Generations In Faith Together

No Time? No Excuses!

As we begin planning for the fall and I wonder how we can communicate to parents the importance of setting priorities and making time for family, I am reminded of a great article that my friend, Vanessa Beaudry wrote a few months ago:

I just don’t have time!” How many times have you uttered this sentence in the past week, month, year? Sometimes it is a sigh, other times a cry. But sometimes, it’s just a whine – and as far as I’m concerned, the faith life of our children is a “No Whine Zone.”

I am writing this article from the viewpoint of a mom of a very active, very normal 9-year-old boy who attends Christian school, and who is also taken to church and Sunday school every week. While I’m not intending to come across as overly harsh, I am advocating a revolution – a grassroots revolution of parents who simply are not going to leave the fate of their children’s eternal souls to chance – to begin spending 15 minutes a day with your child (the time it takes to stand in line at Starbuck’s for a latte, or to floss your teeth, or to watch half of a sitcom on TV), sharing highs and lows, praying together, reading God’s Word, or just laughing together.

For many of us parents, daily devotional time with our kids really is a revolutionary idea. We are all so very “busy,” aren’t we? – but somehow, we find time to chauffeur kids to soccer practice and ballet lessons, to school and to friends’ homes, not to mention dealing with our own jobs and activities. What if one day everyone at your child’s school said “I just don’t have time to take my child to school any more.”? Would they just not go? Now, I know this is an overly dramatic example, but I use it to make the point that we always find time for those things that are important to us. Isn’t your child’s spiritual life important enough to spend 15 minutes a day on it?

One of the key concepts at Faith Inkubators is sharing faith every night in every home. I can speak from personal experience on how much of a difference just 15 minutes a day with Mom, Dad or both parents can make in a child’s life. So, be bold – start the revolution in your own home this year. Turn off the TV, the iPod, and the PC. Sit down together, open the Bible, and take the plunge. Take time to pray together; look into your kids’ eyes and listen to the heart cries they need to share with you. It may feel a little awkward at first, as everyone gets used to the idea and forms a new habit. But trust me – once you get started, the kids will find you and ask to have their daily time with you. Try it – it works. Do it as if their (eternal) lives depend on it.

Thanks Vanessa for these words of wisdom from a mother whose youngest just turned 21 yesterday. Time goes by all too quickly to not get your priorities straight!

Debbie Streicher is National Director of Children and Family Ministry. She can be contacted at dstreicher@faithink.com.

Flexibility and the Aging Church

“The older you are, the less flexible you are.” A friend and I were talking while we were exercising at Curves. Someone who looked to be about age 60+ overheard our talk and said, “It’s so true, the older you get, the less flexible you are, that’s why I’m here working out.”

We grinned and agreed, but what we were talking about wasn’t the physical body. It was the church body. We were expressing opinions about the seemingly less flexible way of thinking of the aged 50+ members in our congregation.

 

As I continued to run in place and go from station to station at Curves, I began to think more about the body. What the woman said about her body being less flexible does seem to be true of the “church body”. If we can become more flexible physically by exercising regularly as we grow older, what type of consistent emotional and spiritual exercise would it take to remain flexible in the church to adapt in a changing world?

Bodies change as they age. It’s a given. I know. I’m 55+!

Mainline denominations know. They’re dying!

 

It takes work to get energized and to meet the daily needs of change in our bodies.  Stretching and exercise gives us energy and helps us stay flexible. What would it take to be a little more “flexible” in the congregation? My guess is the answer is the same: stretching, bending, and exercise.

 

The definition of flexibility is: The popular term for the ability to easily bend an object or the ability to adapt to different circumstances.

 

Consistent daily and weekly exercise is the key. In fact, we have to exercise even more frequently as we age to remain flexible. The more we bend and stretch, the more flexible we become and the easier it is to adapt to our bodies as they change.

 

In the context of the church body, it would make sense for us to become familiar with what causes change as the church grows older. What would happen if we became more flexible in our thinking on a regular basis?

 

In the church, building relationships is important.

Some individual steps to take when beginning to exercise the church body:

1. Stretch beyond the circle of people you already know and get to know at least 5 more people who are younger than you are and 5 more older.  
2. Bend over and say hello to the 3 year old.
3. Stretch your hand out to someone you’ve never seen before, and if they don’t speak your language, smile!

