This post is a re-post from John Saddington, over at ChurchChurch. This blog post launched a myriad of ideas and questions in my mind, when it comes to reaching the “unchurched”  and the diverse landscape of our changing America.  A lot of good and healthy questions!  I decided to share this blog post with you. Enjoy!

“MySpace is nothing like it used to be.

It’s a nuclear disaster. It’s a stain in Silicon Valley of a hopeful-gone-terribly-wrong and it’s loss of online equity, prominence, and fame is legendary. It’s the butt of too many jokes to count and the platform technology is becoming even more laughable as time marches on.

It’s old, outdated, all but abandoned, neglected, forgotten, and definitely passed over. I haven’t signed in to the service in over a year; in fact, it’ll be 2 years this coming January, and I plan on staying out indefinitely. Their product is stagnant, senior management is bailing, and the future looks desperately dark.

But want to know something scary? The above doesn’t sound too far from the Church and some local congregations may find themselves in the same metaphorical boat: Loss of attendance, neglected, forgotten, with very few new visitors. Sounds like the death knell to me!

So what can the Church learn from MySpace? Here’s my technological perspective on five things that the Church could take notice of and learn from one of the biggest falls in high tech history:
1. Pride Comes Before the Fall

In 2008 Murdoch told the world that MySpace would easily break 1 Billion in target revenue. This not only stunned the world but also the executive team. It was outrageous, a boast that represented a blind attitude that this was the future of social networking. Too much was banked on an industry that was un-bankable.

They missed that target. Big time.

Regardless of what was done and predicted and what wasn’t done (or should have been done) the fact is that no one can really adequately predict the success of web technology and products in the high tech space. No one.

And the Church should take note. Remember that your strategy, especially your web strategy, is not a tool nor a piece of technology. Don’t force your leadership or ministries to put all their eggs in one basket and promise the world significant change and improvement through a tool.
2. You Must Stay Nimble, Flexible

It has been documented in more areas that News Corp would like that MySpace was the best darn thing that the internet has ever created (not in those exact words, but essentially) and how competition to the likes of Facebook, etc. was nothing.

They were wrong. MySpace has since, of course, given up the race with Facebook and has accepted it’s decreasing valuation and traffic as truth.

Users have abandoned the site not because it wasn’t a neat place to hang out but because the technology wasn’t able to keep the pace of the changes within the space. What was once a nimble and non-bureaucratic system became bloated with leadership, ego, and communication-guile.

The Church needs to make sure that they can stay nimble and limit the amount of red tape that may exist from a technological perspective. This is absolutely necessary to be, and stay, effective in this new online landscape and culture.

This, of course, does not mean that the Church must be bleeding edge, but that leadership and ego doesn’t get in the way of continuing to advance forward. Stay nimble, stay humble, and don’t for a minute believe that you’re in any competition with other ministries.
3. It Takes the Right Mix of Leadership

When the purchase was finalized of Intermix (the parent company of MySpace) and the acquisition done Murdoch put one of his most trusted lieutenants in charge: Ross Levinsohn. Ross had a great background with the likes of Alta-Vista, and knew the space well (or at least Murdoch thought so).

The problem was that before the ink was dry Levinsohn having “issues” with DeWolfe and Anderson, the two co-founders of MySpace. They were world’s apart in terms of vision for the site and has been oft-said that DeWolfe and Anderson never really liked being told what to do.

Leading well in the technology space requires the right people first, talent second. You see, you can always hire the latter, and fill in the gaps necessary, but the right type of leadership is required to be successful.

The Church needs to be aware that it’s quite possible that the current leadership isn’t the right leadership to lead that ministry into the tech space. This could mean some significant changes and challenge the way in which we lead in those areas.

Levinsohn made a calculated error on the way in which he lead MySpace and the cost was great. In fact, for a large part, it was simply based on a difference of focus. He eventually had to leave.
4. Shared Vision and Focus

Levinsohn, to his credit, was a phenomenal businessman. He made Fox Interactive Media money. He did it well and he pleased his boss.

The problem was that money was the chief end of what MySpace became: a channel of dollars for partner businesses, Google, and other advertisers. What their focus should have been user experience.

It didn’t require a degree in rocket science to begin to see the rapid decline of the user experience as more advertising space was created, and filled, in every single page on MySpace. In fact, the user experience had now become subordinate to ad slots with weight-loss products rather than anything else.

