Day One:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/64437656@N02/
#celebrate11
6:45 p.m. Major internet outage. Here are my notes from the afternoon celebration:
Rev. Dr. Gary Nelson, a Baptist:
1950’s 75% of people thought it was a good idea to go to church.
Less than 10% of urban Canadians now attend
Now, Canadians not mad 80% believe in God but 83% believe in God.
The church needs to reintroduce its self to the community
Luke 19 – Zaccheus
- Jesus is in the crowd, not synagogue (God is a seeking God)
- Jesus knows him by name (Walmart syndrome: greet people at the door, greet at the church)
- Jesus identities with this man.
Are you willing to be in the crowd? We are not to judge what has been.
MODERATION Panel:
Differences between Canadian and US? – Context Urban vs. Country – Still a sense to go to church in US, not so much in Canada.
“Borderline Church” – book
How do I challenge people to cross the cultural border?
Faith, unfaith, and other faith intersect – Borders
Don’t change a congregation that you don’t love.
“Missional church conversation occurs with 50 year old white guys.”
2:00 p.m. “What is the lifespan of a church? When should a church die?” – Good question
Question: Where are the young people in ministry? (My public comment: Young people are going into ministry but the future of the traditional M. Div program is changing and seminaries and churches need to know the new changes.)
1:45 p.m. People still flowing in. About 75 in the room now. Glad I found a spot by a power outlet.”What are the current trends and needs in culture that need to be addressed?”
Comment: “Have faith” from the pulpit not working any more.
Comment: Communities are changing with diversity. How are we to change?
Comment: “My church is growing and have young and old.”
Comment: Emerging and missional churches are future. Moderator: How many are a part of an emergent church? A few people raise their hands.
1:30 p.m. Statement of Concern: Envisioning Our Church in the 21st Century. This gathering is an open conversation on declining attendance and income for church budgets, changing societal norms and needs, the struggle to be relevant to younger generations, waning denominational loyalty, and inability to recognize and respond to new opportunities for ministry.
Good mix of young, old, culture, and geography.
Awaiting moderation and comment.
10:30 a.m. The San Juan convention center is new and beautiful. You are greeted with local music. Very festive in here. Great to see many American Baptists. There are few kinks to work out with registration and arrangements. The expo room is open. Check back for more posts. 3:00 p.m. starts off the celebration time. This location is wonderful. Remember to use the hastag on twitter #celebrate11 for updates and interaction with others.
Looking forward to the “The New Normal” event which will feature Dr. Peggy Kendall, associate professor of Communication Studies at Bethel University, and author of Reboot: Refreshing Your Faith in a High Tech World. Dr. Kendall also hosts a website on Technology and Faith (http://pkendall.squarespace.com). Friday morning’s session will feature Dr. Gary Nelson. An urban missiologist, Dr. Nelson is President of Canada’s Tyndale University College and Seminary, former General Secretary of Canadian Baptist Ministries and author of Borderland Churches: a Congregation’s Introduction to Missional Living. Both sessions of “The New Normal” will encourage conversation among Dr. Kendall, Dr. Nelson and those in attendance.
Check out the blog this week as I will be live blogging at the American Baptist Churches Biennial in San Juan, Puerto Rico. For you Baptist folks, or observers, I’ll give all the live coverage of events, business meetings, votes, and festivities.
In addition, I’m giving an interactive lecture on social media entitled, “Sink or Swim: Treading the Sea of Social Media” on Saturday at the Pavilion Experiences during the Biennial. Three 50 minute repeating sessions 9 – 9:50, 10 – 10:50, 11 – 11:50 (morning) on June 25th at the Puerto Rico Convention Center. The immediate application will be how to better connect and integrate social media for you, your church, non-profit, or even business.
Make sure you stay tuned into On The Bema and follow me on twitter: @alanrud Here is a little sneak peak of a social media tip we’ll talk about:
http://flash.locamoda.com/wiffiti.com/cloud/cataclysm.swf?id=66244&title=1
Part III: Sacrament vs. Ordinance: Guest Blogger, Tripp Hudgins (AngloBaptist). Check out Part I & Part II.
Alan generously asked me to participate in this blog series on Baptist sacramentality and immediately I said yes. I wanted to chime in. But it took me a while to figure out how I could share my thoughts. As a baptist, I think the testimony might be the best mode of communication in this instance. I hope you will all bear with me.
I was in seminary listening to a lecture on the Eucharistic Prayer, that traditional prayer that many denominations use when celebrating the Lord’s Supper. We were walking through some of the history, form, and theological function of the prayer and when we got to the epiclesis I had an epiphany. Really, one hopes for an epiphany at the epiclesis, but how often does that happen? And yet, there it was. Whammo!
The epiclesis is the part of the longer Eucharistic Prayer (aka anaphora) where the presider (priest or pastor, typically) prays for the Holy Spirit to be present in the elements at the table. I was listening with Baptist ears on as my Episcopal professor explained the historical use of this prayer. I was on the lookout for magical thinking, or mechanistic ballyhoo. None. Zilch. Nada. Then…Then it hit me.
