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Archives for August 2013

Perceptions of “Dying to Control” from a Local Church Pastor

Posted on August 30, 2013 // Leave a Comment
Bryan Baker

Bryan Baker is the founder of Ministry Logistics and a Local Church Pastor in Big Timber, Montana.

Guest Post by Bryan Baker

Full disclosure requires me to say that I have known Leon for a little over a year. I have also been helping him build his online real estate (i.e. website, blog, and social media presence).

That said, Leon honestly wants my real opinion.

A number of times over the last year I have asked Leon, “Do you really want my opinion?” His response is always the same, “Of course.”

I decided to read Dying to Control before we finalized working together. It was a quick read: Honest, from the gut, thoughtful, and a little edgy.

I am as far from edgy as a person gets. Sometimes edgy is about ticking off mom, dad, the grandparents, and everyone else with a tradition or two. Leon is sincere and every word of the book has been crafted with that sincerity. His edge is good!

I was also nervous about having Leon preach in the church I pastor. I was scared he would get me in trouble.

But I invited him anyway and surprise, no one beat down my door the next day.

People responded with affirmation, understanding, and the question, “Why haven’t we heard this before?”

Here are some of my takeaways from Dying to Control, having Leon preach, and from the discussion group he led.

People are tired of the arguments of yesteryear.

Evolution and human sexuality may be important topics, but so much energy has gone into fighting these battles while the rest of the world has started talking about different things.

Are they important?

I think so, but these conversations aren’t  happening in the same room most people are in. Leon’s story of the evolutionist and creationist having a verbal duke fest is interesting because most of us leave those arguments wondering who won and why we were listening. Most of these discussions are an exercise in futility. Few people leave with a new perspective and most leave more entrenched in their own thinking.

People are excited about things that matter.

Mannequin

photo credit: Urban Woodswalker via photopin cc

People want more from life than window dressing. Mannequins serve a great purpose, but none of us wants to be one. People are tired of living life like we are on display. We know something is wrong. The act of dressing up, looking like we have it all together, and keeping up with the Jones family is nothing more than a facade.

We may not know how to take off our masks, but we know they exist. There is a desire to come out from “behind the tree” as Leon describes it. Our self-made costumes, masks, and personal attempts to hide aren’t working and we know it.

Coming out from behind “the tree” is an exciting invitation! Scary, but exciting.

Genesis 3 is surprisingly relevant for today. Adam and Eve hiding behind the tree is replayed every day.

Last month I saw (heard) a few dozen people asking Leon questions and wrestling with material found in Dying to Control. All of those people were grappling with their own stuff: broken marriages, rebellious kids, addiction, sickness, legalistic religion, and the multiplicity of other human predicaments.

Most people walked away from that conversation saying, “This is good!” And, “I need to think more on what it looks like to come out from behind the tree.” The tree is a metaphor for how all of us tend to hide – hide from God, from our own brokenness, from each other.

Maybe that’s what’s so refreshing about Leon, and Dying to Control.

He’s inviting us to answer God’s question, “Where are you?”

God knows where we are, so it may seem like a stupid question. So maybe the question isn’t for his knowledge, but for ours?

Do we know where  we are?

This is a good question for us to think about.

I spent a week with Leon last month. I think Leon enjoys pushing my buttons, challenging my theology, and critiquing Evangelical Christianity, of which I am a part. But all in all, I agree with him (mostly). And given the chance I will have him preach, teach, and lead discussions again. I have personally benefited from the read, and from his friendship.

His material is relevant for today. The cool thing is, he doesn’t see it as “his material.” He wants us to carry the discussion.

So if the discussion is going to happen, we better help carry it!

There are two things I would like to see happen now.

  1. I would like to see another chapter. The book has nine chapters and it would be great to see another one that summarizes Dying to Control and some next steps. I want him to give that chapter away to us, his readers, for free. Let’s just call it the unwritten chapter and see if he decides to write it. I think there is some uncovered ground yet to be revealed.
  2. I would also like to see a group of people wrestle with the material, ask questions, and maybe even put together some follow-up material or a workbook for others to use in their discussions.

