10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #9 - Praise = Worship

Mistake # 9 – Praise vs. Worship

In our approach to the Lord, we walk (sometimes crawl) through many dynamics: petition, exhortation, praise, lamentation, and thanksgiving. Worship leaders should learn the distinctions and help others to learn them.

Remember, “A” is “A.” Call it what it is.

Obviously, a part of that is helping the people to distinguish between praise and worship. Two different realities.

When praise moves beyond the borders into worship, a good worship leader will point that out. That’s discipling people in worship. Help them to see it. Let them know, “What you’re tasting now is…the apple!”

I am a certified tennis pro and once made my living doing that. As such, I had to tell students the truth. If I told someone they were really good when they weren’t, that student would have been ill-served. So, I would help them… “OK, you need to work on this,” “let’s break this down and look at it,” etc.

Worship leaders should take the same approach in training people and congregations.

If the focus and intent is to get into the Presence of God, then press in without script, formula, or assumption. Worship is, first of all, an attitude. It pushes the heart up before Him. It doesn’t assume music or anything.

I know people (and you do too) who can walk into a room, or touch a keyboard, or just close their eyes and worship happens! They are minstrels of God – unscripted and unorganized (and usually uncontrolled). They just do what they do and when you experience it, you know this is worship. God is here. Time and space fall away and, once again, real worship transcends constraints.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Response

These are thoughts from Dale - great job!

"I understand the definitions - good distinction.the football imagery is intriguing:

If the worship leader is the coach then his/her interplay between familiar and routine. A coach will use routine to help the team become familiar with his strategy for playing the game. But he wants his team to know how to do more than just the same plays all the time otherwise his team will lose.

No smart coach spends all his practice time working on the trick plays and the variations. Yet in some ways the coach is hoping to create such confidence in the team so that they can run the occasional variation or trick play seamlessly without tipping off the other team.

I see the same tension for the worship leader. He wants to create familiarity in the congregation and may need (I suggest) to use routine to establish that familiarity. But he/she must also remember that routine breeds complacency and stagnation. To inject spontaneity is to go outside of what is familiar.

Which still leaves me wondering if there is something I am missing in the pursuit of balance here. My perception is that a focus on developing familiarity can often lead quickly to the suffocating routine that you are warning against. But my own experience says that when too much spontaneity is inserted into the mix it can quickly become debilitating for the congregation as well which is what i think you are getting at also...I hope you don't mind if I drag some of my readers attention to these posts..."

Rex's Response

Dale, you've described the real world of worship well!

Let's assume that your congregation has tasted worship and knows the difference between praise, thanksgiving etc. and worship. Let's assume your team loves worship more than it loves music. Let's assume that you have a pastor who honors worship and you have the time and freedom to transition from song singing into Presence gazing. Let's assume that your congregation has a rich vocabulary and reservoir of songs that they are familiar with. Let's assume you're in a sanctuary of extended family and not just in a hall of strangers.

Okay - once you've worked through mistakes 1 - 8.... the tension between familiarity and complacency become relevant.

I'll fall back on another sports analogy; tennis. I was a decent player. Good enough to become a certified professional (USPTA) and still am. In high school I would drill and drill and drill the same shots over and over - during practice.

Backhands - down the line then approach shots. The coach would choreograph shot sequences and we would practice those for hours. They became second nature so that in a game situation I would execute in the flow (context) of the point, anticipate the next shot and respond automatically.

I went through stages in my game development. At points I did execute like I was going through some kind of drill - with no feeling for the context. I typically lost those matches. When shot was not ingrained I was SELF-Conscious. That usually resulted in over directing my effort, being tight and making mistakes. When the shot was automatic the feeling is exhilarating.

The point for all of this: There is no formula. Every congregation has a different maturity, cohesion, understanding of worship etc. Here is a distinction that may help. There is a difference between a Master of the trade and a Journeyman, similar to the difference between a tennis pro and a club or weekend player.

A master artist or musician is able to effortlessly transcend the medium. The journeyman excels within the boundaries of the medium. Getting back to another one of the mistakes - "A" is "A." We have to accurately assess our growth in the practice of worship. If we're novices, intermediate or masters - then we need to know what the means. I would wager that many who have the role of worship leader may still be novices as worshippers but highly proficient as musicians or choral directors.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Familiar vs. Routine

One worship leader asked - "so on the one hand we should provide something familiar but on the otherhand not get stuck in a routine?" As my son might say - "so what' up with that?"

