http://developingoutreach.blogspot.com/
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
3/30/2009
Unchurched Friend
Name: CJ
Occupation and Lifestyle: Student living at home
CJ feels that the greatest need in his area is something for the kids to do. It should be noted that the term“kid” encompasses anyone one still in the local school district. He feels that he lives in a boring town in which kids just hang out at home and have nothing interesting to do. The closest place for people to hang out is the Deptford Mall, which is twenty minutes away. Basically, the greatest need he can think of is the need for more youth friendly recreation. A Church with vision for this sort of thing could provide for this need in an incredible way. Some kind of youth center with an after school program could fill this need incredibly well.
CJ is interested in many different things. Among these are serious things like economics and war and less serious things like video games, technology and Football. He thinks that most people don't attend church because they are too busy with other things. He personally doesn't attend because he can work on Sunday and make more money per hour. Because of this, he works as much as he can on Sundays. This is quite a change from the world my mother grew up in were everything was closed on Sundays. If CJ were to look or a church to attend, he would look for a relevant, concise, and engaging service in a church that is well connected to the community. His advice to Pastors is that they would make themselves available and easily contactable. He also recommends that they lead their congregations in serving the community well. If he is going to ask his people to do service projects, he should be out serving right alongside them. I think this is such a good leadership point that we should all remember.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Church Rater #2
The Church
What Church did you visit?
Foursquare Church in Gettysburg
What city or town is this Church located?
Gettysburg, PA
What date and service did you attend?
March 15th 11:15 service
Evaluating
How would you rate this church?
Great experience and excellent hospitality. I felt very welcome and i found the service interesting. I was taking a lot of notes until m laptop died
Rate the following from 1 to 5. 1 is not effective, 5 is very effective!
Overall: 4 Friendliness 5 Singing 3 Preaching 5
First Impressions
Outside:
Was the building easy to find?
not at all, i honestly found there parking lot kind of by accident. If i would not have called and gotten landmark based directions i would have been done. I even called Daniel and Charity to make sure they didn't get lost.
Was it difficult to find parking?
not really. I had to park kind of far away but there was basically one parking lot and that was that. I think i found a spot my first time around. I was early.
How about the interior or exterior signage- what would you do differently?
I would try to make it clear if there was any small groups going on during service.I saw signs for stuff but i wasn't sure if these signs were just always up and used for other nights or if i was supposed to utilize them and go to a group that fit my interest. I saw a sign for youth and a sign for men. The sanctuary was easy to find and i don't remember if there was a sign. Better marking of the main entrance would have been nice. I only assumed based on where i saw the greeter and where i saw people coming in and out of.
What did the appearance, style, or construction of the building communicate to you?
It seemed laid back and small. It didn't really communicate anything that i remember. It didn't look like a church but i knew it was one. I assumed they were kind of like us at freedom valley and i can expect to meet the same type of people. The building didn't cause any assumptions. The size of the building indicated to me that it was a small church.
Before the service:
Did anyone approach you and speak to you before the service got underway?
yes
If someone did speak to you, how did you feel about that?
It was cool. I felt like he was really interested to know me but i thought he excitement died down after he realized i was a one time visitor. However, i felt very welcome and comfortable because everyone was ready to answer questions
Can you share their names?
mark
Did you know them before the visit?
talked to him on the phone on my way over
General observations:
As you observed the people "doing their church thing", what went through your mind? It was a lot like Freedom Valley. People just seemed to be there to hang out and learn more about God. Everyone felt very relaxed. Nothing really stuck out as their religious thing. It felt like a service i have been to before. People were greeting each other and enjoying fellowship. It was cool, welcoming and comnfortable.
Were you able to understand why they do what they do?
yes, it was just a small protestant evangelical church. Felt very normal for me
Do they seem sincere? from what i saw yes. everybody was into what they were doing and it didn't feel fake. I was sitting near the front though
What do you think about the overall presentation of the service? (the liturgy, program or flow of the service)
I thought it flowed well. Like i have said, i never felt awkward. It had a chilled out feel as if they weren't too worried about strict scheduling. It flowed very naturally and was full of down to earth communication by the pastor
Bulletin and communications:
Is there anything in the church bulletin that you find confusing or offensive?
no, all of it was helpful
If this were your "business", how would you improve the communication part of it- the bulletin especially? nothing really comes to mind. I guess i would use less colors in the bulletin or print in ink the this weeks homework section. I thought the bulletin was good though. I wish it would have had more descriptions of what was going on though
Were announcements clear, and interesting (did you want to sign up for anything)
yes. the pastor went through them. I remember being interested in a men's breakfast
Children's Ministry
Does this church appear kid-friendly? i didnt notice either way
Did you bring any children with you to the service? no
If so, ask them about their experience. What did they tell you?
