manna?

Disclaimer: Please Don’t Misunderstand My Absence!!!

Posted by Greg

My Fellow Mannites:

My company has just tentatively signed two new clients this week, and they both need us to come down and observe their Sunday worship services so that we can understand their style and start our design/consulting work.  So they are both flying us down the next two Sundays.  This weekend I’ll be at a Crossroads Community Church outside Atlanta and next weekend at The Healing Place outside Baton Rouge.

I don’t want any of my fellow mannites to think that just because I’m not preaching I’m not there for my fellow teaching pastors.  We’re more than a team, we’re best of friends.  I am convinced that Dave and Barbara are called by God to help teach and lead us at Manna, and I support them 110%.  If I didn’t need to be gone these next couple of Sundays to make a living I would be there learning from them and praying for them and cheering them on.

I know that people notice things like one member of a ministry team being absent and wonder if there is some sordid story behind the scenes.  Do the teaching pastors not get along?  Is one a prima-donna who won’t show up if they aren’t in the spotlight?  Let me assure you that there is no story, other than I’ve got paying clients I have to meet with.  And no matter how big and fantastic the worship services in Atlanta and Baton Rouge will be, my heart and prayers will be in the Park Theater with all of you and my fellow teaching pastors!

Encourage them and support them…  Hebrews 13:17

Greg

The Relationship Driven Church by John O’Keef (Ginkworld.net)

Posted by Ed Miller

Warning. This is not a program.

It seems that all churches I know are looking for that one, perfect magical program that will make it easy for church growth; some kind of special musical style that will attract people like crazy; that one charismatic pastor with great hair, perfect teeth, a winning smile, with a blond wife and two point five kids (that will work for almost nothing and be on call 26 hours aday); that “all-in-one” special “thing” that will help them grow a church that will put the “mega-church” to shame.  Most churches are driven by their desire to reach numbers that will make other church take notice of their wonderful abilities to do a “true” ministry of God. 
It seems that all churches are looking for that magic pill, that special program, that one thing that will help them grow – and because of that, they will devour all that publishers and writes place before them, as long as the magic words “church growth” are added to the program line.

 

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Finding God On Your i-Pod by Kathleen Murphy(Religion News Service)

Posted by Ed Miller

The radio preacher is finding new life in cyberspace.

Godcasting is the latest advancement in online religion, in which preachers convert their sermons to audio to be heard on portable digital audio devices.

Using iPods or any portable MP3 player, “podcasting” lets people download audio programs that can be listened to whenever they like. It’s a form of audio syndication that musicians, businessmen, tech talk show hosts and political commentators like Al Franken have already adopted.

There’s lots more God on iPod than jazz, theater or movie reviews. Pod preachers, including Christians, Buddhists and Pagans, are among the most prolific users of the new technology. Just as sermons were among the first type of broadcasts when radio caught on in America in the 1920s, podcasting is creating a new form of wireless parson.

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Monday Manna

Posted by Ed Miller

Manna doesn’t happen just on Sundays.

As Wade, Greg and I met to talk about some tech issues on Monday at the Holland Brew Pub it struck me that little Manna’s were breaking out all over the city. Yeah we talked about tech stuff but we also talked about the Tigers,(baseball) California,(Greg) and how to set up a few more chairs on Sunday. I think when we originally envisioned Manna, we hoped that it wouldn’t be just a Sunday thing. We thought that maybe it would break out at any moment at any place. So here’s the question. Where are your Manna’s this week? Maybe as they happen you could drop us a note.

Ed

P.S. We have another skills seminar scheduled for Friday at 4:00 PM at the Curraugh. Maybe Manna will break out there too?

Managerment Theory And The Church by Jay Bauman (The Ooze)

Posted by Ed Miller

Imagine several young men gathered around a table discussing management and leadership practices. Several of them quote the newest books on The Wall Street Journal’s best seller list and others discuss the newest book published by the Harvard Business school. Typical strategic session in corporate America? Perhaps, but it is just as likely a conference for strategy for the local church or perhaps a church planting conference seminar. Sadly in these meetings, the Word of God seems to be mentioned very little except to a token degree so those involved won’t appear unspiritual.

Now few pastors and church leaders would ever claim to trust in such management theory, but their actions speak louder than their words. One example is church planting. Most church plants are modeled after the “best-practices” other churches (in some cases just one) use. Like many small businesses, the success rate is very small (say 1 of 8 survive). I believe many times this is because the approach to ministry is shaped by the world, rather than by a burning desire to see lost people redeemed. A better question the church planter should ask is – what is the heart of God for my local church?

Their leadership styles may have little to do with Spirit-led leadership, instead relying on motivational practices which appear highly effective, but in reality may just lead people to be well-disciplined in the flesh.

With the increase of second-career pastors (including myself), we are seeing an increase in management theory seeping into the church under the guise of strategy. From $3000 a day capital fundraising campaign seminars to strategic church conferences, management theory (sometimes under the guise of “leadership development”) is becoming a big business in evangelical circles.

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