The management team (and the developers) didn’t share the same vision (or core values). The product became a mess, and pressures like the 1 Billion sales mark didn’t help either. What was nimble, responsive, and fair to the community became sluggish, biased, and hell-bent on green.

They simply didn’t have a shared vision and focus and the Church knows far too well what happens when differences like this arise. The Church has been about the people, building relationships, and meeting the needs of those in pain; our web products should continue to do just that.
5. Continued Interest by Leadership

Murdoch had made the buy with as much flair and fanfare possible. His research was sound, execution well-played, and his interest was obvious. He and DeWolfe went to trade shows, conferences, and events touting the future of online and how MySpace was going to be the arbiter.

But it didn’t last.

In 2007 Murdoch purchased Dow Jones, and it was obvious the interest, time, and attention by the person who made it all happen was gone. DeWolfe himself had become the internet playboy of the digital age and tensions had already been noted that his ego was getting in the way of the product advancing.

The Church’s future doesn’t sit with web technology alone, but it sure is important, and it’s going to require an increased fascination and dedication to it as a serious communication channel if we’re ever going to fully realize it’s full potential.

Leaders must commit themselves, their ministries, and their congregations to investing in the online space and must engender a sustainable model to become effective long term. Don’t drop interest like Murdoch.
Where Now?

I must admit that, to be fair, this type of flame-on/flame-off story isn’t anything new, and to give credit where credit is due it’s really because MySpace had not only the potential to become a giant but because it was also the first to show that type of potential.

Why else would Uncle Rupert have purchased it?

But they executed poorly and their vision was limited. And the future doesn’t look too bright for MySpace (although anything can happen).

The Church, though, has far longer and deeper history than any web product, and has proven its worth to shine brightly through even the darkest of times. But we can always learn more, and learn we must.”

John is the Senior Editor @ ChurchCrunch and Chief Blog Junkie. He enjoys Triple-Tall Americanos, Twitter, and a few other random things.

Unity Through Diversity!

This article is a re-blog taken from CatalystSpace.com, writen by Alan Hirsch, the author of The Forgotten Ways.

Having been believers and ministers for over 25 years now has given Debs and I an appreciation for just how hard it is to be an authentic follower of our Lord and Savior. To be an authentically radical disciple requires a relentless evaluation of life’s priorities and concerns—together with an ongoing, rigorous, critique of our culture—to ensure we are not adopting values that subvert the very life and message we are called to live out. For true followers of Jesus, discipleship is not simply the first step toward a promising career of being a Christian, rather it is itself the fulfillment of our destiny. So, Debs and I have decided to write a book on what we call “missional discipleship.” Appropriately called Untamed, it is meant to be a penetrating look into the things that keep us from becoming all we were made to be and has many practical suggestions about how to become wild followers of Jesus again.

The truth is that discipleship, at least the way the Bible understands it, cannot be limited to a personal exercise in personal spirituality. There are much greater, perhaps even global, consequences at stake in our becoming more like Jesus. So much so that we have actually come to believe that discipleship is a frontier issue for the people of God at this time in history. Why? Because most commentators would now agree that the Western Church, because of its deep embedding into the prevailing consumerist culture, has all but lost the art of discipleship. Reggie McNeal has concluded that “church culture in North America is now a vestige of the original [Christian] movement, an institutional expression of religion that is in part a civil religion and in part a club where religious people can hang out with other people whose politics, worldview, and lifestyle match theirs.”

If this is indeed the case, we should be clear that this is not what the church is called to be, and is, in fact, directly caused by a failure in discipleship and disciple-making. And it will have to be addressed if we are to give faithful witness to our century. Therefore, rediscovering what it means to radically follow Jesus is now an area of strategic—and definitely missional—concern. To recover mission we are going to have to take discipleship seriously again, but the reverse is also true; to rediscover discipleship we are also going to have to take mission seriously. We cannot be true disciples without also being missionaries (sent ones) to our worlds.