Music and Prayer
How would you describe the music? good, not as energetic as i like but pretty fun and sincere. I didn't know a couple songs
Did you enjoy any of it?
yes except for the songs i didnt know
Did you feel like you connected with God during any part of it? yes. I did. Especially during shout to the lord. I love that song and i really worshiped and connected with God
How was it different from what you are used to? It was quieter and had an electronic drumset. It was much more chill than what i am used to.
Would you enjoy worshiping like that often? sometimes
What did you think of the prayers that were offered in the service? they were sincere and free form. I really thought they were cool and honest prayers to God
As you listened to the prayers, what did you learn about how that church might think of people, or of God? They deeply care about people and their relationship with God. They ask for a deep connection of the people to God. they have a similar view of God as i do. They probably encourage sincere prayers and honest communion with God. They veiw God as a loving father that gives grace and deserves true worship.
The Speaker's Presentation
Did the Pastor or speaker seem likable? yes
Is he/she a person you might enjoy having coffee with? Why? yes. he seemed nice and like he was well educated and able to engage in interesting conversation. I feel like i could learn a lot about God and life from him. Also, i think he could recommend some good books.
Did he/she seem engaged/sincere/condescending? engaged, sincere, professional, educated and humble
Were you motivated to do or think anything differently because of the talk? yes. I found myself thinking again about the concept of bringing sacrifice into worship. I liked the comparison between the fellowship offering and worship. I also thought about the idea of worshiping in every little thing i do
What could they have done to make it more enjoyable or useful?
maybe tell more stories or give more examples of how you worship with your life. Give examples of times he has used his life to worship.
Please erase any of the following descriptors that did not apply to the talk: Enjoyable, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Credible, Humorous, Useful, funny,
i used my old church rater because i cant find the original...so this above section is as good as i can do.
The Message
What was the main idea of the message? worship
What action did the speaker want you to take or consider taking? worship God in everything i do and understand that all parts of my life are acts of worship
Did the talk itself (the subject matter) hold your attention? yes, i felt very engaged and i was taking notes
Did any part of the talk stand out to you in a positive or negative way? The talk about worship was very interesting and the quotes from books were thought provoking. Some of his jokes about his laziness were nearly offensive. He talked of how he goes home after church and doesnt help his wife with anything and how she does all of it on Sunday afternoons
What is the one thing the speaker could do that would improve his/her presentation?
as i said: more stories more examples. A little bit more concise teaching. He taught on a lot of stuff and i am not sure i remember most of it. You HAVE to take notes.
Do you think that you particularly will remember anything that was taught? yes, i always want to worship with all of my life
Do you understand God or people better because of it? i now understand that he idea of fellowship offering has been carried over in the way of worship...does my worship look like a sacrifice for fellowship? I love learning about the similarities between how God worked with Israelites and how he works with us
Did it make you feel like you wanted to preach someday yourself ? yes, i want to be educated and be able to apply books and scripture and old testament types that way.
What Church did you visit?
Foursquare Church in Gettysburg
What city or town is this Church located?
Gettysburg, PA
What date and service did you attend?
March 15th 11:15 service
Evaluating
How would you rate this church?
Great experience and excellent hospitality. I felt very welcome and i found the service interesting. I was taking a lot of notes until m laptop died
Rate the following from 1 to 5. 1 is not effective, 5 is very effective!
Overall: 4 Friendliness 5 Singing 3 Preaching 5
First Impressions
Outside:
Was the building easy to find?
not at all, i honestly found there parking lot kind of by accident. If i would not have called and gotten landmark based directions i would have been done. I even called Daniel and Charity to make sure they didn't get lost.
Was it difficult to find parking?
not really. I had to park kind of far away but there was basically one parking lot and that was that. I think i found a spot my first time around. I was early.
How about the interior or exterior signage- what would you do differently?
I would try to make it clear if there was any small groups going on during service.I saw signs for stuff but i wasn't sure if these signs were just always up and used for other nights or if i was supposed to utilize them and go to a group that fit my interest. I saw a sign for youth and a sign for men. The sanctuary was easy to find and i don't remember if there was a sign. Better marking of the main entrance would have been nice. I only assumed based on where i saw the greeter and where i saw people coming in and out of.
