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Critiquing Evangelism: Post 3
2007-10-22 21:48:00
Post 1 of this series talked about how evangelism is not a program. Post 2 talked about the fact that evangelism is not the pastor's job.Those first two conversations got me warmed up to what I really think is the heart of my critique of the way most of handle evangelism in today's church:Critique number 3: Evangelism is not a numbers game.Ah, the glaring light is shone on the crass methodology which undergirds the vast majority of Christian evangelism in America. Let's own up to it: most of us are instinctively trained to believe that good numbers (i.e., growth) equal successful evangelism. And of course the inverse is also true: bad numbers (i.e., decline or stagnation) equal poor evangelism. Even if we don't say it out loud, most of us operate with this underlying assumption. And it is precisely this attitude which keeps people away from the church.People outside of the church are turned off by the fact that, despite the virtues preached on Sunday morning, the church see...
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Congregational Meeting Update
2007-10-22 17:54:00
We have had two congregational meetings with the current congregational President, and I must say that they are the most smoothly-run congregational meetings that I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of.Yesterday, the family of Saint John gathered after worship for our semi-annual congregational meeting. As a part of that meeting, we approved the 2008 budget, approved the 2008 Strategic Plan for Ministry, and elected five new council members.Our Budget Review Committee and congregational Council did an excellent job putting together the 2008 Budget. We were able to "trim some of the fat" so to speak, cutting budget lines that were never- or seldom-used. The total budget was a $8,570 increase over the 2007 budget, with the biggest single line-item increase being the Pastor's insurance, reflecting the addition of a new member to our family. Also included in the budget was a salary for a part-time Director of Music and Worship, as recommended in the Strategic Plan.The 2008 St...
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Sunday Trivia Answer
2007-10-22 16:42:00
Once again, we have no winner on this week's Sunday trivia - it seems it is time to find some slightly easier trivia! Although this week produced some of the wittiest guesses, and on that basis alone I think I will declare Joel, our resident Roman Catholic reader, the winner based on his answer of "Three fewer than the number of differing opinions among Lutherans."According to the Lutheran World Federation, there are 70.2 million Lutherans in the world (as of the end of 2006). That means that Lutherans compose just 3.3% of the world's 2.1 billion Christians. Wikipedia says (without a citation) that there are 590 million Protestants worldwide (a number that seems to include anyone not Roman Catholic and not Orthodox), meaning that Lutherans are almost 12% of the world's Protestant population. Of those 70.2 million Lutherans, 66.7 million (or 95%) are members of the Lutheran World Federation.Regionally, there are 8.3 million Lutherans in Asia (a 12% increase over 2005), 37.5 millio...
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Sunday Trivia
2007-10-21 12:23:00
In keeping with the Lutheranism theme as we draw closer to Reformation Sunday :How many Lutherans are there in the world?
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Vision for Ministry
2007-10-20 16:06:00
As a part of the semi-annual meeting tomorrow, the congregation of Saint John will be considering the 2008 Strategic Plan for Ministry . The entire plan can be read on the church's website (scroll down to the link to the Strategic Plan on the front page of the website). Part of that plan is the Strategic Planning Committee's vision for what our congregation could become if we fully live into our mission:The congregation of Saint John Lutheran Church will be a vibrant and exciting family of faith. Our life together will be centered around at least two growing, uplifting worship services, where God’s Word is boldly proclaimed in sermon, song, and liturgy, and where God’s sacraments of grace are shared.The family of Saint John will lovingly care for all of its members. Those who cannot be present when we are gathered on Sunday morning will regularly be included in the congregation’s ministries through visits by both lay persons and clergy. In order to form deeper bonds of conne...
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Don't Forget
2007-10-19 20:52:00
The Saint John Semi-Annual meeting will be held this Sunday, October 21, immediately following the 10:05 service. Agenda items include the report of the Strategic Planning Committee, the 2008 Budget, and the election of congregational council members.

