Review and Some Discussion Questions for "I Am A Church Member" by Thom Rainer

I recently listened to an interview in with Thom Rainer shared how surprised he has been by the response to his little book, "I Am A Church Member."  We recently purchased a full box of them and included them in a three week discussion in our small groups.  The response was great!

In this book, Rainer attempts to move from a consumer-oriented view of church membership to a missional orientation.  In other words, being a church member is not about what you get from it (the privileges of membership) but is about what you are able, and expected to give.  As I read the short book, I heard and felt the pain of pastors of decades past who bear the scars from controlling, selfish, and down-right sinful church members demanding to get their way in their church.  Coming from congregational ecclesiology that is often idolized by Southern Baptists, Thom is the guy to write this book!  (Although pastors from any ecclesiology can resonate with his words.

I love Rainer's description of the church as NOT a cruise ship.  (His story about the transition from ocean liners offering practical transportation to luxurious cruise ships offering indulgence.)  Rainer demonstrates that he is in touch with the struggles between pastors and church leaders to keep the mission of the church at the forefront of our minds.

The only negative feedback I have read about this work is that the tone is sometimes harsh and demanding.  Yes, his words are strong.  I wonder if this critique stems from viewing Rainer as a pastor/leader who is vying for the power in the church.  This book might be better received if written from a lay-person.  Regardless, I have heard so many church-loving/serving non-clergy folks praise this book as the book that needs to be read by every church member.

The negative feedback I would add is that the study questions at the end of each chapter are, well, terrible.  Some of them are "duh" questions (in which the answer is so obvious).  The others ask the reader to find several passages in the Bible that support a main point in the chapter.  I am glad they are labeled "study" questions, since they are not "discussion" questions at all.  With the widespread influence of this book, I am surprised that I could not find good group discussion questions anywhere!

So, if it is helpful to anyone, I offer to the world the discussion questions we used in our groups.  There are only a few per chapter, but they seemed to work with our groups.

Feel free to download, edit and use these discussion questions.  If you like them, please leave a comment and let me know if they are helpful!

Discussion Questions set 1

I Am a Church Member - LIFE Groups Week 1

Discussion Questions set 2

I Am a Church Member - LIFE Groups Week 2

Discussion Questions set 3

I Am a Church Member - LIFE Groups Week 3

Jesus, Christmas and Politics

Earlier this week I was privileged to be invited to the Cass County Conservatives Christmas gathering.  This gathering of local politicians and supporters includes some of my friends in town.  In addition to praying the invocation and blessing the meal, they asked me to share a few words about the real meaning of Christmas.  Below are my thoughts.  I hope they will bless you in some way (or at least make you think.)

I have to admit that I am a Christmas junkie.  And not for the reasons that you might assume when you first hear that I am a pastor.  I just love the season!  I love fresh baked cookies that seem to only find their ways out of recipe books in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I love the aroma of evergreen and the beauty of green and reds around the house and halls.  Our ornament box contains several that I colored and pasted in elementary school. I even enjoy a good fruitcake  and really enjoy egg nog (minus the rum).  And the music.  Whether hymns, carols or merely songs about snow and sleds.  Some of you might remember Singing along with Mitch Miller and the Gang.  I grew up listening to his Chrismtas record – and now I play the CD every year!

But deep down, and all around, we know there is something more, something deeper, to this season than cookies, greenery and merriment. We discover our deep-seated values.  We find what is most important…what drives us.

If what brings us together tonight is the word, “conservative” let’s think for a moment what that implies.  What exactly are we trying to conserve?  It is our deep-seated values that we long to share with others.  The values that are not personal, but that we believe ought to be shared by neighbors and fellow-citizens.  We value family, especially the importance of the household, or nuclear, family.  We don’t want to see the definition of family changed, as we recognize the importance of a mother and father together raising children in a safe, loving home. And at this Christmas season, we long for family to expand beyond our own four walls as we travel great distances to be with those who are also family.

Our value of freedom also arises during this season.  As we wish for peace, I think specifically of Norman Rockwell’s famous “freedom from fear” painting, featuring a mother and father tucking in their 2 young sons, who sleep peacefully, blissfully unaware of the pain, hurt and fear that others their age around the world face as they lay heads on pillows.

But Christmas is even deeper than the values of family and freedom, as important as those are.  And we are wise, in our increasingly secular culture, to remind each other of the most important element of Christmas, as my son says as he looks into our tabletop nativity set – the little Lord Jesus.  Christmas is about Jesus.  We know and we say it, “Jesus is the reason for the season.”  But what does that really mean?  I fear that for many, the real reason for the season is merely an emotional reaction to a cuddly baby boy born to a carpenter and his young wife.  Who doesn’t love babies?  Others are quick to fast-forward to this baby’s adult teachings and influence.  But could there be more to Christmas than a baby or a pre-requisite to adulthood?  What does the manger say to a group gathered around influencing politics and culture with conservative values?  Can I suggest three ways that we might consider this season, of what is implied by the meaning of Christmas?

1. God is interested in politics.   Contrary to the philosophers of the 18^th century, God is not merely watching the affairs of earth from a disconnected and safe distance.  God is active and involved. He cares.  He hurts with victims and is angered by perpetrators.  AT Christmas, we see God entering humanity, getting his hands dirty, and confronting social and political abuses.  He speaks the truth to Kings and Governors.  God cares about peace and justice, right and wrong, society and government.  And he got involved!  We like this.  In this respect, we feel like we are doing God’s work as we also get involved in politics.  But the next two might challenge us. 
2.  God engaged politics from a highly unlikely position.  If we had positioned Jesus for influence, we would have birthed him in Rome. If necessary, Jerusalem.  But not the tiny village of Bethlehem, and definitely not a stable.  We would have chosen powerful Roman parents, maybe a wealthy Jewish family, but not a poor carpenter. We would have directed the angels to announce his birth to the town elders, not shepherds.  We would have chosen senator-material disciples, not fishermen. 
3. Jesus changed the world through a position of weakness, by giving his own life away.  We tend to value strength, and when absolutely necessary, the taking of life.   But in Jesus, we find a consistent theme.  From a humble birth, to a quiet upbringing, even his teachings promoted giving.  We influence more by serving than by being served, by giving more than receiving.  When we give our lives away, we find gain a life better than we could imagine.  We do not “Lord our influence over others,” which is the Gentile way.  And we see this as the Son of God gave up the comfort of heaven for the discomfort of earth, serving and giving all along the way, even until he breathed his last, on our behalf. 

Christmas changed everything. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.  It is God with us.  It brings life into focus and reminds us of the greatest values worth conserving.  May your Christmas indeed be blessed as you value what is most important!