It's a good question - an important question that gets to the heart of leading worship. First, take a moment and read the definitions of Familiar and Routine.

Definition for Familiar:
1. commonly or generally known or seen: a familiar sight.
2. well-acquainted; thoroughly conversant: to be familiar with a subject.
3. informal; easygoing; unceremonious; unconstrained: to write in a familiar style.
4. closely intimate or personal: a familiar friend; to be on familiar terms.

Definition for Routine:

1. a customary or regular course of procedure.
2. commonplace tasks, chores, or duties.
3. regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure.
4. an unvarying and constantly repeated formula, as of speech or action; convenient or predictable response: Don't give me that brotherly-love routine!

Familiar is a relational term and refers to closeness, comfort and intimacy. Routine is a functional term and refers to procedure, habit and formula.

A football team has to be familiar - even intimate - with its offensive scheme. It has to execute the plays with precision and out of habit. However, if the coach's strategy becomes routine then the opponents will easily anticipate the play selection and counteract the offense.

If worship becomes familiar and intimate people will feel at ease and open up in their conversation to the Lord. If it becomes routine then they easily fall into auto-pilot and go through the motions.

Here is my sports plug. Watch any football or basketball game and you'll easily find the coaches who are familiar with their team and the competition and manage their team with finesse and those who are following a rigid protocol or playbook. This is your excuse to watch more sports.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #8 - Latest and Greatest

Mistake # 8 – The Secret formula

Every local church becomes something of an enclave. And, those who lead have a way of developing highly sensitive radar about the habits, nuances, preferences, and triggers of the enclave’s residents.

In that milieu, that radar tends to build “the routine.” You know what I mean – that almost subconscious stratagem which pulls the right strings, leads in the safe and predictable progression, etc. That kind of formula actually creates a fear of intimacy which leads to a solid wall of activity and noise. No breathing room. No silences. No room to hear and respond. No room for the Presence.

Think about it: when’s the last time, you saw the pastor or worship team come out and just fall on their knees? When’s the last time you saw a leader (or anyone) take a bowl of water and wash someone’s feet?

Worship is not a formula.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #7 - Latest and Greatest

Mistake # 7 – The latest and greatest

I believe the ratio of novel to the familiar keeps worshipers off balance in most gatherings of the church. The compulsion to always have the latest and greatest tends to keep spiritual intimacy away (hint: it’s the familiar that leads to intimacy).

If the goal in worship is intimate expression to the Lord, then the content has to become not just familiar but very close and personal. Why do we discard – even disdain – some of the anthems that carried us before Him in the past? When’s the last time your church sang “I Exalt Thee?”

Of course, new worship expressions should be integrated into the gathering. But, the ratio of new to familiar must be closely scrutinized! Any professional has a bias toward new terrain. But – that’s the point. The congregations aren’t professionals – they’re looking for guides into His Presence not acrobats. Furthermore, worship leaders should create context for the content (new or old), share the story and its relevance and why it was chosen for today.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #10 - Jacuzzi Worship

Mistake # 10 – Theological Ignorance

Our sensual approach to life has created a sensual approach to God. Therefore, we have what I call “Jacuzzi worship.” It just feels so good, is so relaxing, and is so transporting of my senses.

When I consult with churches, I pay attention to the worship. And, I’ve learned to categorize the expressions (musical or other). They are vertical, praise, exhortation, Oprah, whatever.

But, worship is about God. Therefore, what it says about Him (theology) should be reflective of His character. This is so simple, but . . . worship is all about Him. Therefore, the theology behind the music should describe One Who is Holy, Awesome, Gracious, Loving, Jealous, and Perfect…

Conclusion: “All Things New”

To understand why we need to recognize and correct these mistakes, let’s revisit worship through the various communication eras and look at the future.

In oral culture, the primary worship format was liturgical. Because they saw the created order as integrated and unified, their worship was choreographed into a divine drama, a mystical reenactment of the cosmic play. It culminated in the Eucharist.

In print culture, worship became an orderly reinforcement of the principles of faith and theology. Reinforcement of faith, of doctrine, through song was a primary objective. “A Mighty Fortress is our God” is a good example of theology in song.

In the broadcast era, worship became a time of self and congregational expression. Experience became primary.

Now, we’re moving into a brand new era. The digital interactive age will be the dominant pattern for your children and future generations. It creates intimate, multi-sensory, improvisational, immersive, mystical, and highly-engaged worship experience

Trust me: these worshipers are not going to be satisfied by having a performance. As transcendent and transparent as worship leaders or artists may be, future worshipers are not going to be content with that. They will want to create their own interactive, collective, worship experience. That flows out of the way they see the world.

