I've been checking out Josiah Venture after Marc posted the highlights of an article about organic multiplication. The major highlight from the article for me was the comparison between factory and farm. Some other highlights include:
- As youth pastors commited to the cause of global youth ministry we cannot be satisfied with single versions of effective disciple making movements. (You are commited to global youth ministry, right?) Vital local youth ministries must be reproduced, and spread, effective country-wide movements must jump over national boundaries and be multiplied in other settings. How do we reproduce living things that grow and adapt, rather than just empty copies of methods and programs that worked in another setting?
- A farmer studies a life form carefully to determine the conditions needed for it to flourish and the dangers from which it must be protected. At the same time he recognizes that the growth process itself is largely out of his control.
(Every spring, I start the futile cycle of trying to grow my lawn. I'm sure I'll be thinking about this even more...)
- I am convinced that we must become expert 'fruit inspectors.' The measure of a man through whom a ministry can multiply is not his credientials, education, position, gifting, communication skills or understanding. Choose men who embody what you want to reproduce, and who are regularly bearing healthy fruit. They will impart life.
- Organic reproduction occurs naturally and spontaneously, building momentum and energy as it goes along.
As I poked around further on their site, I noticed a page about summer mission projects that youth ministries can be involved in. These ideas resonated with me as well:
Summer camps are part of a year-long strategy J.V. uses to help youth groups move toward a healthy balance of WINNING (evangelizing), BUILDING (discipling), and EQUIPPING (training) students. Regular training events throughout the year help prepare both youth leaders and their groups to be more effective at making disciples. We spend a good deal of personal time with various leaders and groups, coaching and encouraging them through individualized care.
(from a Summer Strategy page)
- We prefer either a group with a home church connection to a Josiah team member, with previous Josiah involvement, or with Sonlife training (preferably SEMP trained) and a commitment to the Sonlife strategy.
- We prefer "cross-cultural" experience prior to coming to Eastern Europe (i.e., Mexico or some other short-term trip, inner city, Indian reservation, etc.).
- The group leader must be committed to doing appropriate cross-cultural and evangelistic training prior to coming (i.e., Josiah and SEMP materials).
- All team members should understand and be involved in peer-to-peer relationships and evangelism at home.
Notice the:
- desire for a connection to the organization versus a locality that just sounds like fun
- the preference for a team to have some cross cultural experience
- the requirement to do pre-trip training
- the involvement of being on mission at home
On a slightly related note, you all know what a big fan of SEMP I am. Honestly though, I think our DC experiment this summer is going to blow SEMP away. But more on that later.
Monday, April 04, 2005
7 transformations of leadership
Alex McManus is starting a series on his blog called "7 transformations of leadership." I'm sure its going to be really good. The intro is here.
High Tech Passports
Passports are going to include a computer chip with all pertinent info of the passport holder. Brings up some interesting issus with security and safety of travellers abroad. Full story here.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
Retreat thoughts
Lots of thoughts about the retreat this past weekend. Here are a few of them:
- Junior guys and the "Lagoon of Love" - talk about innovation. And I was sure they were going to get busted.
- I loved watching the freshmen on the ropes course.
- Greg Speck is a great speaker.
- High schoolers with passion for God worship more intensely than any adults could imagine.
- Being a part of the prayer team was definitely more (intangible) work than work crew.
Check out the cprrockbridge2005 tag on flickr. So far, it's just me but you never know...
- Junior guys and the "Lagoon of Love" - talk about innovation. And I was sure they were going to get busted.
- I loved watching the freshmen on the ropes course.
- Greg Speck is a great speaker.
- High schoolers with passion for God worship more intensely than any adults could imagine.
- Being a part of the prayer team was definitely more (intangible) work than work crew.
Check out the cprrockbridge2005 tag on flickr. So far, it's just me but you never know...
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Losing Steam
I think I'm losing steam for blogging. I still really enjoy it and find it fun. But recently, I had these wacky ideas which would make me think, and sometimes say even stupidier things, like, "I'm a writer - I have a blog!"