Studies show that you are never too old to reverse the reduced level of flexibility that comes with age. I’d like to believe this to be true of the church also. In relation to our aging mainline denominations, it’s not too late to reverse the reduced level of tolerance with today’s challenges. After all, it’s the world of our children and grandchildren.

What will our legacy be?

Bottom line: The more we exercise, the more energy and enthusiasm we have. It’s time we reflect on the body of the church. The end result of regular and consistent stretching and bending is energy and enthusiasm. Originally an enthusiast was a person possessed by  God. (“en theo” meaning “in God”)

Hmmm……what would it look like if the body of the church were “possessed by God?  Feel like stretching and bending a little? I dare you!

It’s sure making a difference in my life.

Debbie Streicher is National Director of Children and Family Ministry. She is located in Northern Virginia and happy to address any questions you may have regarding Faith Inkubators’ resources. Please contact her at dstreicher@faithink.com.

Life Lines (Faith Stories)

We’re vacationing in the Cayman Islands. I feel blessed and privileged to make the yearly pilgrimage here with my family. I have traveled to many places in the world, but here is where I feel the most calm and experience the most “quiet times” in my life. Each morning I get up and take about a two mile hike along the beach. It’s very rare that I meet anyone. It’s lovely. I am reminded of God, the Creator.

This year, there was something new on the beach. In the distance, I thought it was a tree full of blackbirds. As I got closer I realized it was a tree full of shoes. Lost flip flops, sneakers, Crocs, and all kinds of shoes were hanging on the tree. Someone had taken the time to hang each one. It is a strange sight to see on the beach. I was so taken by it that after my walk I rode a bike back to the spot and hiked across the dunes to get back to it to take a picture.

I couldn’t help but wonder about all the feet that had filled these shoes. And I couldn’t stop wondering how many stories accompanied these shoes. I will never know because I do not know who the shoes belong to, but I can guarantee there are many stories to be told. It made me reflect on the stories we hold inside and the opportunities we have to share them. I wondered about the people, their stories, and their faith. Where do they live? What’s important in their lives? Do they have a faith story?

From my experience, providing small group settings for people to tell about their lives and having a time and place they can be shared, has grown the number of faith stories told in our congregation. We call them Life Lines. It’s providing the opportunity to share when we recognize God’s work in our lives and give him the glory, honor and praise. I never realized the importance of verbalizing our own faith stories until I witnessed the impact they can have on the lives of others. I used to think they were to be kept quietly to ourselves but have discovered the opposite is true.

It all begins with sharing some Highs & Lows and praying together to praise God for the Highs and ask for His guidance for the Lows. Gathering once a week in community to take time to listen and care makes a difference. Listening to one another, praying, and blessing when we are together changes lives.

We are God’s hands and feet in this world. Next time you don your shoes, think about your faith story. Is it a story someone else needs to hear?                                              
It could be a life line for them.

Debbie Streicher is National Director of Children and Family Ministry. She is located in Northern Virginia and happy to address any questions you may have regarding Faith Inkubators’ resources. Please contact her at dstreicher@faithink.com.

 

 

   

 

FSL:Faith as a Second Language

If you were to approach teaching faith like you would teaching a foreign language, what new methods might you consider? After teaching languages and living in a number of foreign countries, I have come to see a direct parallel between learning foreign languages and learning the language of faith. 

Learning a Foreign Language
Learning English as a Second Language (ESL) is a struggle for most adults who didn’t grow up with the language spoken in their homes. Likewise, many adults in our congregations also struggle learning the language of faith. It's like learning a second language. If they didn’t grow up with it spoken in their home, it seems foreign. It’s not that they don’t want to learn. It simply isn’t their native language, and learning it can make them feel uncomfortable.

Expectations
Families coming through the church doors may feel like they are entering an unknown culture. Immigrant parents often count on schools to teach English to their children. Similarly, parents drop their children at our church doors, counting on us to teach faith to their kids. Immigrant parents do not feel qualified or equipped to teach the strange new language. The same is true for many parents and the language of faith.