They don’t want an experience designed and created by others, even if they’re called “worship leader.” They will want to design and build it themselves. This will be a huge challenge to existing thinking and patterns of worship.

Improv theaters represent a reasonable facsimile of what this will look like. It is spontaneous, combustible, and loosely scripted. It is a whole group experience.

That is where these 10 mistakes find urgency and traction. Worship in the digital interactive environment will stress every prevailing attitude and pattern. It will increasingly reveal the flaws behind these 10 mistakes.

True to His pattern, He is making all things new! (Revelation 21:5) He calls us to join Him in that newness.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #6 - Excellence = Complexity

Mistake # 6 – Excellence equals complexity

We live in complex times. As a result, we tend to assume that excellence is complicated. It’s not.

The “Blues Clues” children’s TV show offers a valuable pattern for worship. They keep it simple. Each show is one point, one theme, one story line. They play each show five times during the week. The first time, you get the basic idea. With each subsequent viewing, more of the details of content are being grasped.

So, what does that mean for worship?

Should it be a sophisticated variety show? Should it blow minds with stimulation? Do you want them to walk away with sensory stimulation or with an impartation of God?

Composers used to write songs for common people. Today, they tend to write for each other. So, complexity reigns. Much the same thing has happened in the church. Because it is a sub-culture, the elites create works to impress the other elites and professionals rather than giving the people spiritual on-ramps to the Presence. As a result, many people singing the songs have no clue what the words means or why they were written.

People must know the story behind the song. If they do, a real and living connection is possible. But, a complex shower of sounds and sights erroneously called “worship” doesn’t leave any kind of deposit in the people who were there! They didn’t understand (much less remember) the words; they just remember shards of techno-lights and noise.

I believe technology is a tool and, used properly, can greatly support the various dimensions of our faith walk. For example, use your website, podcasting, email, instant messaging, etc. as means of delivering and repeating the story, sending lyrics to the congregation, distributing songs and interviews with the composers, and other vital things that can’t be done on Sunday morning. These are wonderful applications of technology tools.

Technology should make coming into His Presence simpler, not more complicated. It should prepare the path to the congregational meeting. Techno-toys should not take center stage. Excellence does not equal complexity.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #5 - Worship = Music

Mistake # 5 – It’s only about music

Worship is about the transport of our heart to God. It has many expressions – meditational, contemplative, dance, chant, etc. Music is not an essential element to worship. But, today, “worship” is a sub-culture and “worship music” is a genre.

Did you know that monks designed the diatonic scale? They saw a great geometric symmetry in the universe. So, they created chant, not just because of the words, but because of the notes themselves. Those notes – Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do – resonate in and through different parts of the human body.

It was, literally, a cosmic tuning fork, capturing the powers of the universe. That is what chant is all about. It is beyond what any of us in a modern era can come close to understanding. Their unified world view gave birth to these kinds of integrated mysteries. They saw music, not as a style-driven show, but as a way to tune in to the harmony of God’s creation.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #4 - Talent over Heart

Mistake # 4 – Worship in a box

Oral cultures make no distinction or compartmentalization of human approaches to God. It’s integrated; it’s all worship. But, with the print era, we developed categories of the service. Today, what we call “worship” is assigned other purposes and tasks. For example, it is designed to “bring them in,” to fulfill an evangelism function, etc.

I operate in a business world and in a church world. I attend meetings in both. And, you know what? There’s no difference. The meetings in both arenas are about the same thing; how do we sell the product? How do we increase market share?

So, we’ve “packaged” the whole communal and worship experience. And, that perpetuates a consumerist church and militates against spontaneity and mystery.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #3 - Talent over Heart

Mistake # 3 – Talent and Beauty over Heart

One of the current models of the broadcast era is the “Attractional Church.” It is, essentially, “the main event,” the church as a TV show. And, naturally, the format and assumptions of that model create a bias toward “the beautiful people.” Talent overrides heart.

The Attractional Church does not properly distinguish between worshipers and musicians. In fact, in this model, only the beautiful ones are allowed to be “on stage.” And, furthermore, they must smile, be peppy, and radiate that everything is “great.” That is the bias of a broadcast-based church model.

This model is about first impressions. In other words, many people who know nothing about Christian reality or culture are sitting out there in the audience. To connect with them, you must present people who are cool and hip.