I know - it's just ridiculous.
But it made me realize something that I had known all along. That the blog was not an end to itself. Deep down, most of you, if not all of you, are something besides bloggers. You aren't real writers. Sure, you write. Some of you write a lot, and most of you write very, very well. But I suspect that at the core you are something else.
For me, I'm not a writer. I do some other stuff, some of it I do well, some of it not so well. I like to write most of the times, but I'm not a writer. And the blog is an outlet so that I can share some of that other stuff and maybe it will help encourage, challenge and inspire someone else who might be trying some of the same stuff.
Now that I've articulated that to myself, blogging makes a whole lot of sense again.
I know - it's just ridiculous.
But it made me realize something that I had known all along. That the blog was not an end to itself. Deep down, most of you, if not all of you, are something besides bloggers. You aren't real writers. Sure, you write. Some of you write a lot, and most of you write very, very well. But I suspect that at the core you are something else.
For me, I'm not a writer. I do some other stuff, some of it I do well, some of it not so well. I like to write most of the times, but I'm not a writer. And the blog is an outlet so that I can share some of that other stuff and maybe it will help encourage, challenge and inspire someone else who might be trying some of the same stuff.
Now that I've articulated that to myself, blogging makes a whole lot of sense again.
Various thoughts about retreats
I just got the almost final roster for our high school retreat that is happening this coming weekend. The final numbers are 223 students from GCC, about 30 some from a guest church and some hundred or so volunters, including a kitchen crew, ropes course crew, speaker, nurse, and on site prayer team. Wow, that is nuts!
I'm on the onsite prayer team, that will be praying for the entire duration of the retreat. I have a feeling its going to be a pretty wild experience.
I wrote more about it here.
I've been thinking - Why are retreats so significant? I think a lot of us can fondly remember retreats when we were younger. A group of friends, some amazing speaker, some big decisions.
I think it has to do with four things. First, it is an intense time. It may not appear that way on the outside but if you think about it, I think you will agree. People are excited about it for weeks before, there is a speaker that is thinking about this weekend for months before hand, and there are groups of people that have devoted their waking hours to all the schedules, food, lodging, transportation, etc.
When the students get there, they are intent on making the most of their time there. It cannot be anything but intense.
Secondly, its away from the normal. No tv, cell phone, movies, routine, class, homework, practices, etc. It is a total break from the normal. I think for a lot of students, it's also a very needed break from the normal.
Thirdly, students are immersed in community. The friends factor is huge for retreats. They invite them, arrange to room with them, spend all weekend long with their best friends.
Finally, there is usually some kind of ground breaking knowledge that leads to a decision or experience, and usually the community (or a subset of it) remembers the experience. "Hey remember on that retreat when you decided to break up with her?"
I have always thoguht that one of the dangers of retreats is coming back down off the spiritual high. We must help students deal with that, assisting them in living in the normal life and being motivated to live out Jesus call when they are engaged with the world.
It has me thinking even more about this idea of a spiritual environmentalist that Erwin writes about. How are we doing that - creating and shaping environments where we meet up with God. What are we doing with these precious students that allows us to come back home and still meet God in the norm? Because we all know that life is not meant to live on retreat.
I'm on the onsite prayer team, that will be praying for the entire duration of the retreat. I have a feeling its going to be a pretty wild experience.
I wrote more about it here.
I've been thinking - Why are retreats so significant? I think a lot of us can fondly remember retreats when we were younger. A group of friends, some amazing speaker, some big decisions.
I think it has to do with four things. First, it is an intense time. It may not appear that way on the outside but if you think about it, I think you will agree. People are excited about it for weeks before, there is a speaker that is thinking about this weekend for months before hand, and there are groups of people that have devoted their waking hours to all the schedules, food, lodging, transportation, etc.
When the students get there, they are intent on making the most of their time there. It cannot be anything but intense.