Rollercoaster Ministry
2007-10-18 18:12:00
Just last week, I was making the 45 minute drive from Prairie Hill to the hospital in Bryan, Texas. It was a hot, dry day in Central Texas. The sun was out in full force, and the fields along the road had recently been harvested, leaving thick dust to blow across the road. I was briefly in the hospital, making a couple of visits, and walked out to my car to find a different world. On the drive home, my windshield wipers could barely keep up as we drove at half the speed limit, and the dust had become mud in the small lakes that had formed on the roadway. In an instant, everything had changed from one extreme to the other - with very little warning and very little time to adjust.Life in the ministry is often like that, requiring quick gear shifts from one extreme to the other.It is one of the facts of ministry that pastors invest themselves emotionally and spiritually in the lives and events of those to whom they minister. They rejoice when they are with those who are rejoicing, and ...
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Critiquing Evangelism: Post 2
2007-10-17 18:08:00
In the first post of this series, I talked about how Evangelism is not a program. Once we have begun to think about Evangelism as a way of life, rather than a program of the church, we have started to move in the right direction. Yet by no means does that cover the entirety of the rethinking of our current model of evangelism.Critique number 2: Evangelism is not the pastor's job.Many pastor's reports include the regular rundown on the "numbers" - membership, attendence, etc. My monthly report to our congregational council is no exception. Unfortunately, this way of reporting the numbers serves to continue the idea that the responsibility for numbers (and thus evangelism) lies solely with the pastor.We have all seen this phenomenon. Pastor's salaries are often based on numbers, and a pastor at a numerically growing congregation is more likely to see a raise at the end of the year. We often think of pastors at growing congregations as more successful (even - maybe especially ...
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Critiquing Evangelism: Post 1
2007-10-16 21:28:00
The techniques Christian evangelism have come into question of late, with many asking whether we are watering down - or even avoiding altogether - the Gospel message in our attempts to get more people into the pews on Sunday morning. A recent NY Times article brought the nation's attention to a church that was using the best-selling videogame Halo 3 to bring youth into the church. Of course, bait-and-switch evangelism is nothing new, as churches have long used a non-church related event (say providing meals for the homeless, or a fellowship event) to get people where the church can then preach to them. In addition, as was brought up on this blog, many church watchers question the use of secular marketing techniques to help church evangelism.Now, before we get to high-and-mighty about talking about the evangelism techniques of other churches, take a look at this recent post from a conservative Reformed blogger. It is a wonderful reminder of how many of us have - to greater or le...
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Much Needed
2007-10-16 16:24:00
The Official Prairie Hill rain gauge says we got 1.7 inches of much needed rain yesterday afternoon during the rainstorm.

The Pastors Hansen
2007-10-15 18:15:00
It came up in Diane's Five Questions, and I have been asked about in other comments on this blog (I haven't the energy to search through the comments and discover who asked me), so here is the story of the Pastor s Hansen .I am indeed a 4th generation Lutheran pastor. The first person ordained in our family (as far as I can tell) is my great-great uncle Atlef Hansen. Atlef, who was married to my great-grandfather's older sister, was ordained in the United Danish Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1905. The United Church, as it was known, was the church of the "sad Danes", that is, they were the Danish Pietist tradition, with a strongly anti-Grundvigian theology.My great-grandfather, Theodore Marcus Hansen, attended the United Church's college and seminary in Blair, Nebraska (Dana College and Trinity Seminary), and was ordained in 1915. Interestingly, he attended school alongside his younger brother Henry, and the two were both married and ordained in the summer of 1915. Great-grandpa ...

Questions for Pastor Eric
2007-10-15 17:14:00
Pastor Eric recently asked to be interviewed by me as a part of the Five Questions Meme. Glad to oblige, here are the five questions for him - look for hte answers on his blog.You recently celebrated the third anniversary of your ordination. In these three years, what has surprised you most about ordained ministry? What has consistently fed you the most as a pastor?This is your first call. Did you choose SW Minnesota, or did it choose you?What is one book, other than the Bible and Confessions, that you could not live without? And why?If you were not a pastor, what you be doing with your life?What is one place you have never been, but would like to go?And to steal Diane's bonus question: what is one question you would like someone to ask you?Finally, here are the rules of the Meme, which you must post with your answers:1. If you are interested in being interviewed, leave me a comment saying "interview me."2. I will respond by posting 5 questions for you. I get to post the questions...
