kids explored the city. The went to some museums, saw some sites, toured some buildings, and basically just had a series of long days. If you’ve been to D.C. you know it involves lots and lots of walking. Meanwhile, I took lots of video and pictures of the event. Most of which you can see at the DCLA fan page.

    Yesterday, we wrapped up our trip in D.C. with a visit to the U.S. Capitol, the Library of Congress, and then headed north. For the next couple of days we’re going to be exploring New Jersey and New York City before heading home on Sunday.

    I promise I’ve got lots and lots of deep thoughts, challenges, and calls to change coming. But for now… we’re resting!

  • World’s Fastest

  • Train vs. Tornado

    This is like something out of an action movie. Half of me expects Bruce Willis to run by with a 9 mm.

  • Bring on the Thunder

    lightning-dcWe’re going on vacation. I know it sounds a bit weird for people who don’t live in San Diego… but we need a vacation from living in this vacation wonderland! And since I’m going to Washington D.C. for DCLA, we figured it just made sense to go “back east” for a family vacation.

    We’re doing 5 days in DC, 3-4 days in New York City, and a day in Philadelphia. This is Kristen’s big trip back to her homeland and she’s very jazzed about it.

    Looking at the forecast brings up something we are all secretly craving. A thunderstorm! While San Diego has a rainy season it’s been months since we’ve seen (and heard) a thunderstorm. We can’t wait. I’m sure everyone will be saying how green everything is as well.

    Bring on the thunder!

  • Big God Theory

    Divide-and-conquerI’m not ashamed of my conservative roots. I am a proud graduate of Moody Bible Institute. Yes, it is a Bible school with a dress code, code of conduct which prevented all sorts of fun, they even make their graduates sign a doctrinal statement. A big crazy one, too. I think most would label my theological positions somewhere between “conservative” and “very conservative.” I hold to the inerrancy of Scripture. I believe that Jesus is the only way to heaven. I believe that in order to walk with Jesus one must make a personal decision for Jesus. I even believe in a 6 day creation. I’m pretty stinking conservative theologically and I’m proud of that.

    But there are practices from within my tribe I’m not proud to associate myself with. And most of them can be boiled down to a little God theory of the world.

    Little God theory [I made this term up] is the belief that people are only “truly Christian” if they happen to agree with your views of God, church, Jesus, and how you worship.

    I remember Ray Pritchard illustrating this with a joke when we attended his church in the Chicago area:

    A man is driving across a bridge late one night when he comes upon another man standing on top of the railing of the bridge, positioned to commit suicide. He stops his car and cautiously walks up to the man. “Mister, I don’t know what’s happened in your life but I can promise you that whatever it is, killing yourself won’t fix anything.” He proceeds, “Sir, do you believe in God?” The man replies, “Why yes, in fact I

    am a deacon in a Lutheran church.” Amazed, he replies “Well, me too! Tell me, what synod of the Lutheran Church are you a deacon in?” The man on the ledge says, “I’m a lifelong member of the Missiori synod, how about you?” Angered by this reply, the Good Samaritan lunges forward and pushes the man off the ledge. As the man plunges to his death the man shouts, “You heretic, there is only one true synod… the Wisconsin synod of the Lutheran Church!”

    That story illustrates just how silly a small God theory is in the hands of a mighty, sovereign God. Small God theory is willing to separate over things that aren’t that big of a deal. Music, methodology, gray areas, etc. Small God theory elevates minor things to major thing status. It takes these things and blows them out of proportion. It assumes that people who don’t like bluegrass/hip hop worship can’t possibly worship the same God as those who live for it. It assumes that people who want to have an altar call before you get your food at Chick-fil-a couldn’t possibly fellowship with people who aren’t sure if altar calls are ever appropriate. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that there are people who just don’t think they can worship with those crazy skim milk fans. Small God theory can’t get over the 2% difference between two groups of people… that 2% really, really matters! [Just wait, someone will leave a comment about that 2%, what if it’s ___.] From that reasoning they can justify building a church across the street. This separation thing is one of the hallmarks of being protestant, isn’t it? We love to take our 2% ball and go somewhere else!

    bridge-jumpI’m a big God theory dude. The way I see it, God’s love is super big-wide-deep-tall for His people. He has created some people to speak in tongues, some who hate tongues speaking folks, some who like gangsta rap worship and some who like to chant in church. I think God loves the diversity of His body. I see Jesus as a loving groom who greatly enjoys His funky, off-the-wall bride. We speak all languages, worship in thousands of fashions, have theological views which clash and clang against one another, but together are wildly in love with the groom… big eye shadow and all. I don’t even have a huge problem with my small God theory cousins. They just add that little spice that keeps the party interesting.