What did the appearance, style, or construction of the building communicate to you?
It seemed laid back and small. It didn't really communicate anything that i remember. It didn't look like a church but i knew it was one. I assumed they were kind of like us at freedom valley and i can expect to meet the same type of people. The building didn't cause any assumptions. The size of the building indicated to me that it was a small church.
Before the service:
Did anyone approach you and speak to you before the service got underway?
yes
If someone did speak to you, how did you feel about that?
It was cool. I felt like he was really interested to know me but i thought he excitement died down after he realized i was a one time visitor. However, i felt very welcome and comfortable because everyone was ready to answer questions
Can you share their names?
mark
Did you know them before the visit?
talked to him on the phone on my way over
General observations:
As you observed the people "doing their church thing", what went through your mind? It was a lot like Freedom Valley. People just seemed to be there to hang out and learn more about God. Everyone felt very relaxed. Nothing really stuck out as their religious thing. It felt like a service i have been to before. People were greeting each other and enjoying fellowship. It was cool, welcoming and comnfortable.
Were you able to understand why they do what they do?
yes, it was just a small protestant evangelical church. Felt very normal for me
Do they seem sincere? from what i saw yes. everybody was into what they were doing and it didn't feel fake. I was sitting near the front though
What do you think about the overall presentation of the service? (the liturgy, program or flow of the service)
I thought it flowed well. Like i have said, i never felt awkward. It had a chilled out feel as if they weren't too worried about strict scheduling. It flowed very naturally and was full of down to earth communication by the pastor
Bulletin and communications:
Is there anything in the church bulletin that you find confusing or offensive?
no, all of it was helpful
If this were your "business", how would you improve the communication part of it- the bulletin especially? nothing really comes to mind. I guess i would use less colors in the bulletin or print in ink the this weeks homework section. I thought the bulletin was good though. I wish it would have had more descriptions of what was going on though
Were announcements clear, and interesting (did you want to sign up for anything)
yes. the pastor went through them. I remember being interested in a men's breakfast
Children's Ministry
Does this church appear kid-friendly? i didnt notice either way
Did you bring any children with you to the service? no
If so, ask them about their experience. What did they tell you?
Music and Prayer
How would you describe the music? good, not as energetic as i like but pretty fun and sincere. I didn't know a couple songs
Did you enjoy any of it?
yes except for the songs i didnt know
Did you feel like you connected with God during any part of it? yes. I did. Especially during shout to the lord. I love that song and i really worshiped and connected with God
How was it different from what you are used to? It was quieter and had an electronic drumset. It was much more chill than what i am used to.
Would you enjoy worshiping like that often? sometimes
What did you think of the prayers that were offered in the service? they were sincere and free form. I really thought they were cool and honest prayers to God
As you listened to the prayers, what did you learn about how that church might think of people, or of God? They deeply care about people and their relationship with God. They ask for a deep connection of the people to God. they have a similar view of God as i do. They probably encourage sincere prayers and honest communion with God. They veiw God as a loving father that gives grace and deserves true worship.
The Speaker's Presentation
Did the Pastor or speaker seem likable? yes
Is he/she a person you might enjoy having coffee with? Why? yes. he seemed nice and like he was well educated and able to engage in interesting conversation. I feel like i could learn a lot about God and life from him. Also, i think he could recommend some good books.
Did he/she seem engaged/sincere/condescending? engaged, sincere, professional, educated and humble
Were you motivated to do or think anything differently because of the talk? yes. I found myself thinking again about the concept of bringing sacrifice into worship. I liked the comparison between the fellowship offering and worship. I also thought about the idea of worshiping in every little thing i do
What could they have done to make it more enjoyable or useful?
maybe tell more stories or give more examples of how you worship with your life. Give examples of times he has used his life to worship.
Please erase any of the following descriptors that did not apply to the talk: Enjoyable, Thought-provoking, Relevant, Credible, Humorous, Useful, funny,
i used my old church rater because i cant find the original...so this above section is as good as i can do.
The Message
What was the main idea of the message? worship
What action did the speaker want you to take or consider taking? worship God in everything i do and understand that all parts of my life are acts of worship
Did the talk itself (the subject matter) hold your attention? yes, i felt very engaged and i was taking notes
Did any part of the talk stand out to you in a positive or negative way? The talk about worship was very interesting and the quotes from books were thought provoking. Some of his jokes about his laziness were nearly offensive. He talked of how he goes home after church and doesnt help his wife with anything and how she does all of it on Sunday afternoons
What is the one thing the speaker could do that would improve his/her presentation?
as i said: more stories more examples. A little bit more concise teaching. He taught on a lot of stuff and i am not sure i remember most of it. You HAVE to take notes.