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Sunday Trivia Answer & a Resource
2007-10-15 16:24:00
Well, no one got this week's Sunday Trivia question.Honorable mention to Hal for his guess of Reorus Torkillus. Torkillus was the first Lutheran pastor to settle in North America. He arrived in the colony of New Sweden (now Delaware) in 1640, and served the colonists of Fort Christina for three years before he died. (And nod to Hal the follow-up email with the correct answer).The first Lutheran pastor to serve in North America was a Danish maritime chaplain by the name of Rasmus Jensen. King Christian IV sent two ships on an expedition to the "New World" in 1619, captained by Jens Munk. The expedition became stuck in the ice of the Hudson Bay, and all but the captain and two crew members died during the winter. The captain's journal records that Jensen preached to the crew within a month of his own death. Rasmus Jensen was commemorated on the ELCA's calendar of commemorations in the LBW on February 20 (he did not make it onto the ELW calendar).In the course of preparing thi...
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Sunday Trivia
2007-10-14 12:44:00
Continuing the newly established tradition, here is your Sunday Trivia question to keep your noodle working on this day of rest. This week I am looking for a little known fact from Lutheran history:Who was the first Lutheran pastor to serve in North America?Please post answers in comments, and enjoy your Sunday.

The Theology of Johnny
2007-10-13 18:02:00
Layla Margaret loves music. It is a sure fire way to get her to calm down when she starts to get fussy. She is a fan of a little bit of everything, but two of her favorites for when Daddy is trying to get her calm are good hymnody and Johnny Cash. Now, it just so happens that Daddy too is a big fan of the Man in Black, and has used this as an excuse to add a couple of new CD's to his collection.The first CD added was Cash:Ultimate Gospel. This album is a compilation of the best Gospel songs that Johnny recorded throughout his career - some written by him, some not, and some along with the Carter family. This album is really diverse in its selections, including a guest appearance by Billy Graham on the song The Preacher Said, "Jesus Said." The second CD added was My Mother's Hymn Book. This is a really special CD. As with all of Johnny's last albums, it was produced by Rick Rubin on his American Recordings record label. The idea behind the album was the hymnal which belong to John...
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Sunday Trivia Answer
2007-10-08 00:55:00
Well, thank you all for playing Sunday Trivia !Our congregational webmaster, Hal, got this one. The first American president born in the United States was Martin van Buren. Van Buren, the first president born on American soil after the revolution, was born in 1782 in New York State. He served as the 8th Vice-President of the US (under Andrew Jackson), and also the eigth President. He was the first without ancestry in the British Isles, and spoke Dutch as his first language.For all you fellow Texans, it was Van Buren who denied the newly independent Republic of Texas' request to be annex by the United States in August of 1837. He also oversaw the the 1838 Trail of Tears, moving some 17,000 Cherokees to the reservations of Oklahoma.Van Buren was resoundly trounced in his 1840 bid for re-election, and later in his life unsuccessfully ran for re-election on third-party tickets. He died at his home on July 24, 1862.Stay tuned for next week's installment of Sunday Trivia!
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Sunday Trivia
2007-10-07 12:26:00
Here is the first in a series of trivia questions for you to ponder on your day of rest. Answers may be posted in comments.Who was the first American President born in the United States?
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A Wonderful Friday
2007-10-05 22:54:00
"Day Off" is always a very flexible word for clergy. If there is someone ill, or someone getting married, or a funeral to plan, or any number of other time sensitive pastoral concerns, the day off quickly falls by the wayside. Prior to Layla's birth, I think I probably had one thing or another going on on Friday for about three straight weeks.Not today. It is a beautiful day in Prairie Hill, being spent restfully at home with my girls. The closest thing to work that I did today was move a prie-deux (or, more technically I suppose a prie-un) from the house to my office at work. It was a gift from my parents, who are clearing some things out of their home now that they are retired. It really is a very nice kneeler, that my brother picked up at an antique shop some years ago (I'll post a photo tomorrow).It is wonderful to enjoy a true sabbath day - and I hope you all are able to as well this weekend. God wants for us all to be rested, renewed, and restored so that we might min...