The gospel is the power of God for the salvation of the world (Rom. 1:16), and God wants to redeem the broken and lost world around us and through us. Our lives, individual and corporate, play a vital role in the unfolding of the grand purposes of God. The gospel cannot be limited to being about my personal healing and wholeness, but rather extends in and through my salvation to the salvation of the world. To fail in discipleship and disciple-making is therefore to fail in the primary mission (or “sentness”) of the church. And it does not take a genius to realize that we have all but lost the art of disciple-making in the contemporary Western church. No wonder Dallas Willard calls the systematic non-discipleship of the Western Church “the great omission” in his book by that name.

There is much talk about missional church in our time—and we completely agree. The church must become missional or fade into increasing irrelevance in the 21st Century. But we simply cannot get there from here without factoring discipleship into the equation. We can’t have one without the other: if there be no mission there can be no discipleship, and if there is no discipleship there will be no mission. And there can be no missional church if there is no disciple-making church—it’s as simple as that. If ever there was a time to recover the true meaning of the Great Commission to make disciples of the nations it is now. The future health and viability of Western Christianity is at stake. We must not waste time.

This article excerpted from Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship, by Alan Hirsch, Feb 2010. Published by Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group. Used by permission

Alan Hirsch is widely regarded as a seminal thinker and writer on areas of missional church. He has written The Forgotten Ways, The Shaping of Things to Come, and ReJesus. Debra is a gifted speaker and teacher on issue of mission to the marginalized and on sexuality. Alan and Debra Hirsch’s new book Untamed: Reactivating a Missional Form of Discipleship will be released by Baker in Jan 2010.

In Andy Stanley’s latest book, Principle Of The Path, he asserts a very good point:

“…your direction, not your intention, determines your destination!”

Basically he’s saying, it’s not good enough to want something to happen, you must demonstrate your “want” through how you do what it is you do.  For ministry leaders that means, it’s not enough to want more diversity on your staff, or in your congregation.  For diversity to have the greatest chance of happening, you must reflect that intent with intentional habits that are directly responsible for your direction.

Stanley goes on to say that, “commonly, there is a disconnect between the chosen path and our intended destination.”  We make the mistake in thinking that our hopes and dreams somehow trump the daily choices we make, and they do not.  Here are three common disconnects that keep our desired outcome of diversity different from our good intentions:

1.  Vision vs. Values: Our destination is determined, most often, not by the vision that we set, but by the values that we reward. Leadership behavior sets the standards and pace of the organization.  Your staff, volunteers, and constituents get their cues from your choice behaviors, and the behaviors you reward.  If your choices and decisions do not reflect your stated vision, neither will the choices and decisions of those who follow your leadership.  It’s the applied values that create the culture of your organization.  Vision establishes your desired outcome. Values establish your daily behavior. And it’s your daily behaviors, and the daily behaviors of your organization that have the greatest impact on your destination.

2. Funding Drives Direction: Luke 12:34 tells us that, “where [our] treasure is, there [our] hearts will be also!” We invest in what we value.  You can say you really want a more diverse staff, but if you are not willing to invest in new ways of recruiting and finding qualified leaders of diversity, then you are allowing there to be a disconnect between your good intentions and your destination.  Where you put your resources of time, attention, and finances drives your direction.  And remember, it’s our direction, not our intention, that determines our destination.

3. Business Model, Vision, & Values: When the organization’s approach and systems of operation do not support the vision, no matter how much you desire change, you will end up moving in a different direction.  How we administer our ministries can and does reflect and reinforce unintended values.  If the results you are getting do not match the intent you desire, you must change the model.  This is hard because the business model you use reflects your investment in efforts, time, and people.  changing the model may mean changing how you invest in these 3 crucial areas.  Remember, your business model, not your vision, reveals your values and drives your direction.

It is very important to cast a compelling vision that paints a picture of a promising future -for it is without vision do a people suffer.  That is why it is crucial for that vision (intention) to be valued through how we direct our organization. Direction, not intention, determines destination.

Unity Through Diversity!

Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York has opened up a new free sermon resource, starting with 150 of Pastor Tim Keller’s sermons, all categorized, labeled, and downloadable, at this site:

* Download Tim Keller’s Sermons

Here’s more info from the site:

Redeemer’s Sermon Ministry has been faithfully recording, cataloging and reproducing all of our sermons for the past 20 years. To celebrate all 20 years of our history, and to meet the growing demand for our church’s teaching in New York City and around the world, we have created this resource of 150 sermons and lectures covering a broad array of topics, completely free to download and share.

