Here’s taking coffee shop evangelism the extra mile. Starting this spring, the ubiquitous Starbucks will feature a quote from Rick Warren on some of its cups as part of a campaign called “The Way I See It.” Warren joins 63 others—musicians, athletes, scientists, and cultural critics—in Starbucks’ effort to spur coffee house debate. None of the previous quotes have been blatantly religious; some have mentioned faith in humanity.
Warren decided to offer his quote after reading a “cup quote” on evolution by paleontologist Louise Leakey. Starbucks, which was soliciting customer contributions at the time, accepted Warren’s submission.
“Focusing on yourself will never reveal your real purpose,” the Purpose Driven author and pastor wrote. “Only in God do we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, and our destiny.”
The cups also say that opinions “do not necessarily reflect the views of Starbucks.” —from USA Today (10/19/05) my church
Bad Moon Rising
By 2025, George Barna predicts, the local church will lose roughly half its “market share.” The futures dealer says local congregations, as we know them, will lose members to house churches, marketplace ministries, and Internet communities.
People aren’t dropping out of their faith when they quit church, pollster Barna says, they’re dropping into “alternative forms of faith experience.” That means the pastor’s new competition is not only the megachurch and the sermons-on-video church, but also groups such as the Red Hat Society and the tiny Bible study at the house next door.
Barna calls these departed “revolutionaries.” And he says presently at 20 million, their ranks are growing.
Most likely to drop out: evangelicals (4 of 10 already participate in some alternative form of church) and ethnics (16% of Hispanics now meet in a house church; 36% of blacks engage in marketplace ministry, compared to 19% of whites).
Barna’s new book is called Revolution. Kevin Miller reviews it on page 127 in this issue. —with info from Barna.org.
PASTOR My Best Years
Years five through ten of a pastor’s tenure with a congregation may be the most productive, according to a Gallup poll. Those are the years church members report they are most likely to be “engaged” with the ministry. Rising from 30 percent in years three through five, members’ active involvement in church life rises to a peak of 37 percent after year five. In that same period, those who identify themselves “actively disengaged” drops to 8 percent, the lowest level.
Gallup surmises that after five years together, “members have decided to get on board with the leader’s vision, or at least try not to hinder it.”
Later the dissenters appear to assume the pastor isn’t leaving, so they drop out. After the pastor’s tenth year, “active disengagement” among members peaks at 17 percent. —with info from the Gallup Organization
CALLING You’re Hired
It’s not Trump’s boardroom, but for James McCaskill, it’s a ticket to stardom—and ministry. This Anglican priest is featured in a British reality show called Priest Idol.
When the Pennsylvania native took on Lundwood parish in England, the church had three active members. In a village of 6,000 with high unemployment, teen pregnancies, and addictions, the church building was more popular for vandalism than worship.
Cameras followed McCaskill during his first year, documenting the church’s growth to nearly 50, and starting with his initial outreach effort at a bar. “[The show] tells a really positive story about our particular church and about the church in general,” McCaskill said. “It raises a lot of issues for churches to think about how, why, and to what extent they can reconnect with their communities.”
Priest Idol aired in November, but McCaskill stays on; he signed a five-year contract. Stay tuned … —ChristianityToday.com and Ch. 4 (UK)
BLOGGING Layers of Emergence
“We all enter at a different layer,” postmodern guru Brian McLaren told leaders, “but everyone should be welcomed to the emergent conversation no matter where they may be.”
Skye Jethani wrote about the gathering on our blog, Out Of Ur. The full text is there; here’s a synopsis.
1. Style. Ineffective at reaching 18- to 32-year-olds, Seeker Community Church sends staff to a conference. They come back with goatees.
2. Evangelism. SCC tries to speak younger gen’s language. Starts a service with X in name.
3. Culture. As society shifts away from modern presuppositions SCC was built on, some X-service elements trickle into the rest of the church.
4. Mission. Postmodernism causes SCC to reevaluate mission strategy. Altar calls are left behind in favor of community groups. Conversion becomes a journey.
5. Church. SCC wonders if big buildings with weekly productions is the only way to do church. It launches alternative communities—one meets in a bar, another is liturgical—and partners with an inner city monastic group to reach street kids.
6. Gospel. Pastor says, “I’m not sure I understood the gospel” and wonders why Jesus never said, “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.” The Good News is more than he’d ever imagined.
7. World. Maybe the church’s mission isn’t to become bigger? Maybe it’s to engage the larger world to reveal that the kingdom of God has drawn near? SCC soon combats poverty, AIDS, and global injustice. —from Out Of Ur (10/28/05)
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