Do you think that you particularly will remember anything that was taught? yes, i always want to worship with all of my life
Do you understand God or people better because of it? i now understand that he idea of fellowship offering has been carried over in the way of worship...does my worship look like a sacrifice for fellowship? I love learning about the similarities between how God worked with Israelites and how he works with us
Did it make you feel like you wanted to preach someday yourself ? yes, i want to be educated and be able to apply books and scripture and old testament types that way.
Jason Lamer
ttp://developingoutreach.blogspot.com/
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
March 26th 2009
Jason's discussion on pride opened by saying that a struggle of leaders is thinking of yourself higher than you should. I struggle with this. I tend to care about myself and think of myself to highly. This leads to a level of pride that I don't like and I find that the concept of “pride leads to permission” manifest itself in my life sometimes. Jason at one point said that there has to be death to have real life. Life giving ministers need to die to themselves daily. Death to self is the opposite of pride. I want to be life giving, so I'd better start dying. Jason defends against pride by putting himself around people who don't give praise easily,maintaining a daily prayer life, and keeping accountability partners who are willing to ask the tough questions. I hope to implement these things into my own struggle with pride.
His discussion on how he balances family and ministry was very interesting. He involves them in his ministry in every way that he can. Also, he makes a point to always get his family devotions in in some way. He views his family as in ministry with him. I really like this perspective and hope that my wife and our kids can all be ministers together.
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
March 26th 2009
Jason's discussion on pride opened by saying that a struggle of leaders is thinking of yourself higher than you should. I struggle with this. I tend to care about myself and think of myself to highly. This leads to a level of pride that I don't like and I find that the concept of “pride leads to permission” manifest itself in my life sometimes. Jason at one point said that there has to be death to have real life. Life giving ministers need to die to themselves daily. Death to self is the opposite of pride. I want to be life giving, so I'd better start dying. Jason defends against pride by putting himself around people who don't give praise easily,maintaining a daily prayer life, and keeping accountability partners who are willing to ask the tough questions. I hope to implement these things into my own struggle with pride.
His discussion on how he balances family and ministry was very interesting. He involves them in his ministry in every way that he can. Also, he makes a point to always get his family devotions in in some way. He views his family as in ministry with him. I really like this perspective and hope that my wife and our kids can all be ministers together.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
New Believer #2
http://developingoutreach.blogspot.com/
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
3/12/2009
Evan
Gettysburg Master's Student
Evan was raised in church for 19 years, but he never really owned his faith until March 22nd of 2008. He didn't really get church and it was more of a social gathering for him. After high school, he”went nuts” and really walked away from a Godly lifestyle. He did not find satisfaction in his new habits and choices. He became fed up with what the world had to offer and he wanted more. He knew that Jesus was the right way from his upbringing and he decided to get back into church. His choices led him to a youth revival service where he gave his heart back to the Lord.
For Evan, the best part of being a Christ follower has been being able to find real satisfaction and being happy with himself at the same time. He no longer has to feel guilty about the way he is living. He noted that it makes it easier to live the right way when you are finding satisfaction in it. The most challenging part for him was fully getting out of his old lifestyle. After Salvation, he still had a lot of unredeemed friends and being around them made it difficult not to fall back into his old patterns.
The thing that has helped him the most has been Master's Commission. As a student at MC, he is constantly immersed in God. Actually, he has lived most of his Christian life while in Master's. As far as advice, Evan offers this: Be a studier of scripture. Don't just take what others say as fact, find out what it means to be a Christian through your own study. Be a Borean. I believe this is advice we should all take to heart. Anything we hear about God should spark study on our part so that we can deeply understand God for ourselves.
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
3/12/2009
Evan
Gettysburg Master's Student
Evan was raised in church for 19 years, but he never really owned his faith until March 22nd of 2008. He didn't really get church and it was more of a social gathering for him. After high school, he”went nuts” and really walked away from a Godly lifestyle. He did not find satisfaction in his new habits and choices. He became fed up with what the world had to offer and he wanted more. He knew that Jesus was the right way from his upbringing and he decided to get back into church. His choices led him to a youth revival service where he gave his heart back to the Lord.