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Five Questions
2007-10-04 16:57:00
Diane at Faith in Community recently posted her Five Questions for me. These are some very thoughtful questions, and I will do my best to give them the answers they deserve. This is a somewhat lengthy post, so bear with me. This particular meme has been floating around for a while, and the rules are as follows (cue the fast talking voice-over guy who handles all the legalese):If you are interested in being interviewed, leave me a comment saying "interview me."I will respond by posting 5 questions for you. I get to post the questions.You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions.You will include this explanation and offer to interview someone else in the same post.When others comment, asking to be interviewed, you will ask them 5 questionsOk, now that that is out of the way, on to the interview.1. What is the best thing (so far) about being a father? What is your greatest worry?To be honest, it hard to choose just one thing. The last 2 1/2 weeks have...

Cell Phones & Telemarketers
2007-10-03 19:22:00
Ok, I rarely post about this sort of stuff, but this latest email almost got me (and I have a pretty good nose for nonsense). If you are like me, you have received at least a couple of emails telling you to place your phone on the National Do Not Call Registry, as cell phone numbers are about it be released to telemartketers. Here's the skinny:It's not true. Delete the email and go on about your day.The email I received said that snopes.com was reporting that our cell phone numbers would be released to telemarketers. Other emails have said that there is a deadline for registering you cell phone on the DNC Registry. All of them have said that if we don't place our cell numbers on the registry, our cell bills will go up as we are charged for the telemarketers' calls.According to both snopes and federal government, this is just plain false (the email I received even linked to the snopes article where it says "status:false").
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A Missive on Clericals
2007-10-03 17:34:00
Over the last year, members of Saint John have learned that I almost always wear a clerical collar. Yet, even within our community of Brenham, the use of clericals varies widely among the town's clergy. The origins of the collar are pretty uninteresting and banal - it largely is a product of men's fashion, and was simply the collar used by most educated men at one point. As to the black shirt; in an age before chemical dyes, black was the most expensive color to produce, and was reserved for the educated professions: professors, lawyers, and clergy (it is no accident that the two slowest institutions to adopt change - the church and the courts - retain the black attire). Certainly, the origins of the clerical collar are fairly uninteresting - but far more important, is the historical significance of the collar, and how that can be understood today. Let me run down, briefly, what I think is the significance of clerics dressed in ... clerics.The collar connects today's clergy to th...
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Update: SideBar & Blogging Lutherans
2007-10-02 17:18:00
The "Blogs I read" links have been updated - I am finally expanding my blogroll. I know there are some sites I still need to add there, but here are the latest additions (and yes - non-Luther an bloggers have snuck onto my blogroll).Art's Strange World. Art is a considerate and thoughful layman in the Methodist Church. Coincidentally, he blogs from just down the road from where I attended Seminary. His blog often has quite insightful posts about life in the church and the challenges we all will be facing in the years to come. (Sewanee, Sewanee, Leave 'em in the Lurch ...)Faith & Theology. This blog is for theological heavy lifting, and is a great place if you have the time to ponder the "deep things." Benjamin Myers is the primary author of Faith & Theology, and writes from the Reformed tradition.The Lutheran Zephyr. Chris, the author of LZ, is a intern in the Lutheran Church, serving his internship year down the road from where I completed my internship.While I was...
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Thank you
2007-10-02 16:08:00
Thank you to everyone for the cards, gifts, visits, and meals in the two weeks since Layla Margaret arrived. Everyone here at Prairie Hill has generously and joyously welcomed her into the life of our congregation. Thank you most of all for your prayers. It has truly been a blessing to know that we have been so continously lifted up in prayer as we begin our life as a family. Unfortunately, congregations often forget the importance of regularly praying for their leaders - both lay and ordained. Thanks for not forgetting that we also need prayers.I also want to thank the congregation for granting me paternity leave. These last two weeks - although they have flown by - have truly been a blessing. I was still available to our members, including doing a couple of hospital visits, but it was nice to not have to worry about preparing for Sunday morning and putting regular office hours. I will always treasure the uninterupted time that I spent with Layla during these last weeks.Everyone ...
