What Does Church Look Like to an "Outsider"? - a book review of "Jim & Casper Go To Church"

I discovered Jim Henderson in 1998 while discovering this thing called the world wide web.  Navigating the awesomeness of the Yahoo search engine, I discovered Jim's website- one of the few that contained fresh information about evangelism.  I didn't really get it, though.  He was just a bit too far out for me.  What I did understand was the model of church-based evangelism I was reading about in my favorite books written by Rick Warren and Bill Hybels.  Jim was feeling something - probably because of his very close connection with avowed atheists.  Long before missional communities and emergent churches became the fad, Jim was sensing the limits of institutional-based evangelism.  His contribution to the field of evangelism has been to encourage us to truly listen to those who openly disagree with us.

I just finished reading Jim & Casper Go to Church.  In the book, Jim aims to help pastors and church leaders understand how our methods, our words, our programs, our advertising, and especially our weekend worship services are experienced and interpreted by "outsiders."  He uses the term "outsiders" without derision, but simply as a fitting description of someone who does not attend church, has little experience with church or church culture, and who probably does not believe in Jesus.  To attain his goal, Jim connected with Matt Casper, a marketing copywriter and freelance author.  Casper is also an atheist.  When Jim pitched the idea to Casper to visit twelve churches in two months, discussing and writing about their experiences in each place, Casper jumped on it.  The book is an easy read.  Well, that is, if you are a church leader who is okay with tough questions.  Because Casper asks a lot them.  But Jim asked him to do just that.

Throughout the book we read about many of America's most famous evangelical churches.  From Willow Creek and Saddleback, through Mars Hill (Seattle) and a house church, to Lakewood and the Potter's House. To keep it real, they even visited a small Presbyterian church in Chicago and a few other unknown churches.

I enjoyed reading Casper's interpretations of what he experienced.  He really struggled with the glitz and glamour of the mega-churches.  While Jim would push him to consider that some of the "amenities" are necessary (you need acres of parking to handle thousands of people!!!!), Casper's constant questioning really makes us think:  is this really what Jesus wants you all doing?

Near the end, Casper offers some observations that are difficult to deal with:  He noted that in almost all of the churches, the form (format) was the same- gather, sing a few songs, pray, preach a sermon, take an offering, and go home. However, he noted that the function (expression of the church's mission) was all over the board; some churches talked about caring for the poor in their community while others talked about giving in order to get God's blessings, while others talked about reaching the world for Jesus and yet others discussed creating beautiful art.  While church leaders would see that as an expression of diversity within the body of Christ, illustrating how it takes all of us to do all that Christ commanded, Casper saw it as very confusing- as if we are offering mixed messages and we can't get along. That is a difficult one for me.  How do we address that?

As I read the book, I couldn't help but to think that Casper is more an artist than an engineer.  (see my previous blog post)  As such, he enjoyed worship services that were smaller and more intimate, that encouraged more dialog than just listening to a sermon, and displayed activity in the community.

Jim Henderson also offered a few closing observations- or should I say, a few difficult questions to ponder.  Do we give too much attention to our weekend worship services?  We know that it takes much more than just attending a service to fully participate in a local church and in faith in Jesus.  But if the weekend service is what outsiders will see first, are we giving the wrong impression that it is all about music and a preacher?  Finally, he suggests that we really think about how we describe our faith.  Sometimes our confidence comes across as arrogance with no room for questions.  We would be better to say, "I believe..." rather than "I know...."  And I believe that is a good word.
  
By the way, one of the things I appreciate about the book is that Jim Henderson did not try to bash megachurches, nor the church growth movement, nor any particular church tradition.  While he admitted his own biases (positive and negative), he sees the value in each church and even at times defends practices that he doesn't seem to agree with.  I appreciate his objectivity.

Book Review: The Volunteer Revolution

I love to see people thrive in meaningful volunteer ministry roles.  It is so much fun to see electricians discover that they can use their skills not just to earn a living, to further God's purposes by wiring houses and repairing outlets for single parents.  It is equally enjoyable, however, to see see other electricians who prefer to leave their wire strippers at work and use their spare time to do what they love, whether it is teaching toddlers or running a sound system.  This is the thesis of Bill Hybels' book, The Volunteer Revolution: Unleashing the Power of Everybody.

