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"We're seeing a Jon Stewartization of young people in our church," observes Noel Heikkinen, pastor of Riverview Church in Holt, MI. He explains, "Like Stewart, many young people are cynical about the future, skeptical about the integrity of those in authority, and have a fundamental lack of respect for anyone who holds an office or a position--and they feel completely free to say whatever is on their minds about all these things. I feel like I've got hundreds of Jon Stewarts in our community of faith." Noel is one of many pastors who are acutely observant about the pervasive impact of today's culture on the people in their churches.
Although those in their 20s are most powerfully affected because they've never known any cultural influence other than the postmodern world, everyone in the culture is being shaped. For that reason, a migration from traditional leadership development strategies is key to building leaders in every age group.
Initially, Lower the Bar
Candidates for leadership positions today are beginning the application and training process with fewer skills and a lower level of spiritual maturity than candidates only a decade ago. For this reason, some pastors are lowering the bar for people to enter the leadership development pipeline, and pastoral staff and lay leaders have to invest more time and energy to qualify people for leadership positions.
A Move Toward Mentoring
The conventional academic training model focused primarily on imparting content, but it often didn't sharpen skills or inspire people to take action. Les Hughes, pastor of Westwood Baptist Church near Birmingham, AL, remarks, "We hoped people would come to enough classes that sooner or later their lives would change. Years ago, this model was at least moderately successful, but it simply doesn't. . .
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Internet Outreach Draws Millions of Responses |
The media arm of Campus Crusade for Christ recorded over 10 million decisions for Jesus Christ during 2009, a significant increase over the 2008 total of 3 million decisions. Global Media Outreach (GMO) also presented the Gospel to over 63 million people through its more than 90 different websites globally, including WhoisJesus-Really.com, GodLovestheWorld.com, 4StepstoGod.com, and GrowinginChrist.com. "We have responders all over the world, connecting to people through email for prayer, discipleship and church connections," commented GMO founder and chair Walt Wilson, who is also a former board member at Leadership Network.
Television Out-Influences the Internet Overseas |
Television has become a revolutionary force for good in the majority of the world -- not just a couch potato-maker. Using a robust sample of data over many years and countries, Charles Kenny, a development economist with the World Bank, found a high correlation between areas that receive and consume TV and positive trends in literacy, school enrollment, health outcomes, birth control, lower levels of drug use and corruption, and even increased prosperity.
Doing Church as a Team Conference 2010 |
Everyday Heroes, Discovering the Miracle Inside is the theme for this year's Doing Church as a Team (DCAT) Conference.
Located at the Hawaii Convention Center, participants will be challenged during this three-day conference through messages from New Hope Oahu's Senor Pastor, Wayne Cordeiro and
founder of Youth With A Mission, Loren Cunningham. In addition, pastors and leaders from off-shore ministries can take advantage of a special pre-conference session specially designed just for them.
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| The Recovery Conference 2010 |
The ministry of recovery is about redeeming lives. As pastors and church leaders, you are faced with people in your congregations who struggle with addictions, the pain of abuse, and the effects of wounds and losses. This is a daunting task. Because we understand this, Leadership Network and the National Association for Christian Recovery have designed Recovery Conference 2010 just for you.
Strategic Conversations about the Church from Leadership Network Live every Tuesday at 4pm Eastern.
Coming up on The Show:
| Jan 26th |
Dave Ferguson |
| Feb 2nd |
Jesse Rice |
| Feb 9th |
Earl Creps |
The Spotlight is a monthly series presented by Leadership Network. Each one-hour, online webinar will highlight a specific aspect of our best learning, research and resources.
The February Spotlight is on Women in Ministry, featuring Sherry Surratt & Warren Bird. Participation is free, but you must register in advance.
The next Spotlight happens Wednesday, Feb. 10th, at 4pm Eastern.
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