So, what happens when you have someone with a great heart for God, but not the best voice and not the most attractive appearance? The bias of the model relegates them to the place in the back. Worse, it disdains the real heart of worship.

As a church consultant, this is one of the most painful things I see. I’ve had pastors tell me, “If this week’s service is not as good as last week’s, then people won’t come back.” So, the gathering is a show and they’re attracting people who want a show. And, real worship is traded for talent and beauty.

The Divine Touch, Technology and a new Mindshift

Jeff Han introduced a REVOLUTIONARY computer interface at the TED Conference 2006. It is a dynamic touch screen interface similar to what you saw in the Tom Cruise Movie – Minority Report. I’ve linked Jeff Han’s TED presentation recently posted on Youtube. (Purple highligted text is a link to a video or an article).

The story is told in February’s Fast Company. Consider how architects, product development, marketing and sales will be better able to understand, share and develop ideas. This link provides a video clip with a more in-depth presentation.

Industry and cultural transitions simmer until a catylst creates a fundamental shift in our orientation to knowledge, time and people. Here is a link to the Fast Company article.

Church leaders (most leaders) are Digital Immigrants. We still think, organize, respond and process in what my son call's "Old School" ways. One good example is how we process people who want visit a church and decide they want to get involved. Most churches take ALL people - novice or seasoned vets - through the same (batched) set of meetings to share the church vision, cover Chrisitan basics and then find a place to "plug" them into some existing activity.

If you miss the sequence you will have to wait for the next cycle. If you've walked with the Lord for many years - served and lead - you'll be politely asked to got through the process anyway just so you can get a hold of the "unique" way this church carries out their mission. You can meet the pastor at the after service guest greeting. However, don't expect that this will evolve into any ongoing relationship or even recognition from any of the top leaders once you leave that room (for most mega churches).

There is nothing relational, tailored or contextual about the process. Its a factory - efficient - focused and unable to handle "special orders."

"Leaders are becoming less like prime movers and more like advocates and facilitators. They have an ability to see and cultivate collective potential. They are less driven by their urge to recruit people to serve their vision. Their sensibilities are different. They find fulfillment by helping individuals connect and develop a unique and familial expression and then watch it grow." P162

Jeff Han provides not just a new toy to view - but a new view altogether. We've needed big buildings to draw people to distribute content and as a minor note - connect people in some kind of community. Content, connection and community can be better accessed, facilitated and lived outside the Sunday event. But gathering is valuable, essential and commanded. The question, "for what purpose?" The Protestant model was designed 500 years ago when books were few and those educated in theology fewer. The non-denominational model was designed almost 60 years ago to take advantage of television and the emerging suburban demographics.

What is the model for people who have access to the best content in the world, who can read the best commentaries available, view the best preachers and do so where and when they want? What is the model for those who come from fragmented families, grew up in suburbs that have little history, work in occupations that are not 9-5, deal with complex family crises and challenges, probably in debt, have little time or resources to serve others and have probably never been mentored and commissioned by a mature Christian.

Hmmm - its time to walk my dogs with my wife Lisa and wonder about this new church we've been visiting.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #2 - Means or End

Mistake # 2 – Worship is a means to an end

Aristotle captured a critical truth when he said “A” is “A.” A thing is what it is.

Worship is worship. But, worship leaders have a tendency to redefine other meeting components as “worship.” It’s fine, even necessary, to accomplish other purposes, such as doing something to signal the meeting is beginning, set the mood of the meeting, build a platform for the preaching, or showcase new songs, etc. But, those things are not worship.

If we mindlessly call them worship, we are pointing at “A,” but calling it “B.” If we do that long enough then people will gain a false understanding of worship. Worship leaders need to say; this is praise, this is thanksgiving, this is supplication, this is lament or even travail (when was the last time you sang one of these)? The point; teach your children well – tell your flock what it is they are doing so they know how to tell the difference.

This poses a dilemma for many churches, assuming you’ve tackled #1. There may not be time in the Sunday service to shed distraction, unify hearts and enter a place of awe and adoration for our sovereign king. Think about it. If that is the case, what do you do?

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #1 - Assuming

Mistake #1 - Assuming that everyone has tasted worship.

Imagine: you have a basket of apples and you are standing before an audience which had never seen, let alone tasted, one. How are you going to impart the essence of the apple to them?

Lecture about it? PowerPoint it? Eat it in front of them? How about passing them out and letting them taste and eat for themselves?

