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mega church, megachurch, worship

Study: Megachurches can trigger false spiritual highs

“God’s love becomes … such a drug that you can’t wait to come get your next hit. … You can’t wait to get involved to get the high from God.” Reported a megachurch worshiper in a new study on the affects of spiritual highs in megachurches.

The lights, the swaying induced music, the large crowd, and that celebrity pastor preaching to you. Ahh… the spiritual high.

According to a new study, that “spiritual high” could be a result of a chemical process in the brain. The estimated 10% of American Protestants, about 6 million worshipers, who regularly attend one of 1,600 mega churches could experience this chemical process. At an annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Denver a team of researcher found that:

The upbeat modern music, cameras that scan the audience and project smiling, dancing, singing, or crying worshippers on large screens, and an extremely charismatic leader whose sermons touch individuals on an emotional level … serve to create these strong positive emotional experiences. We see this experience of unalloyed joy over and over again in megachurches. That’s why we say it’s like a drug.

The study showed that worshipers at megachurches experience a greater release of oxytocin, thought to add to a sense of euphoria. That would lead us to believe that these types of megachurch worship experiences can trigger a false sense of a spiritual high.

Adding to this sense of spiritual high, one of the study’s researcher said,

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Culture, Jesus

Did Jesus really have a wife?

What you are looking at above is a 1,600 year-old piece of papyrus that was written in Coptic. A New York Times’ article on it set off speculation on whether or not Jesus was married:

A historian of early Christianity at Harvard Divinity School has identified a scrap of papyrus that she says was written in Coptic in the fourth century and contains a phrase never seen in any piece of Scripture: “Jesus said to them, ‘My wife …’”The faded papyrus fragment is smaller than a business card, with eight lines on one side, in black ink legible under a magnifying glass. Just below the line about Jesus having a wife, the papyrus includes a second provocative clause that purportedly says, “she will be able to be my disciple.”

Hold on there all you Dan Brown fans, don’t get too excited. There’s more to the story.

The Smithsonian Magazine has a lengthy back story on the papyrus and the scholar who discovered it. I highly suggest you read it when you have the time. The papyrus looks to be authentic, meaning that it is not a modern forgery. And, the Smithsonian Channel will premiere a special documentary about the discovery on September 30 at 8 p.m. ET

So the question remains, could have Jesus been married? Sure. Is it likely he was married?

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Culture, social media

Kate Middleton and social media voyeurism

The Royal Family is up in arms over Kate Middleton’s topless photos. Apparently, Prince William and Kate Middleton were enjoying some private time and Kate decided to well… lose some clothes. This is the latest embarrassing news story involving a royal and their nude pictures… Price Harry.

The problem is people eat this stuff up. They want to buy the magazine or log on to that website that has these nude pictures. Publishers pay hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) of dollars for these photos. TMZ loves this it and it makes them money and social media sites.

Right now, the search “Kate Middleton nude pictures” has over a million searches on Google. People to go crazy over such news. Social media allows people to read, react, and share such juicy information. This pushes us deeper into what I call social media voyeurism.

What is social media voyeurism?

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Church Leadership, church staff, Leadership

What really sinks organizational staff

sinking_boat_1_xlargeI once worked on a church staff with a person who was very educated and talented, but the staff member was undermining the entire organization. This staff member would never say anything publicly that would criticize anyone. The staff member had a very subtle way of letting everyone know of personal hangups. These hangups were affecting the staff and thus the performance of the organization.

Within organizations, this situation plays out the same way. One person groaning, criticizing, and vocalizing their personal problems with others. Often, these behaviors come from a place of insecurity. These behaviors will sink a church staff or organization. Everyone knows who these people are, but staff often, unknowingly, feed this person’s behavior.

There is that negative comment at lunch, a complaint that comes after a meeting, or an overly critical email that is sent around people’s backs. This person lets everyone know that they are unhappy with organizational decisions or have personal gripes with others without confronting the issue at hand. This type of underhanded behavior sinks staff and there is a name for it:

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social media

Social media can change spiritual habits

 

Even though 89% of American households have a Bible, the number of those who read it daily is very low. A new study released by Lifeway Research revealed what may be one of the many a sources of church attendance decline. Only 19% of church goers read their Bible daily. About 18% said that they never read their Bible.