    To be honest, I’m longing to find friends who enjoy the big God theory ecclecticism. I’m happy to make friends who shrug their shoulders at differences– even significant ones– yet rally around a love for Jesus. And when those small God theory folks call me names– I get a kick out of that too. Everyone has a know it all relative, don’t they?

  • Free vs. Paid Content in the Church

    free

    Whether you are aware of it or not, there is a raging battle going on about the concept of free vs. paid content on the internet. Big names in media like Rupert Murdoch have drawn the line in the sand– they are going to make people pay for news content. Others have embraced the Google model of an advertising-based system of free content. Last week Seth Godin took the debate to a new level. He is firmly in the free camp while Malcolm is in the the paid camp. Of course, most of Seth’s income comes from consulting, speaking, and book proceeds– so Seth may be in the free camp for some things, but his paycheck comes from paid content too.

    Inside the church the same debate has just begun. And all of these questions lead back to the same two central questions that newspapers are wrestling with, “Since creating content isn’t free, who is going to pay?” “In a world of free content, where is the ethical line?”

    Two Sides to the Content Coin

    1. Gospel-oriented content should be freely available. As someone who has successfully started an internet business in the last five years I know the power of free. Ask Tim Schmoyer. Ask Ryan Nielsen. Nothing draws traffic to a youth ministry website quite like free. In the youth ministry world there is an expectation of free content. There is a righteous indignation when you question the ethics of free, too. No one cares that it costs me thousands of dollars to create, host, and market “free” content. There is a general consensus that stuff about youth ministry should be free and you shouldn’t expect anything in return for free lessons, videos, music, etc. “Don’t ask me to click on an ad. Don’t ask me to sign up for a newsletter. I need something free because I don’t have budget to buy stuff.” I’ve gotten nasty emails from folks who insist that all content about ministry should be free. These same people often are in paid ministry. So they want to get paid for using someone’s free content. Talk about wanting your cake and eating it too! Sheesh.

    2. Gospel-oriented content should cost something. Of course, the ironic thing about the free thing is that the people who think ministry content should be free want to get paid by their churches, ministries, or non-profits. If I told you that you shouldn’t get paid for being a youth pastor you’d get angry with me! There is a certain immaturity to the free thing. At the end of the day there is no such thing as free content on the internet. Someone sits down to write something, they save it as a PDF, they post it on a website, and they offer it for free to anyone who wants to download it. It seems free when it isn’t. That computer cost you something. The education that powered your thoughts cost you something. The time you spent creating it… was it for work you were being paid for at the church? If so, does that content even belong to you? If it was your free time, isn’t that time worth something? If you don’t think your time is worth something why should I use your stuff? When you posted it somewhere on the web, who paid for that server space? If it’s on a well-known site, who is paying for the building of that site/brand? Who is paying for maintaining it? If you added graphics to the content, who paid for that? If you had someone proofread it, who paid for that persons work? That doesn’t seem free to me.

    There is no such thing as “free” content, even Gospel-oriented content, so people should expect to pay something for the works they use. The real question is, “Who should pay?” In the old media world the user was expected to pay for the content. You subscribed to a newspaper to get the content and the profit in the model came from advertising. You wanted a book so you went to a bookstore and bought it. In the 1980s and 1990s most of us in ministry would have thought it immoral to copy books and give them to friends, copy cassette tapes and give them to students, etc. But now there is an expectation that advertising will somehow pay for all the content I want/need. That’s the new media age. Free to me, let advertisers foot the bill. Wouldn’t it be funny to see a pastors salary supported by advertising? He’d preach in an outfit that resembled a Nascar driver’s suit! It’s always funny to think about real world applications of stuff we do on the internet everyday, isn’t it?

    Digital media has created an ethics dilemna for people in ministry, hasn’t it? There seems to be a feeling that the parable of the talents can’t possibly relate to actual money. People who advocate for free content will concede… “It’s OK to break even, just don’t get rich!” So if content cost me $500 to produce a lesson… why is it wrong to want to return $1000? (Like the parable) Don’t you remember the parable… Jesus called the man who just broke even a wicked and lazy servant. What then would Jesus say to people who intend to invest $500 in content and give it away? Super wicked and super lazy?

    We would never walk up to an auto mechanic and expect him to change our oil for free simply because we are in ministry. We would never go to the dentist and insist that he give us free dental. We would never go to the grocery store and expect the grocer to pay for the pastors food. And yet we have no problem with this when it comes to Gospel-oriented content. Something is out of whack, isn’t it?

    As with all things that seem to leave us in a quandry– I am wondering if there is a 3rd way. Is there a way that is both ethically satisfying and free? Is there a way that is both affordable for ministry folks and pays for itself?

    Chime in. I don’t pretend to have all the answers. If you’re in the paid camp– speak up! If you think everything should be free, give me a counter-punch.