O, taste and see that the Lord is good! – Psalms 34:8

I hate to be the one to break this to you, but . . . worship cannot be taught. You cannot stand on a platform and bring people into worship anymore than you can stand on a stage and bring people into apples. It has to be tasted. And, once that happens, people are forever changed. They never forget it!

Throughout history, the nature of worship has changed. In oral culture, worship was a cosmic drama. There was no “worship leader.” It was a divine play and everyone was part of it. That drama actually changed time and space to sacred time and sacred place. The people were reenacting a cosmic event as though it were happening again right in their midst.

When the Reformation came along, making print became the dominant communication, content became the essence of worship. The primary issue was the lyrics – doctrine in music.

In broadcast, worship is about the person on stage. So, if that person is genuinely worshiping, those gathered in that place will catch a “taste” of real worship. If he or she is performing, that comes through. If the worship leader is living a lie, that tends to confuse or contaminate the process.

So, it is essential for worship leaders to, first, know what real worship is, and then, second, to give the people a taste of it. They should never just assume that everyone “gets it.” Worship leaders must always be prepared to explain (and disciple others in) real worship.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - On Ramp

My book, “The Millennium Matrix,” is the fruit of thirty years of studies in communication and culture. The primary theme of the book is how the dominant form of communication – oral, print, broadcast, digital – shapes our view of the world.

Specifically, the oral culture is a communal existence; one doesn’t know anything outside his or her direct experience with the village and the natural environment. Print culture allowed the individual to move beyond the communal to experience truth individually (as in reading a book). Broadcast culture – most clearly represented by television – is a very fluid form of experience and information.

Now, we are all caught in the headlights of the oncoming digital interactive culture. Digitalization is more than a technological concept; it is a new cultural pattern. For the first time in history, graphics, sound, data, and text are all being translated into the same interchangeable language structure.

This will change everything. For example, how will we “tell the story” to those who have been raised in, and shaped by, digital culture? And, how will we worship in that digital communication era? What are the different styles, formats, and tools of that culture? How is that different from worship within the assumptions of print or broadcast media?

As a new generation grows up, the church simply cannot use the old languages, carried over from the print and broadcast eras, to reach them.

So, these are issues that worship leaders (and others) must struggle with in order to find new expressions and conduits for truth. And, they have to be faced all over again in each era.

When I travel and consult in the church world, I’m always a student of leadership, communication patterns, and the intersection of spirit and culture. Out of that, over the years, I’ve developed a list of 10 universal and pervasive mistakes which worship leaders make.

The next series of posts dives into the most common mistakes.

Rex

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Introduction - The Epic Story

I'm introducing a series from a seminar I gave at last year's International Worship Institute. These are my observations and sentiments as an amatuer worshipper. My vantage is the guy sitting out in the congregation trying to find the Presence of God.

Oh, I’ll never forget that moment. I was running late for an appointment. So, I almost didn’t answer the phone. But, I found myself reaching for it. And as I did everything seemed to tumble into slow motion. Strangely, my heart seemed to know; it was like the future was crashing into the right now.

“Hello.” A long silence. I wondered if anyone was there. And, then, her distinctive small vibrato voice moaned, “Oh, Daddy.”

Slowly, I dropped into my office chair. Those two words swelled my throat shut and built a fire in my chest. I didn’t think I would ever hear her voice again. For two years, I thought my little girl was dead.

That’s the day my life started again.

Nothing grabs the heart or fires the imagination like a story. That’s because the great epic story of God and His creation is universal; even if we don’t “know” it, the tuning fork of our heart begins humming when we hear it.

“The Story” is engraved into the architecture of our soul. And, what is that story? That God dwells in Heaven and from time to time, He reaches out to touch the earth, nations, or individuals. Those “epic moments” are not expected, nor are they deserved. But they carry His unmistakable signature and they are life-altering.

So, yes, a phone call echoes that eternity-crashing-into-time-and-space reality of God entering into the course of life on earth. And, just as He once stepped into Pharaoh’s brickyard and said, “Let My people go,” He steps into other enslavements and proclaims liberty to the captives…like a father imprisoned by his daughter’s long exile and presumed death.

Epic stories almost always start with a crisis. That is followed by travail, struggling with Heaven and earth to find resolution, synthesis, or just . . . relief! You fight inner battles and outer battles and then arrive at a crossroads where all the previous issues stand waiting for the decision. The choices exercised right there tend to lead to victory or going back to square one to start the journey again.

For example, when I was a teenager, someone invited me to a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting one day. I had conflicted feelings, didn’t really want to go, but I heard myself say “yes.” That was the beginning of my epic story. Through that meeting, God stepped into my “brickyard” and proclaimed liberty to a captive.