Secondly, its away from the normal. No tv, cell phone, movies, routine, class, homework, practices, etc. It is a total break from the normal. I think for a lot of students, it's also a very needed break from the normal.
Thirdly, students are immersed in community. The friends factor is huge for retreats. They invite them, arrange to room with them, spend all weekend long with their best friends.
Finally, there is usually some kind of ground breaking knowledge that leads to a decision or experience, and usually the community (or a subset of it) remembers the experience. "Hey remember on that retreat when you decided to break up with her?"
I have always thoguht that one of the dangers of retreats is coming back down off the spiritual high. We must help students deal with that, assisting them in living in the normal life and being motivated to live out Jesus call when they are engaged with the world.
It has me thinking even more about this idea of a spiritual environmentalist that Erwin writes about. How are we doing that - creating and shaping environments where we meet up with God. What are we doing with these precious students that allows us to come back home and still meet God in the norm? Because we all know that life is not meant to live on retreat.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Article - Vibrant Cities
Interesting article "Vibrant Cities Find One Thing Missing: Children" found in the NY Times. The article talks about how vibrant urban cities are not able to attract young families with children, due to the high cost of housing.
Some snippets:
- Scottsdale, Ariz., a fast-growing Phoenix suburb, lost 571 students last year. San Jose closed three schools last year and expects to close three more soon.
- Between 2003 and 2004, only six states had an increase in their elementary school population, the census bureau reported in March.
- Even in San Francisco, where officials are preparing for another round of school closings amid a projected decline of 4,000 students in the next five years, city officials are aggressively marketing the city and its schools to young families.
- "If you took immigrants out of the equation, the United States would be like the rest of Europe," said Phillip Longman, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a public policy research organization in Washington.
It reminds me of The Next Christendom:
"The stagnation of Northern and particularly European populations will be one of the most significant facts of the twenty-first century."
My question really, though, what kind of impact does this have on urban youth ministry?
Some snippets:
- Scottsdale, Ariz., a fast-growing Phoenix suburb, lost 571 students last year. San Jose closed three schools last year and expects to close three more soon.
- Between 2003 and 2004, only six states had an increase in their elementary school population, the census bureau reported in March.
- Even in San Francisco, where officials are preparing for another round of school closings amid a projected decline of 4,000 students in the next five years, city officials are aggressively marketing the city and its schools to young families.
- "If you took immigrants out of the equation, the United States would be like the rest of Europe," said Phillip Longman, a senior fellow at the New America Foundation, a public policy research organization in Washington.
It reminds me of The Next Christendom:
"The stagnation of Northern and particularly European populations will be one of the most significant facts of the twenty-first century."
My question really, though, what kind of impact does this have on urban youth ministry?
Monday, March 28, 2005
Conjuring bordeom
Well, I'm home for a week without the fam - so I'm watching a lot of Born to Perform Card Magic. Of course, I've only had the house to myself for 3 hours, so it's probably going to get a lot more boring...
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Friday, March 25, 2005
Skype - wow
Well, after just about an hour, I'm hooked with Skype. I talked to a lady looking for a husband from Peru, a guy from Toronto, one guy in China, a guy from Brazil who mentioned that the Lance Armstrong bracelets are impossible to get there, and a 35 year old father of two in Taiwan.
Talk about the next generation in communication. My mind is reeling.
Talk about the next generation in communication. My mind is reeling.
SPACE Spring 2005 Prayer Update
Dear SPACE prayer team,
Happy Good Friday! I'm hoping that this Easter season finds you encouraged and lifted by the fact that Jesus conquered death in order to start a revolution of worship among the nations.
Thank you for continuing to remember SPACE and the students involved in your prayers. God is moving in and among these students and you and your prayers are part of their momentum.
Here are a few highlights that could use your prayers:
- a prayer walking launch on March 31st at our local mall.
We are going to try to teach our students to see the Mall differently, by thinking and praying strategically.
