So with all the snowdays, we've spent some time at the church doing some winter cleaning and rearranging in our offices.And in the process I came across this book. Any guesses as to the copyright date on this little gem?
Actually it's 1945.
Do you see the irony? This book was written before Chubby Bunny was invented.
And Chubby Bunny is so 1980s Youth Ministry.
(not to mention a lawsuit waiting to happen!)
So how can this little manual possible claim to be up-to-date?
This is a question that seems to be on my mind a lot lately. In our culture today things change fast. There is a new TV/cellphone/vehicle/exercise program always vying for our attention (and money!). Everyday new information, media and technology bombard us. Some research says that every 18 months our media and technology culture completely shifts. Which means that it isn’t easy to stay up-to-date. This presents an interesting situation for us as followers of Christ.
Doug & I just recently traveled to Florida so Doug could teach the Palmer Leadership Institute to a group of pastors. As a part of that training, we talked about our culture and how to engage modern society with the truths of Christ. I marveled at how much our society and culture have changed even since Doug has started teaching these classes. I think a person could go crazy trying to keep up with it. And very often when I’m with church leaders, they wonder how to stay up with these current trends to stay relevant.
The other thing that struck me as we went through this training was how much the practical tools we discussed were really a return to ancient tried principles.
Things like when Jesus said the greatest commandment was to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” and that the second most important was to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matt 22:36-39).
Or when Jesus commanded his disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples...teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:19-20).
So, in those observations, I had a revelation.
While we need to keep our eyes open to the times, maybe as followers of Christ trying to impact our neighbors and our world for His Kingdom we need to spend less time trying to stay up-to-date and more time focusing on the principles Christ has laid out. Principles that have been the catalyst throughout history to create new culture.
I pray that we can be a part of that catalyst.
So tell me...
How important is it for you to stay up-to-date personally?
How important is it for the church to stay up-to-date? and what does that look like?
What would it look like for us to pursue these ancient principles that Jesus laid out in our modern culture?
Look forward to the discussion!
3 comments:
How important is it for you to stay up-to-date personally?
On a personal level I try to keep up with technology and society, but only so far as being informed. I seldom stay up to date with my purchases of technology, I just try to know how to use stuff that is out there. I'm probably 3 years behind in technology purchases.
How important is it for the church to stay up-to-date? and what does that look like?
I would say that the church doesn't need to be as up to date as a whole. Relationships never go out of style. The main focus should be in ensuring that church members are able to communicate and maintain relationships with their friends and family. Technology may change the way we communicate, but the relationship itself is what matters.
What would it look like for us to pursue these ancient principles that Jesus laid out in our modern culture?
These commands can be followed by putting an emphasis on the relationship, and by relegating technology to its properly role as a tool to be used as a means to an end.
As usual, much agreed with your comments, Nate. I continue to see the need for the church to promote real relationships in the mid of this overwhelming flood of social networking, technology and busyness. Just trying to figure out what that looks like on a day to day basis.
On a lighter note, I think it may be important for me as a church leader to stay up-to-date on new technology as I just got a call this morning from a church member needing help navigating through a virus issue on their computer with Windows 7 on it:)
Excellent, excellent questions, Mark.
Q: How important is it for you to stay up-to-date personally?
A: It depends on the cost-benefit. My computer is 7 years old. Surprised? I don't carry a smartphone. I guess I expect my gadgets to improve my quality of life without costing me very many weeks' worth of work to pay for them.
Q: How important is it for the church to stay up-to-date? and what does that look like?
A: It's all about issues. Personal issues. Preach sermons that tell me how to live my life the way that God wants me to. (And everyone else too, of course. We're not all that different.) Do that, and you're always relevant.
It's nice to have a good web page and downloadable sermons and be on Facebook and all that, but not strictly necessary. The message is more important than the technology.
Q: What would it look like for us to pursue these ancient principles that Jesus laid out in our modern culture?
A: I think it starts with boundaries. No text-messaging when you're on a date with your spouse. Shutting it all off for 30 minutes to play a board game with the kids. And disengaging when your reaction to what someone else is doing online turns you into a person that you don't want to be. It's relatively rare that the person on the other end of that phone/computer is more important than the person sitting next to you, but we have that turned around these days. I include myself in that group of people who get it wrong a lot.
That's just a start, but it would help.
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