And, I’ll never forget the moment when my 8th-grade teacher lifted me off the floor, slammed me up against the locker, and said, “Miller, you have too much going for you for me to see it go to waste!” That word changed my life. It was the voice of God, rescuing me from what Peter called a “futile way of life” (I Peter 1:18).

Concepts (and even the words themselves) like freedom, peace, and love are so profoundly resonant because they are the result of God’s intervention. They flow from His story. So, great stories like “Braveheart” or “Star Wars” or “Saving Private Ryan” absolutely drip with these components of God’s epic visitation.

So, what does all this mean to worship leaders?

In a very real sense, worship leaders are “keepers of the story.” They are protectors of the vibe, trustees of the flame. And, I believe, all worship leaders need to start right there. Forget music, technology, schedules and rehearsals. Start with the story.

To worship leaders, I would say, “Learn the story and let the story deal with you. And, then, allow its Author teach you how to tell it (just as He taught David, Moses, Abraham, Paul, and others). Don’t just assume that it should be told the same way everyone else tells it. Don’t even assume that music is an essential component.”

Dangerous Liasons with Carl Raschke

I grabbed coffee (tea for me) yesterday with Carl Raschke at Atlanta Bread in North Dallas. His mind was churning and mine too. I have heard that it can be dangerous to hang out with this man - especially if you work for a conventional seminary or para-church organization. I duly noted the risk and decided it was worth taking my chances.

To catch up with Carl: he has initiated a growing dialogue to develop a broader or deeper theology for our modern context. He is avoiding the PM word and the Emergent word to offer a fresh look with perhaps an opportunity for a broader dialogue.

This dialogue is taking place at Fidelisonline.us. They've had their kick-off retreat in Vail last and I'll be interested to see where it goes.

Our discussion changed to my world and I expressed my interest and burdern for the tent-makers of this world. Business people, moms - ordinary folk - who are spiritually mature, passionate about the Kingdom but discouragingly underutilized in their churches. I find this same story common as I travel and speak. The established church is boxed in by its own inertia traditional thinking.

So - we said - let's find a place and a time in April, set aside a half-day and invite any and all tentmakers we know who feel they have more to offer but are having a hard time finding traction in their church or need help in fashioning a true tentmaking ministry.

So - stay tuned and let me know if you are interested.

Favorite Quotes from 2006

• Peter Drucker: "The stepladder is gone, there's not even an implied structure of an industry's rope ladder. It's more like vines, and you bring your own machete."

Peter Drucker passed away this year at the age of 95. He was considered the father of modern management. A devout Christian he dedicated his later years to organizations like Leadership Network (who published my book), the Girl Scouts and other non-profits.

Drucker had high hopes that the corporation might become a source of community and self-actualization in the spirit of one's calling. However, he found that the gap between executives and front line employees grew - not only in pay but as a divided class. He found the motivation was too often greed and not the common good. So, he shifted his efforts toward helping the mega-churches who were embracing an entrepreneurial and business model as well as other non-profits.

My question; "Has a similar tail begun to wag the dog for many mega-churches? Has size overtaken the best intentions within our mega-chruches?"

• Reinhold Neibuhr: "Nothing worth doing is completed within our lifetime; therefore, we are saved by hope; Nothing true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in the immediate context of history; therefore, we are saved by faith; Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we are saved by love."


• Gandhi: “We must become the change we wish to see.”


• Richard Theime; “…such symbolic constructs (of the future) are always maps in danger of being mistaken for the territory"


• Tradition/Future: “The function of tradition is not to live in the past it’s to secure the future.”


• Information/Transformation: “We believe that information is transformation – but its not, information is information.”


• Churchill: “Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened.”


• Henri Nouwen: “Healing happens when we can connect our woundedness with Christ’s woundedness.”


• Henri Nouwen: “Hope focuses on the Giver not the gift.”


• Henri Nouwen: “Prayer has meaning only when it is necessary and indispensable.”


• Rev. William Sloane Coffin: “Faith doesn't give certainty it gives you the ability to deal with uncertainty.”


• Rev. William Sloane Coffin: “If you love the good without hating evil then you tend toward sentimentalism. If you hate evil more than you embrace the good then end up a hater.”


• Bono: “Your enemies will define you so make them interesting.”


• PJ O’Rourke “If you think healthcare is expensive now, wait until it is free”


• “Hope is the adrenaline of the soul.”


• Johnny Cash: “You can only get so far with rage, you need strategy.”


