Fine Young Man

The discussion in Gospel Transformation last night turned to creating a culture of openness in our church family. We talked about trusting in the gospel so much that people could share stories of sin & struggle and stories of God’s work in their lives without fear of judgment and with full conviction that they would receive grace. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this desire verbalized and there was a lot of consensus about it tonight.

My mind immediately went to Sunday morning worship time and how daunting it would be to create that culture there. I’m not sure that’s the best place to provide grace and support for tough issues. Wouldn’t we be just as much a family if that kind of care was happening in our home groups? I think so.

However, I do think it is possible for culture to change to such an extent that it does affect Sunday morning, and I just heard a story about how that can happen the other day. A friend of mind who is a minister witnessed something happen at his church that suggested a change in culture. Here are a few ways that came about that might point us in the right direction:

1. Actions of the Leaders – It all started when my friend preached a series called No Perfect People Allowed based on the book by the same title. He is also the kind of person who will love, hug and reach out to anybody anywhere.
2. Artifacts - This may be a hard part of culture to understand, but every culture has physical or concrete features that symbolize the culture. If you align artifacts with new values, you stand a great chance of changing the culture. If I remember right my friend and his leadership made a very simple physical move – they began to dress more informally on Sundays. Dress became an artifact of the culture communicating “Come as you are” to any guests.
3. Rituals & Performances - Here’s what happened a few weeks ago. A young lady in an awful predicament responded to the message. She was broken. My friend announced that he was going to pray for her and he invited anyone who wanted to come down and gather around her during the prayer. Now get this: 75…75 people came down front! What just happened? They performed “no perfect people allowed”. Now, if that sticks and becomes a ritual, my friends, we have ourselves a cultural transformation in that church.

Those are some first stabs at it. What thoughts do you have about how we can create a culture of openness?

I haven’t kept up with the news about Haiti or the Nashville flood. I have seen a lot of stuff on Facebook & Twiiter about both. It is all very encouraging to see the good reports of churches responding in the ways they are. I must confess, though, that I mostly want to retreat as if nothing is going on. I feel faint of heart at all the need that is present in our world. I can’t help but wonder, “If disaster hit close to our home, would our church be able to respond effectively?” Or would we collapse from the exhaustion of our busy lives and endless activity to ourselves?

I’m sitting here watching a re-run of the first week of the Biggest Loser. I had heard Sean Algaier was on this season so I wanted to watch. Sean is the youth & worship minister for the Jenks Church of Christ in Tulsa. He sings with Watershed Worship and I think he had a stint with Acappella too.
Obviously I am interested because he is part of my religious heritage. But, it’s more than that. I am cheering for Sean and have huge expectations for him. Here’s why. Sean is a follower of Christ on a huge stage with millions watching. I know how vicious this reality stuff can be. What an awesome place to reveal the Spirit of Christ to a watching world! I’m gonna be cheering for Sean. But more-I’ll be praying for him. I pray for him and his family and for his improved health. I’ll also be praying that the world sees the beauty and love of Christ. Go Sean!

I spoke with my friend Rick today. Somehow during the phone call, we revisited an episode that happened at IHOP one morning over breakfast. We had finished the meal and had talked about everything from theology to telling jokes. It was a good time. The waitress came up, refreshed my coffee, and gave us the bill. I asked if we paid her and she said we could. That’s all I said.

Rick, however, quick-witted as he is, asked her if she was going to pick up his tab. That launched her into a conversation with him about how all her check was going to pay insurance on her new car. Her boyfriend had surprised her with a used truck (new to her) and she was obviously excited about it. The deal he made with her is that he got her the truck, but she’d have to maintain the insurance. That went on for a good 5 minutes.

Here’s the kicker: the whole time I was thinking, “Rick and I were talking about important things, not some stupid truck.” I’m ashamed to say, but I judged this waitress unworthy of having a conversation with. I am ashamed of that. Rick did not, and I’m thankful for that. He engaged her (he’s very good at it) and you could tell that she just wanted to tell someone about the joy that this gift brought. I want to be more like Rick and Jesus, for that matter.

This is truth.

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To you, my white, middle-class, country-club friend: You are not my mission. You may join me on my mission, but you are not the one I am trying to reach.