Fluency Sets a Standard
For immigrants, standard of living and income levels improve dramatically as they become fluent in English. Becoming fluent in the language of faith can also improve the “standard of living” in homes. Although you can’t measure the “income” in a checkbook, the resulting benefits to the family in terms of grace, forgiveness, communication and sharing can be immeasurable.

Those who become articulate in English can eventually work and assimilate to a life in the community. They begin to speak English with their children in the home. Those who become articulate in the language of faith will eventually live out their faith every day in the home, at work, and in the world.

Effective Ways to Teach
The most effective ways to introduce English are to teach the way the brain learns. That means a heavy reliance on active learning and whole-brain techniques with lots of visuals, games, songs, hands-on practice, motivation and fun.

The most effective ways to teach faith are the same: visuals, games, songs, hands-on practice and fun. Involvement of parents and other adults as role models is key.

The Importance of Immersion
Those who become fluent in a foreign language know that the best way to learn is to be immersed and surrounded in a home where the language is spoken. After living in a culture and being “loved into” the language, you become fluent. It is not forgotten. Wherever you are in the world and hear it spoken, you gravitate towards it and thirst to be with others who speak the same language.

It’s hard to argue educationally that a language can be taught in a one-hour-a-week session. It’s also hard to argue Biblically that faith can or should be taught in a one-hour-a-week session. The key to bringing parents and others on-board to become fluent in faith-talk, is to create an immersion experience that includes the home. Teach a theme at church. Invite parents and ask them to return to the same theme every night in their homes.

Our Instructions
When the Children of Israel were preparing to enter the Promised Land, God gave them a clear set of instructions on how to teach their children:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might. Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart. Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblem on your forehead, and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. — Deuteronomy 6:5-9

Questions for Leadership:
Take this language metaphor to your next leadership team meeting and ask:

·         How is faith taught in our church?

·         Are we aware there may be parents in our congregation learning the language of faith for the first time?

·         Do we see one of our roles to be teaching Faith as a Second Language (FSL)?

 

Spamfirmands?

A week ago I spent time with the congregation at Galilean Lutheran in Corpus Christi, TX. I was shown the room where the Junior High meet for confirmation and there it was! Welcome to Spamalot!

After years of being involved with the confirmation program in our congregation, I knew that a can of “Spam” was always a recommended prize for the Quizbowl. We rarely used Spam as a prize because those planning with me thought it was goofy , silly, and that the youth would not like it. Well, it is goofy and silly, but the wise Pastor Mark Behrendt thought it would be fun to build around the idea of competing for the can of Spam and being immersed in Spam…literally!

I thought you’d enjoy a few pictures of the great room they built around the Spam idea. The clock, carpet, signs, and some memorabilia all point to Spam. This congregation definitely takes the prize for creativity. That’s really all it takes to initiate steps to get youth involved and having fun, isn’t it?

Is there a room in your church where you can build on a theme and actively involve the youth in helping you dream and imagine what their special place to meet may look like? Want to try the Spam theme? Begin your dreams with some items here at the SPAM Store . You will find games, toys, and more. Have another idea ? I’d love to hear about it.

Cause and Effect in Christian Education

Cause and Effect in Christian Education

Diana Dell maintains a website called “Teaching and Learning with Technology." She says this about cause & effect:

Looking for the reason why things happen (cause/effect) is a basic human drive. So, understanding the cause/effect text structure is essential in learning the basic ways the world works.

Cause and effect is the relationship between two things when one thing makes something else happen. For example, if we eat too much food and do not exercise, we gain weight. Eating food without exercising is the "cause;" weight gain is the "effect." There may be multiple causes and multiple effects.

I’d like to address this to Christian educators:

My analogy is when we provide Christian education programs and Sunday school for children but do not include parents, we create a drop-off syndrome. Implementing programs in the congregation without helping parents understand their crucial part as faith role models for their children is the “cause”, the drop-off syndrome is the “effect.”

The question is, “How can we expect parents to participate if we’ve never really empowered them to do so?”

To determine the cause it is said we should ask, “Why did it happen?”

I think the why for parents in the context of Sunday school is because we haven’t been very good at telling parents they truly are the number one faith role model for their children. Even I, as a young parent, felt the pastor or the Sunday school teacher was the only person who could teach my children about faith. A child needs multiple faith role models in their lives, but we, as parents are number one. Who has ever told us this?

To determine the effect it is said we should ask, “What happened?”