- youth ministry retreats
The first two weekends of April see the youth ministry packing over 500 students, small group leaders, workcrew, ropes course staff and prayer teams for two weekend retreats. High school goes on April 1-3, middle school the following weekend. Pray for safety, soft and receptive hearts and for the Enemy to stay clear.
- senior mission weekend
We have the opportunity to take the graduating seniors on a combination mission/cultural/capstone weekend during May. We are calling it The Black Hole Experience and are keeping most of the vital details in the dark. I'm expecting a pretty great time as we help serve a great missions organization, see the future cultures of the world differently, and process what kind of difference God wants these graduating seniors to be involved in.
- summer mission trips
We have launched three out of a potential four trips off the ground, with leaders, dates and ministry sites. Currently, we have a team serving a GCC family in Trinidad in late July for two weeks, a weekend for middle schoolers serving our friends at CMTS
(www.cmtsministries.org) and an experimental movement of students into Washington DC every Friday for most of the summer. I'm also pursuing an opportunity to take a team to serve another GCC family overseas and I've been invited to help serve and work with a very missions minded youth pastor in AZ for a few days. Plans for both of these are still pending. Pray for our team prep meetings as they start soon.
Other praises:
- Praise for our student that applied for a mentorship with SPACE has been accepted. Emilie will be starting to serve SPACE starting this summer, helping us with tasks such as serving, dreaming and envisioning the momentum of this experiment.
- Praise for our SPACE crew. These kids are so devoted and love what we are doing so much.
- Praise for more and more youth leaders being interested in SPACE and encouraging their students to be more missional.
Thanks again for praying for SPACE. You are an integral part of helping us shape how much the next generation cares about the nations.
Have a great Easter!
-tony
Happy Good Friday! I'm hoping that this Easter season finds you encouraged and lifted by the fact that Jesus conquered death in order to start a revolution of worship among the nations.
Thank you for continuing to remember SPACE and the students involved in your prayers. God is moving in and among these students and you and your prayers are part of their momentum.
Here are a few highlights that could use your prayers:
- a prayer walking launch on March 31st at our local mall.
We are going to try to teach our students to see the Mall differently, by thinking and praying strategically.
- youth ministry retreats
The first two weekends of April see the youth ministry packing over 500 students, small group leaders, workcrew, ropes course staff and prayer teams for two weekend retreats. High school goes on April 1-3, middle school the following weekend. Pray for safety, soft and receptive hearts and for the Enemy to stay clear.
- senior mission weekend
We have the opportunity to take the graduating seniors on a combination mission/cultural/capstone weekend during May. We are calling it The Black Hole Experience and are keeping most of the vital details in the dark. I'm expecting a pretty great time as we help serve a great missions organization, see the future cultures of the world differently, and process what kind of difference God wants these graduating seniors to be involved in.
- summer mission trips
We have launched three out of a potential four trips off the ground, with leaders, dates and ministry sites. Currently, we have a team serving a GCC family in Trinidad in late July for two weeks, a weekend for middle schoolers serving our friends at CMTS
(www.cmtsministries.org) and an experimental movement of students into Washington DC every Friday for most of the summer. I'm also pursuing an opportunity to take a team to serve another GCC family overseas and I've been invited to help serve and work with a very missions minded youth pastor in AZ for a few days. Plans for both of these are still pending. Pray for our team prep meetings as they start soon.
Other praises:
- Praise for our student that applied for a mentorship with SPACE has been accepted. Emilie will be starting to serve SPACE starting this summer, helping us with tasks such as serving, dreaming and envisioning the momentum of this experiment.
- Praise for our SPACE crew. These kids are so devoted and love what we are doing so much.
- Praise for more and more youth leaders being interested in SPACE and encouraging their students to be more missional.
Thanks again for praying for SPACE. You are an integral part of helping us shape how much the next generation cares about the nations.
Have a great Easter!
-tony
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Spring Retreats Baby
The two weekends after Easter are our high school and middle school Spring retreats. These weekends are high impact, high energy, and great opportunities for leaders to focus on their kids. We go to Rockbridge Young Life Camp, about 4 hours away. Last year, we hired 5 tour buses. It's an overwhelming operation.