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New Layout
2007-10-01 22:12:00
Back at it now, I thought it was time for a redesign of the postings from prairie hill site. I will probably be tinkering with it for a few days before I get it just the way I want it. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
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I'm Back
2007-10-01 17:52:00
As of this morning, I am back at the church for regular office hours. Thanks again to the congregational council for giving me two weeks of paternity leave - it was a wonderful experience to be able to spend that time with my wife and new daughter.
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More of Layla
2007-09-25 08:27:00
As promised, here are some of the latest pictures of little Layla Margaret. Given who her parents' personalities, it is no surprise that she loves the camera. She also loves music, and one sure-fire way to get her to calm down is to have Mom sit down at the piano and sing her some hymns.This week together on paternity leave has been a real blessing, as we have all three adjusted to life together. I pray that God will continue to bless us in the week to come ... and that I will be prepared to head back to work in another week. Even though it is just across the parking lot, leaving my beautiful girls at home while I am at the office will definitely be difficult when the time comes.

Increasing Blog Traffic
2007-09-24 17:50:00
There are hundreds - thousands - of sites out there promising you all the tips to help you increase the traffic to your blog. A quick google search reveals lists of advice for bloggers, companies that will sell you software, and all sorts of other tricks and tips for increasing blog traffic.I, however, have discovered THE secret ...A sure-fire, guaranteed way to increase your blog traffic ...Have a baby.Yes, it is as simple as that.In this last week, this blog has seen more traffic than any other week since I began a year ago. I have posted what I think are some great observations about ordained ministry, analysis of worship resources, and countless other subjects - yet none has drawn the traffic of little Layla Margaret.Thanks to Art and Mad Priest who linked to the baby news and encouraged their regular readers to stop by and say hi. Thanks also to our church webmaster, who posted the news as soon as he heard about it (stop by and visit his family website - I know he would appreci...
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Layla is Home
2007-09-20 23:37:00
I have been blessed to have many amazing moments in my life. Time spent with my grandfather at the end of his life. The support of parents and brothers. Times spent with families in the hospital. The affirmation of my call when I was ordained. A beautiful wedding when I married the perfect girl. Showers of love from congregations in preparation for my wedding and the birth of my first child.Not one of those wonderful moments prepared me for the blessing and miracle of the birth of Layla Margaret. To say that she is a blessing is an understatement ... everything about how she came into this world was a blessing. In an age when infertility seems to be quite common, we were blessed to be able to conceive a child. We were blessed with a relatively painless pregnancy. We were blessed with a near-textbook birth experience. We were blessed with her arrival, as a beautiful, healthy baby girl. And we are blessed with loving and supportive family and friends who have been there for us through...
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Welcome Home
2007-09-19 20:09:00
Just a quick note to let everyone know that we have made it safely home to Prairie Hill. Everyone is doing very well -- very tired, but very well. I'm sure that more updates and pictures of our beautiful girl will appear later. Thank you for your continued prayers.
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Picture Perfect
2007-09-18 06:22:00
Here she is - the most beautiful baby girl I have ever had the pleasure to lay eyes on. The first picture is moments after her birth, the second is later on in the afternoon.They say that these things are subject to change, but Layla currently has a full head of straight dark hair, and beautiful blue eyes. Thankfully, right now it appears that she has her mother's nose, rather than the much more ... um, prominent Hansen nose.From what I understand, the church bells at Saint John rang out to announce her birth once word reached Prairie Hill this morning.The pediatrician's report was that Layla is a "100% healthy and perfect baby girl." Mom is also doing quite well.Layla apparently shares her father's love of celebrations, and refused to share her birthday with dear old Dad. Contractions began almost exactly at 12:01 am on the 17th - safely assuring that Layla will get her own birthday party instead of having to share with Dad's birthday on the 16th. It may have been a little late...
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