Let me know what you think in the comment section below. Or you could just send Leon an email and let him know what you think. You might even tell him to get rid of the guest post guy!

 

 

Filed Under: Book Review, Guest Post // Tagged: , ,

An Overlooked Perspective on Millennials Leaving the Church

Posted on August 23, 2013 // 1 Comment

Recent articles written about “Why Millennials are Leaving the Church” and “How to Keep Millennials in the Church” have left me wondering why nobody is interested in my opinion. Well, not necessarily my opinion, but the opinion of my generation—Generation X. We’re the ones born in the 60s and 70s, after the Boomers and before the Millennials. Granted, we’re not the largest generation, and we’re not that boisterous, but there are 80 million of us and we’re quietly reforming the church in America.

My intention here isn’t to whine or pout on behalf of Generation X. I’m not jumping up and down, shouting, “What about me? Pay attention to me!” I’m not demanding a seat at the table. I’m simply one Gen-Xer offering what I think is an overlooked perspective on the issue of Millennials leaving the church.

We’re Not Your Parents

First, I want to say something directly to Millennials. When you complain about evangelical Christians and the church being too political, too judgmental, and unconcerned about social justice, you’re not talking about Generation X. Gen Xers gave up on changing the world through politics long before you were old enough to vote and we’ve been leading the charge for social justice within the church for more than a decade. So the guys on television that claim to represent “evangelical Christians”—yeah, the guys you hate—they don’t represent us either.

So millennials, when you paint the church with broad, condemning strokes, be careful how wildly you wield your brush because you might not be as angry and frustrated with the church as you are with what your parents have done with the church.

Stop Selling Church

Second, I would like to explain why the question, “How do we keep Millennials in the church?” is counterproductive and why the question itself can cause a Millennial to storm off, muttering, “You don’t understand.” Millennials are the first “connected” generation, which means that they are the first generation born into a perpetual stream of media and advertising. As a result, they are able to filter information at a speed and in a fashion like no other generation before them; and therefore, they have the uncanny ability to smell a sales pitch miles away. So when Evans, in her CNN piece says, “Having been advertised to our whole lives, we millennials have highly sensitive BS meters, and we’re not easily impressed with consumerism or performances,” she’s making a profoundly important statement about how Millennials view the world. For Millennials, words are cheap and seeing is not believing. For Millennials, they have to experience it to believe it. And can you blame them? They were raised to never, ever, trust a stranger, and they grew up at a time when you couldn’t turn on the television without seeing a new update on the latest sex scandal in the church.

So Boomers, if you really want to keep Millennials in the church, then stop wrapping up Jesus like a Christmas present with a pretty bow and stop trying to sell church. Just love. Without an agenda, without an end goal in mind, just love people with reckless abandon, and who knows, you just might be surprised who shows up at your church next week.

Don’t Exchange One Product For Another

Finally, I would like to offer a word of warning to all us church-going Americans. Whether we like it or not, we’re consumers, and in the pursuit of experiencing genuine faith, we have to be careful not to merely exchange one product for another. As a culture we’ve been church hopping and shopping for decades, trying to find the church that fits us just right. But the truth is that the Church, in its purest sense, has never been about a building, a style of worship, or a liturgical form; the Church has always been about a community of Jesus-followers gathering together to worship God and serve one another.

So fellow Christians, I leave you with this: if or when you find the right church, don’t just sit there as though you’ve survived an exhausting pilgrimage across a desert and entered into the Promised Land. Because it does not matter what church you attend, if you’re not actively involved in being the church—loving God with all of your heart, mind, soul, and strength, and loving your neighbor as yourself—then, I promise you, your faith will run dry and before you know it, you’ll be on your way, searching for your favorite flavor of Kool-Aid within the newest church trend.

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