For Evan, the best part of being a Christ follower has been being able to find real satisfaction and being happy with himself at the same time. He no longer has to feel guilty about the way he is living. He noted that it makes it easier to live the right way when you are finding satisfaction in it. The most challenging part for him was fully getting out of his old lifestyle. After Salvation, he still had a lot of unredeemed friends and being around them made it difficult not to fall back into his old patterns.
The thing that has helped him the most has been Master's Commission. As a student at MC, he is constantly immersed in God. Actually, he has lived most of his Christian life while in Master's. As far as advice, Evan offers this: Be a studier of scripture. Don't just take what others say as fact, find out what it means to be a Christian through your own study. Be a Borean. I believe this is advice we should all take to heart. Anything we hear about God should spark study on our part so that we can deeply understand God for ourselves.
Nick Poole
http://developingoutreach.blogspot.com/
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
3/19/2009
Church Planting is a movement that is becoming a sort of fad in church circles. Everybody in the Church as a body that is “progressive” seems to want to either plant a church personally or set up a church planting factory. This is incredibly understandable. God is moving in church planting and he is using leaders like Nick Poole and others to lead the charge.
Nick helped me to rethink some of my ideas about church planting. One of the most memorable things that he talked about was the reasons not to plant a church. He told of how some people want to plant a church because they want to do church cooler. They want to redefine church so that it fits them perfectly. We should not do such things. Church plants are about the people they are reaching, not the leader. Although this seems obvious, I had to check myself and make sure that my desires to maybe plant a church are not rooted in a desire to please myself with my church. It is not about me. I love when these interviews leave me checking my motives and thoughts. Nick Poole helped me to do some introspection and I appreciate it.
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
3/19/2009
Church Planting is a movement that is becoming a sort of fad in church circles. Everybody in the Church as a body that is “progressive” seems to want to either plant a church personally or set up a church planting factory. This is incredibly understandable. God is moving in church planting and he is using leaders like Nick Poole and others to lead the charge.
Nick helped me to rethink some of my ideas about church planting. One of the most memorable things that he talked about was the reasons not to plant a church. He told of how some people want to plant a church because they want to do church cooler. They want to redefine church so that it fits them perfectly. We should not do such things. Church plants are about the people they are reaching, not the leader. Although this seems obvious, I had to check myself and make sure that my desires to maybe plant a church are not rooted in a desire to please myself with my church. It is not about me. I love when these interviews leave me checking my motives and thoughts. Nick Poole helped me to do some introspection and I appreciate it.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Brian and Angie Bolt
http://developingoutreach.blogspot.com/
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
3/12/2009
Brian and Angie Bolt are doing an incredible ministry to the inner city of Pittsburgh. They are pulling people off the streets and putting them into homes where they are discipled. However, I knew about all of this before the interview. The thing I learned from Brian and Angie during the interview was ideas for how I should act when I am traveling and preaching at churches. He helped me to see that I should do my best to serve the pastors that bring me in.
Brian told of how he tries to serve pastors when he comes in. He ministers to the needs of the pastor who is paying him. This causes him to be a person that people want to book. It also helps out pastors that are in the trenches fighting every day. Great preachers are a dime a dozen but great servants seem to be few and far between. Maybe this is why Jesus said the workers are few. Those who are really ready to get their hands dirty and serve despite their “position” are rare. Traveling preachers need to be those rare people if they want to be someone who pastors want to book. God, help me to be that kind of person. I want to leave pastors energized and excited for ministry.
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
3/12/2009
Brian and Angie Bolt are doing an incredible ministry to the inner city of Pittsburgh. They are pulling people off the streets and putting them into homes where they are discipled. However, I knew about all of this before the interview. The thing I learned from Brian and Angie during the interview was ideas for how I should act when I am traveling and preaching at churches. He helped me to see that I should do my best to serve the pastors that bring me in.
Brian told of how he tries to serve pastors when he comes in. He ministers to the needs of the pastor who is paying him. This causes him to be a person that people want to book. It also helps out pastors that are in the trenches fighting every day. Great preachers are a dime a dozen but great servants seem to be few and far between. Maybe this is why Jesus said the workers are few. Those who are really ready to get their hands dirty and serve despite their “position” are rare. Traveling preachers need to be those rare people if they want to be someone who pastors want to book. God, help me to be that kind of person. I want to leave pastors energized and excited for ministry.
Unchurched friend #2
http://developingoutreach.blogspot.com/
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
1/24/2009
Interviewee profile
Name: Sean
Occupation: Student
Lifestyle: Lives in suburb and attends community college.