The study found that:

While the majority of churchgoers desire to honor Christ with their lives and even profess to think on biblical truths, a recent study found few actually engage in personal reading and study of the Scriptures.

The hot religious craze now is spiritual individualism, which has had a direct impact of the spiritual development of Christians. Though Christians or non-church going Christians may claim they are very spiritual, they most likely have not grown spiritual at all. You may be able to read a Bible at home, but how can you learn without guidance? The spiritual but not religious moment is focused on how individual trumps the religious community.

So how are we to draw these spiritual folk back to a religious community?

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Associate Pastor, the work of the associate Pastor

Are church staff associates sidekicks?

Remember to enter to win a free copy of my new Judson Press book.

With my new book The Work of the Associate Pastor out, fellow blogger and Baptist minister, Tripp Huggins (aka AngloBaptist) posed an interesting question to me, “are associates sidekicks?”

I wonder if this imagery is helpful or even healthy?

Tripp quotes from the book, The Wicked Truth About Love:

Sidekicks have enormous hearts and are incredibly intuitive about what other people need. They live to serve and get real joy out of helping those around them be successful. They don’t need the spotlight but celebrate when the spotlight shines on their family or friends. Sidekicks need to be needed more than they need to be loved. The Wicked Truth About Love can help a Sidekick lover figure out why they fall into this pattern.

I have not read the book, but at first I had a hard time with this image of church staff associates as sidekicks.

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Culture, faith, God, politics

God is not a political football

football

 

In football, you want to move the ball forward towards the end zone. You want to exploit the weaknesses of your opponent. If they carry the ball too high on their pads it is an easy target to strip the ball for a fumble. If the quarterback drops the ball it is an opportunity for the other team to gain control.

At the Democratic Convention this year, the Democrats had a fumble of their own. It was brought to the attention of delegates that the mention of “God” was omitted from the party’s platform. In a hasty attempt to correct this, the Democrats wanted to move the “God ball” forward quickly and without anyone taking note of their “mistake”. Republicans were quick to jump on this and decried the action as an attack on religion that was uncovered.

God suddenly became a political football that could be controlled, voted on, thrown, approved, and used as a political tool.

This past week I heard two people discussing these series of events. I overheard one bemoan the Democrats and their godless agenda to over throw religion in American. “Isn’t that awful! I’ll never vote for a Democrat ever again.” Another replied, “That’s why we have to get rid of this godless party of atheists! Mitt Romney is my man!”

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9/11, Culture, September 11

Three responses to 9/11 grief

On September 11, 2001 I was in college. I was getting out of a Tuesday morning class when I heard people talking about an airplane crash. As I walked back to my apartment, I heard more and more information. I walked by a utility truck and heard words on the radio, “World Trade Center… airplane… Pentagon… crash.”  I thought to myself, this is serious.  Minutes later I watched the towers come down.

With the 11th anniversary of September 11, 2001 here, many Americans are sorting through their minds and hearts.  How have I changed from 2001? What do I feel when I think of September 11, 2001?  Where was I on that fateful day? Am I still sad? Where can our country go from here?

As we reflect and look back, we have three main responses to the attacks on September 11, 2001:

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Associate Pastor

Three simple ways to appreciate your associate pastor

Associate pastors, youth ministers, and other staff ministers often do the unglamorous jobs of ministry without much recognition. Associates have a calling and a title, but they often do not preach, must attend church meetings, and juggle several responsibilities which may be unrelated to their job description. It can be a thankless job.

As I wrote about in my book, The Work of the Associate Pastor (Judson Press), Senior pastors and church leaders need to recognize the special nature and challenges of associates. They spend many hours doing unappreciated jobs that senior pastors would rather not do: long retreat weekends, spending time with youth, and responding to congregant complaints when the senior pastor is not around. Churches will be better served if they appreciate and recognize their associate minister’s work.

Since associates are often undercompensated to begin with, senior pastors and church leadership can show appreciation through simple actions. Recognizing their standing and place in the church will enable an associate’s longevity and self-esteem. Here’s how you can show your appreciation:

Appreciation through pulpit time. Many senior pastors guard their pulpit as if they were guarding Fort Knox. Let go! Give your associate an opportunity to preach. Some senior pastors worry that handing over the pulpit may lead to parishioners liking the associate more. Nelson Mandela once said, “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” Congregations will see a senior pastor’s strong leadership by allowing associates to take center stage. It shows that the senior has good skills in developing talented leaders by letting the associate take center stage for a short while.