Hold on! What are all the elements present at the table for communion? Bread, wine (or juice), a presider of some sort, and, well…the people. The gathered faithful, The Body of Christ, are present at the table of the Lord! Don’t baptists believe that the Holy Spirit transforms us? Don’t we believe that we are somehow renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit? Don’t we pray that God would be present in our hearts? Isn’t this the same thing? Is this baptist sacramentality?
The destruction in Haiti continues to sadden and compel people to give. Over $50 million has been given from “text giving” and tens of millions of dollars continue to flow into relief agencies. The Haiti earthquake had a personal connection for me and for the people of our church. One of our members, Jude Pierre, was serving on a mission trip in Haiti when the earthquake struck. The mission trip team was about 50 miles away from Port-au-Prince, but still felt the earthquake. Jude and his team return safely a few days later and their return was reported on by NBC13 here in Albany:
Click for video
It was an incredible turn of events and this Sunday morning, Jude will recount his experiences during the 10:15 a.m. worship service at FBC Ballston Spa. Jude will have pictures and information about his mission trip. We hope you will join us.
In addition, FBC Ballston spa has given over $1500 to fund Haiti relief efforts through International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches U.S.A. The American Baptist Women’s group aka “G-Unit” group at FBC also made medical kits with donated supplies that is being sent to Haiti. Thanks be to God for the generous giving from the good people at FBC Ballston spa. Also, our denomination has quickly responded to relief efforts.
Here is a summary of what the ABC has done:
The ABC headquarters in Valley Forge, PA (The Holy Doughnut).
This past Sunday it was announced in church that I accepted an invitation to serve on the General Board of the American Baptist Churches U.S.A. I will be one of three New York State American Baptist representatives that will represent our region on the denomination’s leadership board. No, I’m going anywhere. I’m still serving as the pastor of The First Baptist Church of Ballston Spa and my ministry here will not be interrupted.
This presents a wonderful personal opportunity and a tremendous opportunity for the church. The church benefits from having a pastor serving as a voice on our denomination’s leadership board by representing the interests of New York State American Baptists. In addition, being able to bring a young perspective in a mainline denomination is an exciting prospect.
Many of you maybe wondering, “What is the General Board and what do they do?” That is a great question. In order answer some questions for my church and other interested parties, I have pulled together a quick FAQ on the General Board:
What is the General Board and what do they do?
A fresh report from the Barna Group has yielded some surprising results: Mainline churches are not dying! I should be honest with you, nation wide, mainline churches are not growing either. In the past decade, the six mainline church denominations (American Baptist Churches in the USA, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Presbyterian Church (USA); United Church of Christ; and United Methodist Church) have experienced some stability. The Barna Group concluded:
Over the course of the past decade, the number of adults who attend a mainline church on any given weekend has remained relatively stable, ranging from 89 to 100.
In addition, some other encouraging news was reported:
One reason why that average has remained steady has been the population growth of the United States, with the mainline churches attracting just enough newcomers to maintain attendance levels that are similar to the years when the nation’s population was considerably smaller.
Even though these have been tough economical times, signs of finical growth occurred:
… during the past decade the median church budget of mainline congregations has risen substantially – up 51%, to about $165,000 annually.
This is fantastic! Although I am an American Baptist clergyman, I whole-heartily support and have great affection for “mainline churches” (I served in 3 different mainline denominations: ABC, UMC, & PC USA). For years, the mega-church moment has told Christians, “Come here! We are young, happening, and different. Your old corner church is weak and feeble.” Not really. I’m joking, but you get the picture. I have been very clear in past posts that I believe megachurches are not evil and are worshiping, faithful, and Godly communities – but they are not the end-all-be-all of “church.”
What does this Barna report mean for the mainline church? (There is also some bad news)
It seems the fallout from the American Baptist Churches Biennial in Pasadena, continues to make press. The Associate Baptist Press reported on the biennial and gave some interesting insights on the biennial and on the failed bylaw changes vote . I want to highlight the major points in the article.
Delegates, meeting in Pasadena, Calif., torpedoed a major restructuring that had been backed by denominational officials but criticized by many progressive leaders and churches. They voted 377-217 in favor of the bylaws changes — failing, by a handful of votes, to muster the two-thirds majority required to pass them.
Torpedoed is a strong word, but I guess to some it was a major defeat. It is still not the end of the world.
The changes would have spun off the denomination’s two mission boards into quasi-autonomous entities, altered the form of representation on ABCUSA’s main governing board and changed the method by which American Baptists approve policy statements and resolutions. In particular, progressive congregations and organizations feared that the changes would further marginalize their voice within the denomination and make it more difficult to rescind past ABC statements condemning homosexuality.