• President Gerald Ford: “Anybody who can't keep his enemies in his head has too many enemies." Asked what he thought of Nixon’s enemies list.

Post Christmas Reflections

I ran across a CD while taking our dogs for a walk and listening to an otherwise lame Podcast discussing Christmas trivialities. After my walk, I looked up the CD on iTunes and after noting there were 42 tracks – thought – shoot why not. Wow, what an odd collection of songs and arrangements by Sufjan Stevens. Some songs have an early Simon and Garfunkel kind of harmony with banjo instead of guitar. I know – hard to imagine. Two songs held me. One in particular is O Come, O Come Emanuel. It has become a lens filtering my thoughts about the meaning of Christmas. Steven’s arrangement brings a new clarity to the lyrics and a mood I had never felt before. I heard the haunting and almost breathless cry of Israel (and the Church) as a captive, trapped and victim to events outside her control. I had never really framed the origins of this season in terms of a cry for deliverance and of hope.

How fitting, though, we live in a Post 9/11 world. One of the top selling business books, The World is Flat, describes the massively disruptive restructuring of global commerce. I cannot remember a time so volatile, so polarized and at the same time so hopeful. And that simply refers to the two teenagers living in our house.

I also took note of another Christmas hymn. “Joy to the world the Lord has come let the earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room.” Both songs announce not simply a change of sentiment but a change of ownership. That is radical, disruptive and disturbing – according to the original story. We visited a few churches over the holidays. The services were touching for sure and excellently performed but overlooked the underlying reality that has made the Advent timeless. A friend sent a commentary by Joseph Loconte on National Public Radio transcript touching upon this root tension. What was the message behind the message that drove King Herod’s brutality? Is there really a hidden government of the heart that can ransom us from self-serving captivity and bring peace to men of goodwill?


There is no doubt that there is a mood for change. It’s simple but just not that easy. “We must become the change we wish to see.”

Our Family 2006

Left to right: Nathan, Lisa, Michelle,
Tyler, Rex; Daisy & Iris - newly adopted

Tyler, eight years old, he’s still the family schedule keeper, planner and sibling informant. He’s also becoming more independent – traveling to other neighborhoods (taking the creek in the back yard to cut through a few homes) to play with friends. He is our research scientist, fascinated by all things science especially if it blows up, looks like a slimy body organ or has a foul odor.

Nathan, fourteen years old, he stands eye-to-eye 5’9”and 120 pounds and just an inch shorter than me. Lisa says his muscles look like knots on a tree. Nathan too has reached a new phase of independence. We’ve gone from everything on the surface and easy to read – to reading between the lines, picking up clues from friends and surveying his room in an effort to interpret what’s up with our son. Last year he was a bit goofy and awkward with a cracking voice like Shaggy on “Scooby Doo.” This year he is a foot taller, has a deep voice, has dropped to four basic grunts as a vocabulary and has a definite idea of what is cool and not. Nathan decided that it’s cool to be buff. He hasn’t decided whether becoming buff is worth the effort.

Michelle, fifteen years old, lost her height advantage at 5’7”. Michelle is our easiest and most challenging child. She is content to live in her bedroom (her brothers call it the chamber) surrounded by her computer, music, art, writing, messaging to friends, mounds of books, instruments and the food she smuggles from the kitchen.

Family Favorites for 2006

Our family creates an annual recap. It's a collection of events, stories, reflections and favorites from the year. I sent our 2006 version in a PDF format adding several links throughout the letter for friends to see some of the story behind the story. However, those links did not work after I sent it out. Here are some links to some of our family favorites. In some cases I've listed who in the family provided the favorite.

Lisa is my wife, Michelle our 15 year old, Nathan our 14 year old and Tyler our 8 year old.