Appreciation through quality time with the senior pastor. It’s easy for the senior pastor to go through their week and forget to meet or spend time with the associate. Senior pastors have to worry about budgets, administration, church meetings, pastoral calls, and sermon preparation. However, they should be sure to carve out quality time with associates. Taking associates to lunch, going to conferences together, or any time that can be spent together away from church will lead to greater trust and mutual appreciation.

Appreciation through loyalty. Church folk may think loyalty goes up the chain of command but it also goes down. If an associate makes a mistake, defend the associate. Then, in private, talk to the associate about what happened and provide encouragement. Being loyal to an associate pastor means publicly thanking and backing up the associate’s work in ministry. Duffy Robbins, youth ministry guru, once said, “If you are not making mistakes in ministry you are not trying hard enough.” Loyalty is about preserving relationship over failures and celebrating successes.

Aside from the obvious pay raise, these three simple acts of appreciation will go a long way in the eye of your associate and will bless your church’s ministry. Building confidence through appreciation will make for healthy church staff dynamics and will aid an associate’s work as a fellow minister.

Do you have associate or assistant ministers in your church? Are you an associate pastor? Get a copy of my book, The Work of the Associate Pastor. This valuable resource will set associates and churches up for success.

September 11

Prayer for September 11

A Litany of Prayer

Leader: On September 11, 2001, our lives were changed.  Loss came into our world in a shocking and tragic way – loss of innocence as a nation,  loss of security in our communities,  loss of lives and livelihood for so many individuals.  We shall never be the same after that black day.  And yet we have survived.  For this, we can give thanks to the God who provides all good things for our being as individuals and as a nation.  Therefore let us mark this day with prayers of remembrance, prayers of healing, prayers of thanksgiving, and prayers for guidance as we go forward in our lives together.

Lord of the nations, God of our strength, the images of the tragedy of September 11 are still so vivid in our minds and in our senses.  What we saw, how we felt, and what we said is still so very present for us.  Yet with a gentle and caring hand, you have lifted us from the depths of despair and guided us to this time of remembrance.

People: We remember, as God’s people, that we are to love.

Leader: When we recall the firefighters who rushed upstairs as most everyone else was racing out, we can say together,

People: We remember selfless service.

Leader: When we recall the police officers who stood to protect and defend the people and performed their duties until the towers came crashing down on top of them, we can say together.

People:  We remember selfless sacrifice for the safety of others.

Leader: When we recall the thousands of workers, women and men and, old and young, single and married, American-born and those born in countries around the world who did not escape the buildings.

Leader: When we remember the millions of Americans who gave so generously of their life and labor to endow funds to help the survivors and their families recover from their losses. Continue Reading…

Associate Pastor, the work of the associate Pastor

Associate pastors are not second chairs

2chairIn an informal interview for an associate pastor position, I was once told by a senior pastor, “Being an associate pastor is about paying the rent.”

“What’s paying the rent have to do with ministry?” I asked. I thought the church might be tight on cash! The senior pastor explained that paying the rent was about doing all the aspects of ministry that most pastors do not like to do, like working with youth groups. As I heard these words, I knew that there was something very wrong with this philosophy of ministry.

The senior pastor finished his thought with, “It’s about playing second chair to the senior pastor.”

In the relatively small market for books on associate pastors, a common image is portrayed: associates are like second chairs. In an orchestra setting, the second chair plays behind or next to the first chair, who is usually more talented or more skilled.  The associate as a second chair is an analogy that is fundamentally flawed in its approach.

In my book, The Work of the Associate Pastor I explain why associate pastor ministry is a calling, not a step on the vocational ladder of ministry. Accepting a ministry position as an associate pastor should come out of a sense that God desires you to use your gifts in a particular way. The second chair approach to associate-senior pastor relationship is more often about power and authority. Senior pastors might be tempted to employ the use of this relationship, but it will leave associates feeling micromanaged and frustrated.

If the second chair approach to associates is not a fruitful one, then how should churches and pastors articulate the relationship of associates and seniors?

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