We bring a massive number of students and leaders. We also bring a team to run the high ropes course, a kitchen work crew staff and a program/worship team. This year, our youth admin/catalyst is actually also staffing an on-site prayer team. This team will pray during the whole duration of the retreat.
We also run a pre-retreat meeting the weekend before. This helps volunteers get a sense for the schedule, theme and general logistics of how a retreat flows. It's really helpful for first time volunteers. Last weekend, we had about 100 people come to the one that was combined for the upcoming weekends. Probably the biggest thing we did was pray.
I've got a few specific goals for the retreat, since I'm not really overseeing a group of students.
First - the prayer team.
Some of you readers might remember me going along to work on work crew last year, helping serve meals and bus tables when the meals were over. I was tired, it was a LOT of work, but very fun. It was cool to be able to serve the students so tangibly but serving them meals.
CP asked me this year to help with the Prayer Team for the high school retreat. As we talked in the pre-retreat meeting, I realized - this is probably WAY more work than helping with kitchen crew... It's a little daunting, realizing that I am signing up to be part of a group of warriors that are battling against the Evil One and his attempts to grab young lives. Even as I write this, I'm a bit spooked.
I'm going to try to print a big map of the property and bring one of those. We are also going to setup a prayer box right in the program room so kids and leaders can drop their requests and updates in there.
Second - the next iteration of SPACE crew.
I've asked our current SPACE crew kids to think about younger kids (9th and 10th grade) that they know aren't too committed to program already, but might have a sense for helping with SPACE crew. They will talk to them on the retreat about maybe jumping in and being part of the team.
Third - getting to know some more students.
It's just a great time to meet new kids. Last time, I had 5 or 6 significant conversations with kids about mission, so thats always a possibility too.
We bring a massive number of students and leaders. We also bring a team to run the high ropes course, a kitchen work crew staff and a program/worship team. This year, our youth admin/catalyst is actually also staffing an on-site prayer team. This team will pray during the whole duration of the retreat.
We also run a pre-retreat meeting the weekend before. This helps volunteers get a sense for the schedule, theme and general logistics of how a retreat flows. It's really helpful for first time volunteers. Last weekend, we had about 100 people come to the one that was combined for the upcoming weekends. Probably the biggest thing we did was pray.
I've got a few specific goals for the retreat, since I'm not really overseeing a group of students.
First - the prayer team.
Some of you readers might remember me going along to work on work crew last year, helping serve meals and bus tables when the meals were over. I was tired, it was a LOT of work, but very fun. It was cool to be able to serve the students so tangibly but serving them meals.
CP asked me this year to help with the Prayer Team for the high school retreat. As we talked in the pre-retreat meeting, I realized - this is probably WAY more work than helping with kitchen crew... It's a little daunting, realizing that I am signing up to be part of a group of warriors that are battling against the Evil One and his attempts to grab young lives. Even as I write this, I'm a bit spooked.
I'm going to try to print a big map of the property and bring one of those. We are also going to setup a prayer box right in the program room so kids and leaders can drop their requests and updates in there.
Second - the next iteration of SPACE crew.
I've asked our current SPACE crew kids to think about younger kids (9th and 10th grade) that they know aren't too committed to program already, but might have a sense for helping with SPACE crew. They will talk to them on the retreat about maybe jumping in and being part of the team.
Third - getting to know some more students.
It's just a great time to meet new kids. Last time, I had 5 or 6 significant conversations with kids about mission, so thats always a possibility too.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
Catching Up
Hi long lost readers...
I was sick last week and am still catching up. More posting soon. In the meantime...
A timeline from the BBC about US school shootings, via Pete
A Day in the life of a missionary doctor
Quotes on Missiology
I was sick last week and am still catching up. More posting soon. In the meantime...