The what is answered by greeting parents with a smile and telling them what class room their child goes to and what teacher they have. We very rarely think to provide special opportunities for parents to gather together, get to know one another, and form support groups. And seldom provide opportunities for parents and children to learn together.

I believe this cause and effect has had a huge impact on our Sunday school programs and the way we do Christian education. How do we seek ways to get parents on board?  I suggest we stop pointing fingers at parents and complaining about the situation we’ve gotten ourselves into and come together in prayer for our children and their parents.

Our children are a precious resource and the future of the church. Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate a parent’s role and empower them to join us and experience the joy of being a Christian educator. Can you imagine the end result?   

 

 

Scripture for the Day

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing;it is the gift of God."  Ephesians 2:8

Technology in the Church

My friend and I do not see eye to eye when it comes to using technology in the church setting. We recently stood together in the sanctuary of a church with a very rich, traditional look. It had oak paneled walls and lovely stained glass windows. The choir seating was behind the altar which stood on a slightly raised platform. There were two balconies. They had lovely brass railings. The back of the sanctuary could double as a narthex if two large oak panels were closed. The space had been renovated recently and the wood looked beautiful. In this newly renovated traditional sanctuary  there were two large, black TV monitors positioned on the wall on both sides of the altar. There were also four smaller monitors. Two positioned in the narthex area which I imagined could be used for overflow in the future and two facing the choir seating behind the altar.

My eyes zeroed in on the monitors and I turned to my friend and said, “Bob, what do you think of the monitors?” I knew his answer before I even asked. He was silent for a second and then replied, “I don’t like them.” I felt the two of us represented one of the most glaring divides in churches today. The divide is both generational and cultural. It is triggered by new, mostly visual and computer related technology. I have found that either people love it or they hate it. There doesn’t seem to be a middle of the road. The challenge is to find a way we, as a congregation, can come together with these differing views. Nothing should take away from the reason we come together each week. If it does, we should question whether or not we are truly using our time together wisely. We need effective tools to get God’s Word embedded in hearts and minds.

I, personally, would like to claim technology for God as a tool to share His Word. I do not think I’m alone. There is a key reason we should use every tool available. It’s to make disciples.

 “What is technology?” One definition from the Wikipedia online states “Technology is a broad concept that deals with a species' usage and knowledge of tools and crafts, and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt to its environment.”

We have been using technology for years in churches. Without it, messages may not have been heard and special events would not have been recorded. There are microphones, cameras, organs, tape recorders, and more. Most churches have used technology in some way for at least two decades. I think the challenge today is the visual challenge. The screen, the projector, and computer technology as tools have moved us into an entirely new venue in the church.

Five percent of the human brain is dedicated to processing sound. Twenty-five to thirty-three percent is dedicated to processing sight. The brain processes what is heard at 10,000 bits per second versus what it sees at 7 billion bits per second. Providing visuals to teach scripture and share a message is essential.

Tapestries were among the first visual tools used. Later in history beautiful stained glass windows related the Good News. People used the tools they had to create beautiful works of art to share God’s Word. Today we have even more tools to do the same.

Some people who disagree with using technology in the church see it as entertainment. Let’s take the word apart and reference it in the setting of the church. En means to draw into, ter means land, tain is to hold as in retain. Our goal when someone enters through our doors should be to draw them into our land and hold them while we teach scripture and share the Good News. God’s Word embedded in the hearts and minds of all ages is a first step to making disciples.                                                                      
How we go about doing this is our challenge. Visual technology is part of our world. Can we reach the next generation without it?

Moving faith practices from the church to the home and into the world is an awesome task.  E-mail, online resources, music, cell phones, and websites are ways we keep in touch with one another. Imagine those attending churches for an hour a week staying in touch and continuing a study of God’s Word at home and at work. I have witnessed this and I know it makes a difference in the way a person lives, in the way a congregation functions, and in the way we reach out to our families and neighbors.

My friend, Bob, and I have some talking to do. I’m hoping we can agree to disagree and go forward with an issue I feel is vital to our church. It’s important for us to provide various avenues to study scripture and worship together. We all feel drawn into worship in different ways depending on our own history and experience. I believe visuals and screens can be used effectively as a means of sharing art just as one would a tapestry. Visuals are far too important to not use them.

