The general session speakers and workshops have been so great in the wisdom, and ideas they have shared. However, as one person put it, it's kind of like drinking water from a fire hydrant. So much stuff coming at you at one time.
I'm taking a little time to use these posts to help me digest and filter through the key things that I have learned. Maybe they will help you to.
In the first post I talked about our opening night of worship. The second post shared what we learned from the morning keynote speakers, before lunch.
After lunch we had two more keynote speakers. Here are some of my notes from those.
Keynotes
Rick Bezet - From New Life Church
Rick talked about the fact that we need friends in ministry. We need to be relational.
He said there are 5 main reasons people leave or do not attend church...
1. Don't Like the Music - Too contemporary, too traditional, it doesn't matter. Here is the question.
"Are you gearing your sound towards those who are already in your church, or those you are trying to reach?" ouch...
2. People are not kind. Don't make the ushers at the door, and the greeting time in your service the only time a guest is spoken to and welcomed. The harvest is showing up in your church. Teach your congregation how to be welcoming.
3. Sermons are Not Relevant - Pastors who are relational tend to be practical in their teaching. How can your creative team help your message to be relational.
4. Kids Don't Like it - Have a children's ministry that shocks people because it's so good.
5. Church Just Wants My Money - They don't want me, the just want what I have... How can we value people so they know they are important, wanted and loved?
Chris talked about his ministry strategy and how it is based on the 4 cups of the Passover story from Exodus 6.
1. Cup of Salvation - I will bring you from under the burden of the Egyptians -
2. Cup of Deliverance - I will free you from being slaves - Discipleship... Even though we are saved from slavery, we still think like our old selves. Accountability is a big part, people who will ask tough questions.
3. Cup of Redemption - I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and acts of judgement. This is where we find God's purpose for us. He brings us back into what we were created to do.
4. Cup of Praise - I will bring you to be my people - God says we are going to be a team, a family.
Few extra thoughts - Training/Sunday School should be for the expressed intent of training people to do what God has called them to do.
Workshops
Social Media Strategy- Scott McClellan
5 things successful organizations use social media to do
1. Listen - people share more on social media than real life. You can discover ministerial opportunities, and respond to them in ways you never could before, if you listen
2. Converse - Engage people in some sort of give and take. Use social media to continue the sermon conversation. Take prayer concerns, ask people what they think of different things. Create conversation.
3. Share - Sharing is about giving and not what you will get back. Share the right stuff with the right people and you will be indispensable.
4. Tell Stories - Tell about what is interesting and going in in your church or with your people. You can use links, videos, photos and more to tell the story through social media.
5. Invite - Social media allows your story to spread. You can reach people you never would have reached in your own personal spheres of influence. Invite people to be part of what you are doing in social media but more importantly invite them to be part of your church.
Planning Worship in a Team Concept - FUMCR Worship Planning Team
How to plan as a team, and things to think about when planning worship.
1. Determine who is coming to your worship services. What types of people.
Faithful
New Church Shoppers
Spouse who would rather be somewhere else
Pregnant mom who's husband just left
Employer who has to lay off employees
Once you know who is in your service, make sure there is something for each of those attending. This could be a scripture, a line in a song, video etc...
2. Think of ways you can broaden your worship style, not change it. Try to incorporate a more, not instead of. You can brooding your worship style, without changing the style of your worship.
*Design your worship around those you are trying to reach, not what you are trying to do.
3. Rhythm and Flow are important -
How you change things affects the flow or rhythm. High energy to low energy, or the other way.
Do not let liturgy dictate the flow. Be flexible so that it flows naturally
Pauses, dead space, technical glitches all kill the flow.
Work on transitions. Rehearse!
4. On Liturgy
We want people to be active participants, not just consumers.
Use some traditional creeds and response, but seek out or write new ones to use.
Sometimes scripture readers can "set up" a scripture, or let it speak for itself
5.On Music -
When making changes, or suggestions to your music director, go slow and be patient.
The phrase "We need to do more of this" can easily be taken as "you don't like what I'm doing."
6. On Children -
Make sure children are part of your services all year round.
Create dialog parents can use with their children about that worship services
Give families ways to serve together, maybe have a family usher.
Invite kids and parents to a special time, other than Sunday morning, where you can explain what happens in church, why we do the things we do, how stuff works.
7. On Screens and Media -
What you put on the screens should enhance, not distract
Go slow
Don't let what you CAN do with your new software dictate what you do.
Closing Worship
Our closing worship was led by the Access worship team. Access the contemporary worship at FUMC Richardson. We were challenged by Olu Brown to think about what would happen if we succeed?
He used the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16-20. He talked about being in a place of great doubt, and great faith at the same time, like the disciples after Jesus' death and before his resurrection. That the people we are called to reach are often in that same place between faith and doubt, and that it's ok because God is big enough to handle our doubt, and your faith.
But the key is that we have to move on and go. If we stay in that brokenness we miss Easter Sunday.
Don't commit yourself to the minister of Good Friday. Go! Make disciples.
So are you here at LCI2012? What did you learn this week? Share some in the comments.
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