A timeline from the BBC about US school shootings, via Pete
A Day in the life of a missionary doctor
Quotes on Missiology
Saturday, March 19, 2005
The State of Christianity in 2005
from the Friday Fax... The State of Christianity in 2005
In response to many requests, here is the State of Christianity in 2005. It is
based on secular and Christian sources, and probably the world's broadest survey
of such information, and is published every January by David B. Barrett
(Professor of Missiometrics at the World Evangelization Research Center in
Richmond, and publisher of the World Christian Encyclopedia) and Todd M. Johnson
from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton.
I love this! I used it last Spring as part of our summer mission team prep material, just to help kids see how big the world really is. Take a look at some of those stats, it's pretty crazy.
On a side note, I tried to make it a little easier to read by repeating the header info in bold. Ahh, those were glory days - writing tables in HTML.
In response to many requests, here is the State of Christianity in 2005. It is
based on secular and Christian sources, and probably the world's broadest survey
of such information, and is published every January by David B. Barrett
(Professor of Missiometrics at the World Evangelization Research Center in
Richmond, and publisher of the World Christian Encyclopedia) and Todd M. Johnson
from the Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton.
I love this! I used it last Spring as part of our summer mission team prep material, just to help kids see how big the world really is. Take a look at some of those stats, it's pretty crazy.
On a side note, I tried to make it a little easier to read by repeating the header info in bold. Ahh, those were glory days - writing tables in HTML.
Year | 1970 | 2000 | Annual growth rate (%) | Mid 2005 | Prognosis 2025 |
| Global population | 3,692,495,000 | 6,070,581,000 | 1.23 | 6,453,628,000 | 7,851,455,000 |
| Urban population | 1,362,294,000 | 2,878,859,000 | 1.87 | 3,158,016,000 | 4,572,884,000 |
| Population under 15 years old | 1,379,442,000 | 1,828,710,000 | 1.74 | 1,829,328,000 | 1,900,868,000 |
| Illiterates | 836,256,000 | 990,317,000 | 1.72 | 1,078,271,000 | 934,703,000 |
| Cities over 100,000 | 2,400 | 4,050 | 2.13 | 4,500 | 6,500 |
| Cities over 1,000,000 | 161 | 402 | 1.82 | 440 | 650 |
| Urban slum dwellers | 260 million | 700 million | 3.47 | 830 million | 1,600 million |
Year | 1970 | 2000 | Annual growth rate (%) | Mid 2005 | Prognosis 2025 |
| Christians of all kinds | 1,234,339,000 | 2,000,836,000 | 1.31 | 2,135,783,000 | 2,640,665,000 |
| Muslims | 549,125,000 | 1,194,396,000 | 1.93 | 1,313,984,000 | 1,825,283,000 |
| Agnostics | 532,338,000 | 762,028,000 | 0.17 | 768,598,000 | 806,884,000 |
| Hindus | 462,379,000 | 808,104,000 | 1.49 | 870,047,000 | 1,065,868,000 |
Year | 1970 | 2000 | Annual growth rate (%) | Mid 2005 | Prognosis 2025 |
| Buddhists | 232,667,000 | 362,374,000 | 0.89 | 378,809,000 | 457,048,000 |
| Atheists | 165,391,000 | 147,212,000 | 0.58 | 151,548,000 | 151,742,000 |
| New Religionists | 78,324,000 | 103,846,000 | 0.81 | 108,132,000 | 122,188,000 |
| Ethnic Religions | 163,477,000 | 239,108,000 | 1.40 | 256,341,000 | 270,210,000 |
| Sikhs | 10,618,000 | 23,509,000 | 1.54 | 25,374,000 | 31,985,000 |
| Jews | 15,097,000 | 14,401,000 | 1.01 | 15,146,000 | 16,895,000 |
Year | 1970 | 2000 | Annual growth rate (%) | Mid 2005 | Prognosis 2025 |
| Non-Christians | 2,458,156,000 | 4,069,745,000 | 1.19 | 4,317,845,000 | 5,210,790,000 |