Sean felt that the greatest need in his area was diversity. He feels that his area needs more places where there can be a free flow of ideas and cultures and where all people can feel comfortable just being themselves without being worried about what kind of criticisms may come. He wants to see more things where people of different backgrounds and ideologies can come together in unity. Shouldn't the church provide a place like this? Not to say that we bend on our beliefs but that we lovingly accept others where they are.
Sean is interested in such issues as the economy, civil rights, football and traveling. He feels that most people do not attend because of the time factor. They feel that it takes up too much of their Sunday to be worth the time. He feels that people just want to relax on Sunday. They don't want to take several hours of their day to go to church. I can understand that. Sometimes I feel that way too! Let's pray that these type of people realize the importance of a relationship with Christ and his body.
In looking for a church, some of the things that would turn Sean off are close-mindedness, bigotry, and fanaticism. He feels that the church needs to keep an open mind and act like they have made mistakes before. He also thinks that people have private relationships with God and don't need to act fanatical and crazy to express that. I have a feeling that the 11:15 service would turn him off.
As far as what he looks for in Pastors. He want a pastor to be down to earth, open minded and honest about his flaws. He also thinks that pastors would get to know people before they try to fix them. I think this is a good point and we should all remember it in ministry.
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
1/24/2009
Interviewee profile
Name: Sean
Occupation: Student
Lifestyle: Lives in suburb and attends community college.
Sean felt that the greatest need in his area was diversity. He feels that his area needs more places where there can be a free flow of ideas and cultures and where all people can feel comfortable just being themselves without being worried about what kind of criticisms may come. He wants to see more things where people of different backgrounds and ideologies can come together in unity. Shouldn't the church provide a place like this? Not to say that we bend on our beliefs but that we lovingly accept others where they are.
Sean is interested in such issues as the economy, civil rights, football and traveling. He feels that most people do not attend because of the time factor. They feel that it takes up too much of their Sunday to be worth the time. He feels that people just want to relax on Sunday. They don't want to take several hours of their day to go to church. I can understand that. Sometimes I feel that way too! Let's pray that these type of people realize the importance of a relationship with Christ and his body.
In looking for a church, some of the things that would turn Sean off are close-mindedness, bigotry, and fanaticism. He feels that the church needs to keep an open mind and act like they have made mistakes before. He also thinks that people have private relationships with God and don't need to act fanatical and crazy to express that. I have a feeling that the 11:15 service would turn him off.
As far as what he looks for in Pastors. He want a pastor to be down to earth, open minded and honest about his flaws. He also thinks that pastors would get to know people before they try to fix them. I think this is a good point and we should all remember it in ministry.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Mike Hammer (such a cool name)
Mike Hammer is doing a unique ministry. He is encouraging openness in a way I was pretty sure isn't possible and it's awesome. However, he is still growing and learning and he is open abut that.
http://developingoutreach.blogspot.com/
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
3/05/2009
The openness of this man was incredible. He has managed to create an open, accepting, okay to be yourself atmosphere. His church almost sounds like a group therapy session where people can bring the ugly stuff. I brought this up to him and he didn't seem to feel like it made him special but I disagree. He grows people on an individual, real level and that is something to be admired .
He also encouraged me in the allowance for ministries to be young. He hasn't figured out what his altar calls look like. He is still growing and still learning how to do his church. He has been there for two years and is doing great ministry. That is so encouraging! I often get discouraged as Daniel and I develop Simple Youth because I just see where we could be and all the reasons we are not there. But I need not be discouraged because we are still learning. We are only eight months old. I kind of let myself off the hook because of Mike Hammer. So thank you Mike.
http://developingoutreach.blogspot.com/
Addison Roberts
CRL 233 Developing Outreach and Discipleship Programs
Instructor Gerry Stoltzfoos
3/05/2009
The openness of this man was incredible. He has managed to create an open, accepting, okay to be yourself atmosphere. His church almost sounds like a group therapy session where people can bring the ugly stuff. I brought this up to him and he didn't seem to feel like it made him special but I disagree. He grows people on an individual, real level and that is something to be admired .
He also encouraged me in the allowance for ministries to be young. He hasn't figured out what his altar calls look like. He is still growing and still learning how to do his church. He has been there for two years and is doing great ministry. That is so encouraging! I often get discouraged as Daniel and I develop Simple Youth because I just see where we could be and all the reasons we are not there. But I need not be discouraged because we are still learning. We are only eight months old. I kind of let myself off the hook because of Mike Hammer. So thank you Mike.
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