The recordings chosen for the Free Sermon Resource were culled from classic sermon series as well as lectures and seminar addresses delivered to various Redeemer ministry gatherings, and are intended to present to the listener the full scope of teachings they would receive over several years of active involvement at Redeemer.

This is an amazing new resource, and there will be more content getting added regularly, so tell all your friends: Redeemer Free Sermon Resource.

Embedded video from CNN Video

A justice of the peace in Louisiana who has drawn widespread criticism for refusing to issue a marriage license to an interracial couple says he has no regrets about his decision.

“It’s kind of hard to apologize for something that you really and truly feel down in your heart you haven’t done wrong,” Keith Bardwell told CNN affiliate WAFB on Saturday.

Bardwell, a justice of the peace for Tangipahoa Parish’s 8th Ward, refused to issue a marriage license to Beth Humphrey, 30, and her boyfriend, Terence McKay, 32, both of Hammond.
(CNN.com repost)

Let’s talk about this. What are your thoughts?

As I continue my study through the New Testament, I am noticing a common theme in Paul’s writings to the church. Whether he’s writing to the church in Thessalonica, or to the church at Colosse, or to the church at Galatia, the one issue Paul always seems to address is the propensity for followers of Jesus to take their eyes off the main thing. The Thessalonians needed to be encouraged in their faith, and in Christ’s return. The Colossians were being misguided by false teachings. The Galatians had to be reminded that they did not have to obey the Jewish law to be saved, but rather, their freedom was in Christ alone.

I am finding that most of Paul’s letters centered around reminding Christ followers who the center of their life is; And how the point of their life is, ultimately, to point to others that center –Jesus Christ!

I noticed something else: not much has changed in our time. The concerns Paul had back then are still spot on today. The force and relevance of his letters can still be felt and applied today.  I must admit, it is so easy, even in doing “God’s work,” to put that work in front of “the work” God desires to do in me and through me. Isn’t it funny how that easily happens?  I don’t know about you; I must regularly return the focus of my heart back to the main thing. How about you?

Today, let’s be encouraged to reflect Christ in all that we do. Let us gage all that we do by whether or not it points toward or points way from Christ.  Let us everyday, from this day forward, always keep the main thing the main thing.

Are you with me?

Live Simple, Live Generously, Live Well,

While authentic diversity can not be manufactured, there are common practices among organizations that experience a significant amount of diversity on their staff, and within their student body or congregation.  Listed below are 15 “common practices” that you can implement to organically foster more diversity within you organization.   Just like growing an organic garden of different vegetables in your back yard, there is a level of intentionality and commitment that must go into making it happen.  Likewise, diversity happens most naturally in intentional environments that are committed to fostering it.

Here are 15 things you can do, as a leader, to foster more diversity within your organization:

• 1. Hiring people of different ethnic and cultural heritage on Pastoral team
• 2. Hiring staff of different ethnic and cultural heritage
• 3. Presenting diversity on Worship Team from the platform (i.e. music leader)
• 4. Having people of diverse heritage and background on the Board of Elders
• 5. Hiring interns of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds
• 6. Encouraging a multi-racial church congregation
• 7. Developing cross cultural relationships within the community
• 8. Partnering with a sister church in the urban areas of the city
• 9. Staging a city-wide church swap where 3 or 4 participating churches of different races agree to go through the same series (pastors would collaborate) and each weekend the congregations are encouraged to visit a different church during the series. Promote a spirit of inclusion by integrating diverse cultural forms and expressions of worship into weekend schedule.
• 10. Hosting multi-cultural events
• 11. Creating small groups where the DVD series and teaching included different people of different churches. Participating churches would encourage their small groups to join together with small groups of other churches for the series.
• 12. Inviting other Pastors of different races to speak from your pulpit
• 13. Providing monies and assistance to the ministries that focus in this particular arena of diversity. (Example: Dream of Destiny)
• 14. Providing scholarship monies for Bible Colleges that are recruiting students of differing ethnic backgrounds.
• 15. Providing financial assistance to students that desire to go in to ministry, but attend a church other than your own. Reach out to neighboring churches to locate these young people that need sponsoring.

Mark DeYmaz is the lead pastor of Mosaic Church of Central Arkansas, and author of Building A Healthy Multi-Ethnic church.
This video was shot for The Nines online conference and produced by the leadership Network.