• Mentos Experiment – take a 2-Liter bottle of Diet Coke, take several Mentos (candies), create a small tube to quickly drop the Mentos into the coke and move away quickly. Nathan showed us this and it’s impressive.
• Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity - by John Stossel. It’s a surprising and promising look at our crazy world..
• iPod – the one gizmo (maybe a few others) that I cannot live without. I listened to Podcasts more than music. Favorites: Rollingstone Magazine seven hour interview with Bono, Businessweeks’ Podcast on Innovation, the Bible, Deciphering the Da Vinci Code, several shows from National Public Radio, Irving Bible Church and Radio Lab from WNYC.
• Walking Daisy and Iris with one of the kids.
  Art of the Long Tail – a business book about the new economy. Must read.
  Lost & 24 - Lisa & Rex.
• Advicenators – Michelle – a website where people can give free advice.
• David Blaine – uber magician - Nathan and Michelle.
• MiniMac – Lisa – it is close to converting me over to Apple.
• Mindmap – Rex – best software for planning, brainstorming, organizing, outlining…
• The Management of Savagery – hard to label as a favorite. It was the most eye-opening thing I read. This is a translation of the terrorist blueprint for global war.
• Ecco boots & shoes – the best feeling shoes and boots I’ve found. I hunted for almost a year and settled in on trying out a pair. The only place I could find them was at Nordstrom’s. While heading there I thought I’d check with Bass Proshop to see if they had them at a lower price. The guy I talked to said, “Well, them-r mall boots, we don’t carry anything like that.” I’m wearing mall boots – and I like them.
• Netflix – the best tool to find movies you’ll never see at Blockbuster

Websites

• Searchmash – is a beta search engine by Google. In addition to the normal search it also allows you to link to blogs, images, video’s etc. without a separate search.
• Zillow – type in your address – or the address of any home and you’ll get a map, a satellite image and the comps for the house.
• Marumushi News – the best tool to wade through the news.
  Digg – news compiled and ranked by – you.
• Flickr – where I find most of the images I use for presentations. I used a photo of a girl going down an amusement park slide with a look of terror on her face. I was making a presentation in Chicago and a colleague came up to me afterwards and in a concerned voice asked where I found the photo. I told him on Flickr. He then said that it was a picture of his neighbor’s daughter. He was planning to use it for the cover of his next book and wanted to how in the world I knew about it. Just Internet coincidence.
• Youtube – best place to find comedy clips and news that you may have missed.
• Woot – offers one gadget per day and when it’s sold out that’s it.
• InsertMonkey - cool clock.

Digital Native Skill 1 - Learning the Medium

Listen to the story on NPR about a new trend - Video Resume's (click on the title link above).

I'm not ready to jump on board with this. Most look amatuerish; poor audio, poor lighting and stiff. The good ones - those are obvious - understand the medium.

The NPR article selects several of their favorites to view. It worth looking at and critiquing.

Video production is a Digital Native Skill (just like reading was a Print Native skill in the 1500s). Right now we're seeing old shool thinking (read my resume) on a new medium. This is called REMEDIATION. Effective communication in a Digital world requires a different mind-set and different skills.

Think about it if you're in charge of worship, communication or the pastor of any church. Is your website simply an online brochure, fact sheet or an infomercial?

Important Mindshift 1 - Video skill on the web are different than video skills in a Broadcast world. You've got 3 to 5 minutes to do your thing online - and your goal is to provoke comment and dialogue. Writing, producing and even intent are different online than for a mass audience.

I don't have this skill. I'll need to develop it. My 14 year old son, on the other hand, threw something together over the holidays using my small Canon PowerShot Camera as a video camera and whatever software he found on my laptop to edit it. The point is, you don't need sophisteicated and expensive technology to learn the skills.

You do need a different mindset (that's the hard part).

Here is Nathan's add for "Instant H2O" spot on www.Metacafe.com. He used his brother and sister as actors.

The Reformation fathers understood the importance to master reading and writing creating institutions to provide the intellectual infrastructure that formed the Modern Western world. Current leaders might consider shifting resources to train their congregations with the skills of Media literacy and release them to change to entire globe.

Rex

World Future Society Projections for the Next 25 Years

I've spoken the last few years at their annual event. The topics range from the riviting to those you scratch your head over. Next year's event is in Minneapolis. I met a strong group of Christian Futurists and Regent College provides a Masters and Doctorate in Foresight and Future Studies.

Check out the Next 25 Year Projections.

Last year Ray Kurzweil was a keynote - look for some very startling break throughs in life extension and enhancement. He describes the converging impact of "GRIN" in his book Singularity.

Genetics
Robotics
Information
Nanatechnology

Is the church really prepared to address the future with more than circling the wagons and retreating to the past?

Rex

Church Marketing - What Not to Do (click for video)

When you watch this you'll squirm a bit. Here's the context. Bank of America has absorbed MBNA and this song was written to welcome the newly conquered.

A version of U2's One - like you've never heard it before.

It must have sounded like a good idea to someone at some time.

I love the white shirts and ties and the shell shocked audience. The singer is actually pretty good.

So - church marketers - where do you think this idea went wrong?

Intent?
Execution?
Context?
Tail wagging the dog?

Would love to hear any comments.

Rex