I read about 2 books a week or so, sometimes more, especially in the winter months when there is little else to do.
I realize I’m about a year behind everyone else, but I read The Year of Living Biblically by AJ Jacobs in the past month. Josh and Nick did a podcast with AJ a few months ago.
It is the best book I’ve read this year. I like how this agnostic described his journey with trying to pray and how it made him feel.
I’m trying to pray for 30 minutes a day in 3 ten-minute intervals. Once in awhile, I find myself looking forward to those ten minute sessions, especially at night. It’s a decompression. Plus, I’ve discovered another category of prayer that I like: praying on behalf of others, for the sick, needy, depressed—anyone who’s been kicked around by fate. Intercessory prayer it’s called. To me these prayers are moral weight training…I find myself becoming a slightly more compassionate person.
I enjoyed reading his adventures with trying to really obey every rule in the Bible…how he struggled with how much the rules affected his life.
There’s something relieving and paradoxically liberating about surrendering yourself to a minimal-choice lifestyle, especially as our choices multiply like cable channels.
In the last 40 years, churchgoers have, as a percentage of income, given less, from around 3.1% to around 2.6% now. So, the whole 10% tithe hasn’t really been happening for the Boomer or Xer or Millenial generations. Current churches are basically now being propped up financially by the Builder generation, who actually tithe.
Given that, how is the Church in this next century (or even the next 20-30 years) going to financially thrive or even survive? A new segment of ministry has opened up: “self-funded ministry.” Want your child to play basketball or some other recreational sport? No problem, our church has Upward (or some other name) basketball, which costs (insert price, with a little extra to pay for the staff person running the ministry). Other examples might be preschool or daycare, a coffee shop, counseling centers, etc. Figure out what people will pay for and then start a ministry to do that. This is most often seen in larger or mega-churches, located in suburban areas, where people are used to paying for just about everything.
Could that way be a way for the future?
It’s clear that just relying on the offering each week isn’t going to do…are Boomers really going to give more money…they haven’t so far it seems. Xers don’t have any money to give and Millenials are a bit leery of giving money to churches (yep, there is free sweeping generalization).
Would staff have to raise their salaries or be bi-vocational? Would churches not have to spend so much money on buildings if they didn’t have “worship services” each week, but only once a month? (separate poll here: how many of you who are not on staff at a church go to church every week?) Some other option?
Let’s hear some of your ideas…..
Godthoughts switched servers and in the process, our archives had to go bye-bye because Yahoo doesn’t like it when you sign up with them and then want to go somewhere else.
So, we’re starting over from scratch. We appreciate you commenting and sharing Godthoughts with your friends…would love to have more readers!
So, alas, you won’t find our picture on a milk carton, as we have returned…..