We are getting farther and farther away from the need to interact with others. One could choose to live his life without face-to-face contact and most likely get by. With online banking, online shopping, meal-delivery services, instant messaging, Redbox dvd rentals and the like....who needs people?
However, though the means by which we are relational may be changing, we are clearly not losing the desire to be connected with people. Myspace, Facebook, blogging, Twitter....social networking is flourishing.
We have a desire to bond like never before. A desire to be a part of people's lives. A desire to know the when, the where, the why, the how. It may border on the line of ridiculousness, but it is telling of our thirst for relationships.
Whether or not we are fans of this new phase of online networking, we must look at it at face value. What does this say about our society? What does this say about our culture? What does this mean for the Church? I promise you, it will and already is, affecting the way we do ministry. We may have to find new mediums to reach people, especially the younger generation. We do not want to be 'of the world', but we are called to participate in it just as Christ did. He was never a "worldly" man. His Kingdom was in heaven, but He came to reign on this earth and give 'Kingdom eyes' to those still in darkness. Jon Foreman explains, "This world is where I breathe let it never be called home". We do not belong to this world. We belong to the Lord through and through. However, while we are here we are given the opportunity to share this truth with those who are unaware. Christ lived among the outcasts of society. He befriended them, and he loved them. Did he participate in their sins? No, but he invited them to live a new life that would bring them freedom and joy.
We are made in the image of a creative God. What are some ways we should be thinking outside of the box when it comes to ministry?
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6 comments:
Good post Karli.
I agree that people desire to be connected more than ever - the social networking thing is awesome. But, the tendency there is to acquire a lot of superficial acquaintances. Our desire to connect is mostly shallow in these new social avenues. Why? Think about how you portray yourself on your facebook, your myspace, your blog, etc. It that the real you? I'm not saying our desire is to be shallow, but it's a 'social' network, not a real relationship network.
So I agree these are cool avenues to use and be a part of. It's kinda like what Mike was saying about having a part-time job - you get to build relationships with people who aren't like you. And in the social network cyber space, I don't see that happening a lot online. Think – could you speak into someone’s life in the comment section of their blog? Yeah, but with out a deeper relationship, you have no authority, no voice for them.
I like the idea of using these avenues. Don’t think I’ve totally thought through possibilities and impact though. I’ll get back to you.
I agree Kevin. Don't get me wrong, I definitely see more value in face-to-face, tangible relationships. I am a communications major and shared many conversations about the importance of real relationships. For a long time however, I was skeptical of online networking entirely. I thought it was completely shallow and viewed it as a way for people to push real friendships away. I realized later that as it may not be ideal, it doesn't indicate that people do not want real friendship, but perhaps want even more ways of being connected. That was encouraging to me.
However, I would love to see more of a discussion stem out of this. I am very interested in brainstorming new and creative approaches to ministry. Through music, through the arts, through online networking, through sports...etc. etc. etc.
I would also love to be in conversation even more about intentional ways of being relational with people. How can we focus on building genuine relationships with people? Keeping in mind that we never want someone to feel like we are befriending them for ulterior motives (aka- friendship for ministry purposes rather than friendship for frienship purposes)
I agree Karli.
I read a book earlier this year you might be interested in; "Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century" by Ted Haggard. It is primarily about implementing interest-based small groups in a church setting, however, I took away a lot ideas on building personal friendships.
Get involved with what others are interested in.
My group of friends here in Columbus have an interest in playing soccer. So on Thursday nights we play soccer and anyone that is interested is welcome to come. There have been nights that it is just 4 of us out there to play, but more and more 20-30 people have come out just to play soccer and build relationships.
The refreshing part is most of them don't go to church with us. They are people we work with and friends that we have, and they are bringing their friends. We just hang out and play some soccer.
I can't wait to see what happens.
Once again, Mike the barista is doing it right - playing soccer.
I loved that book too. Its funny 'cause a lot of people act like Ted Haggard is this horrible person, but the guy had so much to offer and still does. He's a sinner, but his ministry still impacted a lot of people and his books still have value for us. Good read though.
1. As I like to say to freaks and queers, "the internet is your friend." I have connected very deeply, indeed, with people I have never met. Maybe when you're a freak, it's easier to go deep and be yourself when you don't have to watch the good, upstanding citizen's lip curl with contempt. And maybe it's easier to say what's really in your heart to total strangers - which has potential to both connect almost as deeply as lover, and to hurt to the bone.
2. Maybe this isn't what you're getting at, but it's something that popped into my mind when you were talking about coloring outside the lines. Gen. 1:27: God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
So which is it? Is God male, or is She female? Or is it both?
Is the ultimate reflection of God a transperson, who has either a female brain and a male body, or vice versa, and so exhibits 'man AND woman' better than cisgendered folks?
Or is it someone intersexed, who has ambiguous genetalia?
Or is it someone who has Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (AIS)? (Google it. Or link off my blog.)
What does it mean to be a man? What does it mean to be a woman? Is it your body that defines you? or is it your soul?
If it's your soul, how do I know you're showing me the real you? How can I tell when you're lying? How can I judge whether God made you the way you are, or you got twisted that way by rotten parenting?
What about God? Male? Female? Or is gender a human construct, and God completely free and independent of it?
And if he's ungendered, why do we always call him he?
Seda - if you have a facebook account, check this video out from the great Rob Bell and his Nooma video project.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=666228146313
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