There have been some surprising developments here at the American Baptist Churches Biennial meeting. The most pressing and major issue that had to be approved by the delegates (those sent by local churches, which includes myself) was NOT passed. The motion to amend the bylaws and change the structure of the ABC was narrowly shout down. The current bylaws require a 2/3rds majority by the delegates. 
The motion only received 63% support, which barely fell short of 66% needed. It seemed that the changes were going to be easily passed, but that was not the case. Please check out the amended bylaws that did not pass here. There have been very few bloggers talking about this, but one blog addressed this issue well: Mindi Framingham. Also, my new friend Tripp Hudgins provided a great video blog of his review.
The general reaction I am hearing here is that during the business/discernment session the denominational leaders did not properly address the questions asked. There were several clarifying questions raised during the session. The delegates felt that most of the panel who answered the questions did not provide the needed insight into the “why” or “how” behind the changes. Having read the changes proposed, I felt that the new bylaws were slightly confusing. One delegate suggested that these changes should have been shared and given out in a printed document form two years ago at the Washington D.C. biennial. This year, the changes were available in PDF form on the ABC website. It would have been more effective to pass the document out two years ago and let the local churches, regions, and committees discuss the changes. Now, delegates say they are left with feeling that the denominational leaders did not provide the necessary explanation to the delegates.
Day two of the Biennial was very productive. The second day begun again with Leonard Sweet, but this time he spoke about how Jews prayed (and still do) the psalms. He sought to bring to light the nature of Jesus’ words on the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” Of course, as most Bible students know, these are words from Psalm 22. Psalm 22 begins will sad words, but ends with a glorified understand standing of God’s power. In the ancient world, when you began a song most people would know the entire song. Today, if you sing “Amazing grace how…” most people could finish that first line because they know the song. Most Baptists will not understand the nature of a psalter, which many Christians sing on a regular basis in worship, because Baptists threw out any ritual that resembled Anglo-Catholic faith. I have learned the value and beauty of singing the Psalms as they were intended at the United Methodist congregation I served at for 2.5 years.
At lunch time, I attend the Ministers and Missionaries Benefit Board lunch. MMBB always does a great job of making an event nice. The MMBB money is well spent… err, I mean managed. Seriously, MMBB is one of the best retirement organizations for a denomination out there. MMBB’s performance usually beats the major indexes. I sat next to some International Mission people from the ABC and got the low down on the missionary situation.
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The first day of the American Baptist Churches Biennial in Pasadena, CA began Thursday. The major events of the day were special General Board events and other smaller group meetings. The biennial was still coming together yesterday as vendors and workers set up rooms and displays. I continue to discuss the “Missionary Situation” with many of my friends, colleagues, and other ABC attendees. In addition, I learned that one of bloggers on my blogroll, Tripp, who is a pastor of an ABC church in Chicago area, is here. I was able to be in contact with Tripp. The wonders of the globally connected world.
Day one of the Biennial, which was mainly pre-biennial events, primarily consisted of Leonard Sweet’s speaking session (over 3 hours) in which he contrasted the old world vs. the new. His phase for this contrast is the Gutenberg world (pre-1973) and the Google world (post 1973). He picks 1973 as a point of division because that is the year the internet was invented. Sweet contends that we as churches and pastors must understand that we are the google world. The google world is a world of Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and the internet. The google world is a world of information in the form of images. The Gutenberg world is a world of texts and books.
Sweet related this concept to how churches must understand the world is changing and we must adapt. The most striking connection he made with this concept was to worship. He did not advocate for contemporary worship or innovative worship, but rather whatever worship a churches does it must be epic. He spoke of his congregation and how it was full of 20 and 30 year olds worshipping in high-high liturgical worship. He encouraged the attendees to see worship as God centered, but to think about how culture is highly image based.
Great stuff here. More to come,
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I just arrived in Pasadena, CA for the American Baptist Churches Biennial. Every year, the ABC gathers as a national body to address important concerns, vote on pressing issues, worship, learn, and celebrate. This will be my fourth ABC biennial that I have had the honor of attending. This year’s location is fantastic.
Before I left, I heard numerous comments about a very concerning situation involving American Baptist missionaries. It seems that that American Baptist missionaries will now be responsible for seeking to secure the majority of their funding sooner rather than later. As I understand it, in the past, missionaries were not required to raise the majority of their financial support. Now, due to a variety of reasons, ABC missionaries will now have the burden of asking churches for more money. These reasons include lower support for missionary giving and lower returns in investments that support missions.
ABC of Ohio has made an appeal to their churches about it. The letter can be read here.
Missionaries should not have to spend their time lobbying individuals, churches, and non-profits to support themselves. One of the reasons for being a part of a denomination is to have the national body do some of this administrative/financial work. I can understand the need to have missionaries to be responsible for part of their funding (say 10%-20%), but the majority? Many of these missionaries have families and cannot raise enough money to support a family of four for a year or two.
If all this is true, this presents a crisis for our ABC missionaries. More to be updated later. I am sure that I will learn more from the denominational reps at the biennial.
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