Healing for the Nations
It's good to be back in Dallas, though I had a good time in Indianapolis. It doesn't get said enough, but thank you to the General Assembly team for its hard work planning and implementing the big Disciple family gathering. I know it was not easy.
Conversation continues from the assembly. You can find some of it at the new DisciplesWorld social networking site - disciplesworld.ning.com. I've seen and heard complaints about there being too much conservative theology and too much liberal theology. You can't please everyone.
I am just always encouraged to be around colleagues and friends and to see people come up with helpful spirits. I remember one pastor coming up to the NAPAD booth, offering her church as a nesting location for a new church start. I had some great conversation about evangelism, especially to multicultural neighborhoods, with an accomplished Church Extension staff member. I learned about environmental issues in a slightly different but very practical way. And I just feasted on positive energy overall.
God is good.
There are always things that can be improved at a General Assembly, but I admit I get a little tired of all the nitpicking that goes on. And hey, let me confess that I've done my fair share. It's hard work being church in a world of cynicism. I'm going to turn off my own cynicism and just focus on loving folks and seeking God's voice... for a while at least.
Looking Forward to General Assembly
General Assembly is coming up at the end of July. Yunkyong, Emily, and I are going. We are looking forward to being back in Indianapolis. We are especially looking forward to seeing old friends again.
The big question of General Assembly revolves around the entire "Sense-of-the-Assembly" resolutions. How as a church do we speak with authority on moral issues important to us? How do we respond to war? How do we respond to inequality, hunger, and poverty? Do we not address them? Do we just talk about them? Or do we act?
I'll be clear that I am not decided.
I do think in the time that we live in, a church speaking with authority on anything is kind of a funny idea. Maybe among some in my generation, we see too many churches already attempt to speak with authority, often resulting in plain ol' hypocrisy. I think action would be a more appropriate response to moral issues, but I suppose some of us don't know about our challenges until we talk about them or raise them up. And we do need space to figure out our best course of action, how we are called to respond. So does the current process allow that? Would getting rid of it allow something else to take its place? Or what?
We'll find out.
Two Great Workshops.
Looking for our Technology Workshop information from General Assembly 2007? Click here...
On Tuesday afternoon of General Assembly, I faced my all day blitz.
At 2 pm, I rushed over to room 110 to help with a discussion on the State of Young Adults in the church. It was a broad topic and a broad discussion that was had. We had Rev. Lee Sparks of REV Magazine open up the discussion with some great conversation about the different generations and the challenges the church will face incorporating them into their life. Then, an open forum followed, with a back and forth dialogue, input from Young Adult Commission members, and great questions. The energy was clearly there - there is a growing and urgent passion to reach young adults in our world today.
The consensus was complicated. On one hand, reaching young adults is about making simple connections and building relationship. Inviting someone to dinner after church -- finding out what they are interested in -- being open to who they are. On the other hand, established church will not meet everyone. We have to be willing to go where they are. We have to be willing to try new ideas. We have to create a culture that values their experience and input, which may be far different than older generational styles. We may even have to create church outside of our walls and blur the lines between who is in and who is out.
The second workshop I participated in was a Tech workshop that Jeff Champeau and I teamed up on. We had a good time, with another packed house, answering questions about computer equipment, software, security, video, newsletters, and more. The dialogue was great, with a lot of practical advice and shared suggestions for making our churches use technology as language. I even showed them some Facebook stuff in hopes of getting some folks interested in that online networking site as a way to reach out and connect with young people.
All in all, a busy, busy day... but it ended nice. I am so thankful that is over, and I look forward to seeing how the conversation continues.
From the General Assembly in Ft. Worth
I am here in Fort Worth, and yes, it's hot. It's so hot that it makes you rethink life, in a way. We stay huddled in air conditioning, like life wouldn't exist without it. I was reflecting on how when I grew up, our cars didn't always have air conditioning. And yet, we survived... but now, it's like if the air conditioning is out, life comes to a halt. We are too pampered.
The State of the Church address was tonight, and it was filled with a surprising amount of optimism and celebration for all that we have done as Disciples. Sharon Watkins declared that our death was "greatly exaggerated." She pointed to the way we have poured out through mission trips and assistance to all those areas hit by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina. She pointed out the over 500 new churches we have added to our ranks and to the fact that 80% of them are ethnic. We are again sending missionaries abroad to work with communities at their critical moments. Are we slowly turning outward again?
Wow - it's good to see the positives resurfacing. There are a lot of people here, and it's good to see new and old friends. My wife is having a good time meeting the folks at NAPAD, and we are finding that the days go by too fast.
I'll have more about the emerging church stuff later.
Twitter: nathanjhill
- Mount Righteous from Grapevine, TX is a great band.
- RT @zoecarnate It looks like Derek Webb is giving away his controversial Stockholm Syndrome album - go Derek! Go free! http://bit.ly/94ET6j
- Streaming my email and twitter with #inbox2 #desktop, don't miss out! http://bit.ly/9pHFfd
- Hey San Antonio!
- Someday, all hymnals in churches will be replaced by iPads... and you can play along with the organist like Rock Band.
Recent Posts
- Facing November
- Healing for the Nations
- Exhaustion at GA.
- A Movement for Wholeness
- Gearing up for General Assembly.
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