| Unaffiliated Christians | 105,626,000 | 105,372,000 | 0.81 | 109,711,000 | 112,779,000 |
| Great Commission Christians | 277,153,000 | 650,094,000 | 1.14 | 688,034,000 | 853,179,000 |
Year | 1970 | 2000 | Annual growth rate (%) | Mid 2005 | Prognosis 2025 |
| Church attenders | 885,777,000 | 1,359,420,000 | 1.04 | 1,431,573,000 | 1,760,568,000 |
| Evangelicals | 93,358,000 | 224,790,000 | 2.21 | 250,776,000 | 348,648,000 |
| Pentecostals & Charismatics | 72,223,000 | 526,916,000 | 2.24 | 588,502,000 | 798,320,000 |
| Martyrs per Year | 377,000 | 160,000 | 1.10 | 169,000 | 210,000 |
Year | 1970 | 2000 | Annual growth rate (%) | Mid 2005 | Prognosis 2025 |
| Members by Ecclesiastical Megabloc | |||||
| Anglicans | 47,409,000 | 75,164,000 | 1.18 | 79,719,000 | 108,257,000 |
| Independents | 96,926,000 | 379,085,000 | 2.39 | 426,672,000 | 612,670,000 |
| Orthodox | 139,646,000 | 214,436,000 | 0.47 | 219,501,000 | 235,834,000 |
| Protestants | 211,052,000 | 347,762,000 | 1.56 | 375,814,000 | 491,084,000 |
| Roman Catholics | 665,475,000 | 1,055,651,000 | 1.17 | 1,118,992,000 | 1,336,338,000 |
| Christian workers (nationals) | 2,350,000 | 5,104,000 | 0.97 | 5,357,000 | 6,500,000 |
Year | 1970 | 2000 | Annual growth rate (%) | Mid 2005 | Prognosis 2025 |
| Missionaries | 240,000 | 420,.000 | 1.07 | 443,000 | 550,000 |
| Church members' income (US$) | 4,100 billion | 15,680 billion | 2.04 | 17,350 billion | 26,000 billion |
| Computers used by Christians | 1,000 | 328 million | 6.05 | 440 million | 1,2 billion |
| Christian magazines | 23,000 | 35,000 | 4.2 | 43,000 | 100,000 |
| Monthly listeners/viewers of Christian Radio/TV | 750,000,000 | 2,150,000,000 | 2.30 | 2,409,000,000 | 3,800,000,000 |
| Global missions plans since A.D.30 | 510 | 1,500 | 2.77 | 1,720 | 3,000 |
Year | 1970 | 2000 | Annual growth rate (%) | Mid 2005 | Prognosis 2025 |
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
SPACE - Spring Break Launch
SPACE Spring Break Launch
The 2nd Annual Pray at the Mall
More details forthcoming...
The 2nd Annual Pray at the Mall
More details forthcoming...
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Public speaking ministry
Many times I have thought that a public speaking ministry would be fun. And I've often thought about how to break in to something like that. Rudy offers some good advice here. However, one of the comments on the post offers even more perspective.
I'm quoting the commenter, quoting a speaker he was talking to, "Public speakers are a dime a dozen, most live in nice homes, stay in great hotels, say the same thing but with their own personality infused… but the list is short of those who will give up all to go work with the urban poor overseas."
Very very true.
I'm quoting the commenter, quoting a speaker he was talking to, "Public speakers are a dime a dozen, most live in nice homes, stay in great hotels, say the same thing but with their own personality infused… but the list is short of those who will give up all to go work with the urban poor overseas."
Very very true.
How many youth pastors would say this?
In honor of God, family and all things sabbath, I do hereby declare May to be a month of no official working with youth for the following people:
. . .
In May, Robert (who will be coming back from his 1 and 1/2 month break for baby sabbath) and Ben will serve the youth on Sundays and Wednesdays- awaiting the refreshing and returning of God's faithful servants for the slamming summer, including camp Barnabas (camp for serverly disabled kids), Gilbert Serve 2005, Summer Camp, and everything else.