Today we can take advantage of the great tools we have and use them to share messages visually with words, pictures, film clips, and live video feed in a positive, respectful manner. Both quiet reflection and clear messages can be done effectively and well with audio and visual technology. My mother used to say, “Things done by half are never done right.” If we want to truly entertain and draw our people into a relationship with God and with one another, we need to get our technology right and do it well. The future of the church will include a technology specialist in our churches. No doubt in my mind.  

Do you think more like my friend Bob when it comes to claiming technology for God or do you think more like me? I imagine your church’s challenge is the same as ours. I love my friend and I would like us to worship side by side in a church that at the present time I sense is being torn apart by differing opinions. It’s time to make a plan to begin honestly listening to one another, praying together, and respecting each other in meaningful and positive ways.

Our future is in God’s hands. He has provided us with ample tools to spread the Good News.                   

What steps have you already taken and what more can you do in your local setting to best use technology for God?

168 Hours in a Week vs. 1 Hour for Christian Education

There’s 168 hours in a week. In the church we see the larger percentage of people for 1 hour during worship and a smaller percentage for 1 hour during Christian Education.

What message can we possibly give during this prime time to nurture and sustain faith lives the other 166 hours of the week?

Our track record appears to be showing that whatever we do during prime time does not continue when people leave the building. In fact what we share and teach during 1 or 2 hours in church is most likely undone within an hour in the secular world.

What can we do? How do we nurture our people and help them understand that faith role modeling is in their hands and not just experienced in our buildings for a few hours a week. It’s ours to do 24/7.

How do we help our children, youth, and adults?

Over the past 5 years I have had the privilege to travel across the country and introduce curriculum and family systems thinking to congregations. This summer I was privileged to travel as part of a team to churches in Australia. Whether in congregations in Australia or in the US, we all have the same challenges. It’s getting parents “on-board” and involved in Christian education. And it’s helping them understand their role in the faith of their children.

While on staff in our congregation for 10 years, I learned that role modeling faith practices once a week in the congregation that could be done in the home works.

I also became friends with two important words, intentional and expectations.

Until you are intentional about the way you do something, it most likely doesn’t happen. When you set expectations, you make priorities for the way we do something. It becomes important to you and the congregation.

A simple faith practice we call the FAITH 5 modeled in church every Sunday in small groups and at home every night in households will change lives.

FAITH 5 (Faith Acts InThe Home)

1. Share  2.      Read God’s Word  3.Talk 4.Pray 5.Bless.

If I had kicking off the year to do over again, here’s what I’d do:

1. Meet with the Christian Ed leadership team and come to an understanding about what we want to accomplish, support one another, and model the FAITH 5 at each meeting.
2. Communicate through e-mails, newsletters, and bulletins about plans for the fall well before the beginning of Sunday school.
3. Make sure that pastor, leadership, and teachers are “on-board” with our plans and can verbalize them back to us.
4. Ask the pastor or one of the Christian Ed team to make announcements during worship times. Talk about the value of the FAITH 5 during a message and think about providing a time for faith      stories of the church to be shared during worship in the future.
5. Make phone calls as an initial contact. Personal invitation is the number one way to invite another person to come.     
6. Most important: Have a parent’s meeting as a kick off for the year where you explain the expectations. Role model the FAITH 5 at that meeting. Walk them through the value and wisdom of each step.
7. Make sure there is a schedule to hand out at the beginning of the year so everyone can have the dates on their calendar. In today’s busy world this is important.
8. Schedule a few family events throughout the year where the fruits of sharing the FAITH 5 in small groups each week and in the home can be shared. Faith stories from church staff are one thing,    faith stories from one family to another grows lives. That’s evangelism.

I bought a few boomerangs when I was in Australia. They are beautiful. I’m not very good at using them yet, but I began to reflect on what I want them to do.

I want them to come back.

Then I thought about the FAITH 5.

I like to think of them as having the potential of the boomerang effect.
Throw them out there and you’ll be amazed at how quickly stories come back.

Along with the stories come the people. Again and again.

 

Serious Food for Thought

At a recent event I attended I was reminded of this saying:

"Shepherds don't make sheep. Sheep do!"
Author Unknown

Definitely serious food for thought in the context of the church.