At just under 130 pages, Hybels does not offer a theoretical or scholarly essay of volunteerism, nor does he cover the spiritual gifts in depth.  He does not here offer a training manual for launching a ministry (see his other works for that).  What he does is encourage pastors and lay leaders to further volunteer engagement.

If you are a faithful church member who is longing to make a difference with your time and energy, pick up this book.  You will be inspired to get off the bleachers, put on a Jersey and lace up your shoes.  You will hear the stories of others who got involved.  Maybe you have been faithfully volunteering for years and, for some reason, are wondering if it is time to find a new ministry.  This book will help you to see the hundreds of places to give your time.  This book could be the catalyst you need to discover the new ministry God has for you!

If you are a pastor, this book will inspire you to continue to invest in volunteers (in spite of the fact that they sometimes make your job harder when you think they should be making it easier.)  If you are teaching a series on every-member-ministry, Hybels offers great insights into the Biblical stories you might teach from.

If you are a church leader, or the volunteerism coordinator of a church or non-profit, Hybels offers some very practical help for engaging first-time volunteers, as well as helping seasoned volunteers evaluate and assess their ministry effectiveness.

Joshua: The Original G.I. Joe?

As a young boy in the 1980's, I grew up watching GI Joe defend America from its enemies and Luke Skywalker destroy the Death Star.  When Arnold Schwarznegger's Commando played on television, I recorded it and proceeded to wear out the tape through hundreds of viewings.  Cap guns, homemade swords and green plastic army guys filled my toy boxes.  Soldiers were heroes and war was glorious!

Then one of the teenagers who attended our church graduated and joined the military.  During some leave time he was back at home, and while at church one Sunday I grilled him with three hundred questions, trying to get a firsthand account of the glory of war.  Neither his responses nor the look on his face displayed much glory.

In the Bible, the book of Joshua displays more testosterone than any other book of the Bible.  There is war everywhere and God's people almost always win.  I remember reading the entire book when, as a 7th grader, I read through the entire Bible.  After reading all of the laws and regulations of Leviticus and Numbers, and then the repeat of those same laws in Deuteronomy, I was ready for some adventure - and I found it in Joshua.  It was exciting, adventurous and full of adrenaline!  This was the real deal - G.I. Jo(shua), the Real Israelite Hero!  (In fact, for men who think the Bible is a book for sissies, I refer them to Joshua.)

This summer, I have been spending time in the book of Joshua again.  Kick-started by a weekend campout/retreat with a bunch of guys from church in which we studied the first few chapters of the book, I slowly read through the rest of it during my quiet time with God.

I think I have changed, though, from that naive child enthralled by the imagined glory of war.  Joshua has not been fun, nor easy, to read.  I have heard too many firsthand accounts of the horrors of war.  Stories of a scared young man fighting in the Pacific Theater of the second World War.  Lifelong pain and confusion stemming from experiences in Vietnam.  Holding the bullet that ripped through the chest of a friend in Afghanistan.  And these are the stories of survivors - I don't have personal stories of those who didn't come home.  But there are thousands....  Soldiers are still heroes, and I respect them for their bravery and I appreciate the freedom they have defended for me and gained for others.  But war has lost its glory. 

As I read the stories of war in Joshua, I wonder if the Israelite soldiers struggled for the rest of their lives with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, waking up with nightmares, trying to love their wives while fighting back the memories of bloody swords and screaming, dying men.  Or did God wash their memories of the horror since they were doing as he commanded?  I am not sure. (By the way, I do realized that it is difficult to reconcile God's command to war with Jesus' command to love your enemies - but that is a discussion for another day.  For the purpose of this discussion, I am merely taking the story at face value).

I think this is part of the growing process.  While the Bible does present God's truth very objectively, our connection with that truth is influenced by our subjective experiences.  This does not mean that we get to pick and choose our truth, nor are we the final judges of what is true or untrue, but our feelings and questions of God's truth are influenced by our life experiences, relationships, and influences.  And the passage that I used to enjoy I now find very troubling.  And I hope that this is the evidence that God is still shaping and molding me into his glorious ideal.