. . .
Vacations are under-rated.
Change is great.
Comparmentalizing is bad....trying new things is good.
Non-organized events are just as important as regular events.
Love those closest to you with every breath.
Jesus loves his little children.
Just cause we are taking breaks does not mean you should not spend time with those you love.
Read the whole post from my friend Praying Mantis. What I love about it is that he is willing to give some rest to his youth workers, BEFORE an anticipated very busy and active, and most likely, fruitful summer. Is it hard to find people in ministry that are bold, courageous and willing to take really good care of their people?
. . .
In May, Robert (who will be coming back from his 1 and 1/2 month break for baby sabbath) and Ben will serve the youth on Sundays and Wednesdays- awaiting the refreshing and returning of God's faithful servants for the slamming summer, including camp Barnabas (camp for serverly disabled kids), Gilbert Serve 2005, Summer Camp, and everything else.
. . .
Vacations are under-rated.
Change is great.
Comparmentalizing is bad....trying new things is good.
Non-organized events are just as important as regular events.
Love those closest to you with every breath.
Jesus loves his little children.
Just cause we are taking breaks does not mean you should not spend time with those you love.
Read the whole post from my friend Praying Mantis. What I love about it is that he is willing to give some rest to his youth workers, BEFORE an anticipated very busy and active, and most likely, fruitful summer. Is it hard to find people in ministry that are bold, courageous and willing to take really good care of their people?
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Darfur People Groups
A graphic I jimmied from the article entitled "Desert Rose: Hope Admist Horror for the Peoples of Darfur", from the current issue of Mission Frontiers magazine, showing one estimate of people groups in the Darfur region and how many known believers. Note the ratio of approx 6M people to 34-51 believers.
The article also says:
"Patrick Johnstone, author of the acclaimed prayer guide, Operation World, has characterized Darfur as one of the least evangelized areas on earth. Less than 50 disciples of Jesus are known among all Darfur's peoples. Yet a millennium ago many Sudanese, including the Fur, were Christians - possibly spiritual heirs of the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8. (Some historians claim that the eunuch was Sudanese.)"
The article also says:
"Patrick Johnstone, author of the acclaimed prayer guide, Operation World, has characterized Darfur as one of the least evangelized areas on earth. Less than 50 disciples of Jesus are known among all Darfur's peoples. Yet a millennium ago many Sudanese, including the Fur, were Christians - possibly spiritual heirs of the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8. (Some historians claim that the eunuch was Sudanese.)"
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Interviewing Mission Team members v. 2
Today, I spent a few hours helping the Trinidad leader team interview some of their candidates. All the students who have applied are strong and solid kids. It's fun to see that and think about what a great experience they are in for this summer.
The leader team came up with some more great questions I thought I would post:
- What would you say to someone if they asked you how to get to Heaven?
- When was the last time you shared the Gospel with someone?
(Of course, I had a tinge of guilt about this one. Are we as leaders living evangelistic lifestyles like the ones we call our students to? But that's probably for another post.)
- How would you honestly respond if you were not accepted to go on this trip?
Let's see about your heart.
- Who from your grade would you love to have as your partner and friend on this trip?
Talk about your friendships.
- What would your attitude be like if you were corrected or disciplined from a leader of the opposite sex?
(I wrote about our interviews previously here.)
The leader team came up with some more great questions I thought I would post:
- What would you say to someone if they asked you how to get to Heaven?
- When was the last time you shared the Gospel with someone?
(Of course, I had a tinge of guilt about this one. Are we as leaders living evangelistic lifestyles like the ones we call our students to? But that's probably for another post.)
- How would you honestly respond if you were not accepted to go on this trip?
Let's see about your heart.
- Who from your grade would you love to have as your partner and friend on this trip?
Talk about your friendships.
- What would your attitude be like if you were corrected or disciplined from a leader of the opposite sex?
(I wrote about our interviews previously here.)
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