Jeff and Jonny had the best time talking with Christena Cleveland on the campus of Bethel University recently. We "just happened" to set up a remote 200churches Studio at Bethel, and Christena "just happened" to stop by to talk with us!
Christena was unbelievably delightful to talk with and we are so happy to share our conversation with you. We got into the subject of race and reconciliation, so if you hear some things that you don't normally hear, we ask you to listen very closely, and we guarantee you will gain some great perspectives from Dr. Cleveland. In the podcast episode Christena talks about resources on her website for small church pastors to use to begin thinking about how they can help their churches remove the barriers between groups separated by age, economic status, health, or race. You can find those resources on her page here. Can we introduce her by the following video clip? Then below the video, we'll give you more information from her website at ChristenaCleveland.com.
Christena Cleveland is a social psychologist, author, speaker and professor with a hopeful passion for overcoming cultural divisions in groups. Drawing from a vast body of research, she uncovers the underlying processes that affect relationships within and between groups and helps leaders understand how to promote an appreciation for diversity and build effective collaborations with diverse groups.
In 2014, Christianity Today magazine named her one of “33 Under 33” (millennials leading the next generation of Christian faith) and JET magazine identified her one as of 5 “online shepherds to follow.” Christena is the author of Disunity in Christ: Uncovering the Hidden Forces that Keep Us Apart, a 2013 Leadership Journal Book Award winner. She’s currently writing The Priesthood of the Privileged (InterVarsity Press) which examines power and inequality in the Church. She earned a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. from the University of California Santa Barbara. An award-winning researcher and gifted teacher, she has published numerous scholarly articles and is an associate professor of reconciliation studies at Bethel University. Beyond academic experience, Christena brings organizational experience to her efforts to build unity. She coaches pastors and leaders on multicultural issues and speaks regularly. Don’t you just get the shivers up your spine when you hear a conference or seminar speaker mention the words “time management” or “focus” or “priorities”? Oooooh, I love to hate them so much! We in the western world certainly fixate on time, productivity, and effectiveness. Sometimes it would just be nice to live in one of those cultures where clocks don’t matter, and relationships way trump tasks and productivity. What did you say... that’s what heaven is going to be like? Oh, good! Because from the time we are children, we are taught, however unwittingly, that the clock rules our lives! Cultures in Africa and South America, among others, do not share our American values of profit, time management, effectiveness, efficiency, task orientation, and productivity. Other things like, relationships, relaxation, appreciation of nature and life, and oh, sleep, are much more important. They value conversation, presence, an afternoon nap, procrastination, and doing things well rather than quickly.
The increased opportunities to travel in the 20th century brought situations where two groups of people found themselves in the same space trying to communicate about possible joint ventures, only to leave frustrated and confused, unable to get their points across, or to understand the other group. The problem? They were unaware that cultural differences prevented understanding. So, when it comes to us small church pastor types, how are we to understand time management, focus, and priorities in our lives and ministries? Do we follow our American culture, or the Bible? I mean, if you’re a good American, you’ll immediately understand that there would be no difference… of course. American culture, especially small church pastor American culture, would mirror the culture and values of the Bible! (you can see my tongue in my cheek, right?) There are myriad books on Amazon and in your local brick and mortar bookstore on time management, self help, life plan, etc. But we’d like to offer an additional resource to you – this week’s podcast episode #68! On Wednesday we’ll talk with the man who coaches pastors of small churches, Dave Jacobs, about establishing priorities, limiting our focus, managing our time, and putting first things first in our lives and ministries. How should we think about these things? Wouldn’t these things look different for a pastor of one hundred people than they would for a pastor of a thousand? What if I’m a bi-vocational pastor, how should I think about my time? Here’s my favorite question: How about I just drive myself absolutely insane by constantly second guessing my time management decisions and continually feeling discontent with how well I am managing my life and ministry?! I mean, there’s always going to be a better way, right? As Jonny would say, “Tune in” this week to the 200churches Podcast, episode #68, and just relax with us for a while, and let us encourage you in your pastoral ministry. A new episode is released every single Wednesday at 12:00am. (That would be midnight on Tuesday, for you normal people) This week our goal is to encourage you in your approach to focus, priorities, and time. Finally, remember what Jesus said to us, "Come to me..." Jonny and I have been enjoying our time off from blogging during our Thanksgiving – New Year’s break… mostly. We both feel out of the loop with our online community. This has been our answer to the online addiction most of us live these days, especially those of us who manage or involve ourselves in online communities. We even found a few spare minutes to get in on the Bitstrips fun… However, we have been working the podcast circuit pretty heavily. We are lining up podcast topics and guests into 2014 and are excited about the future of 200churches. We’ve realized the area of small church pastor encouragement is wide open in terms of need. There are not enough people or organizations committed to the success and joy of small church ministry. So 2014 is full of positive expectations for 200churches.com.
The topic this week on the podcast may go in one of three different directions, so I am not going to preview it yet, but on Christmas day, Dan Reiland will be our guest for his “Part 5” on his book, Amplified Leadership. The next week, on New Year’s Day we will be joined by Karl Vaters from NewSmallChurch.com. New for 2014, Karl Vaters will be our first week of the month regular guest and Dan Reiland will be our last week of the month regular. These are two very different guys who bring so much value to us as small church pastors. We will continue to focus on the equipping and encouragement of pastors of small churches on the 200churches Podcast. That will not change. The 200churches vision statement is this – “Ministry Encouragement for Pastors of Small Churches.” That statement embodies what our passion and heart is for small church pastors – we want to breath life into their spirits, wind into their sails, and hope into their hearts. Small church pastors are changing the world one person at a time! As we move into these last ten days before Christmas, we pray that the joy of the season, Jesus Christ, would fill your hearts and families to overflowing. And that you would pass that joy and love on to others as you lead, shepherd, and pastor the people in your community. We’ll meet you Wednesday on the podcast, episode 49! Let us begin with the end in mind… Whatever values we want to have in abundance in our church, must first be self-evident in us. It’s the old “practice what you preach” scenario. If we practice what we preach, those we lead will really believe what we’re preaching and be much more willing to give it a shot in their own lives. The easiest principles, truths, and subjects for us to preach on are the ones we live out, and we know we live out. Conversely, the areas where we struggle most, we likely don’t deal with much in our preaching. That is natural, and mostly proper. The alternative is hypocrisy. Or, we start working on those areas, and preach in the tension of our growth.
Years ago I heard John Maxwell say that if he got to a Bible passage that he knew he wasn't living out in his own life, he would bring in a guest speaker to deal with that passage or subject. There is something honorable about that. But more importantly, there is something wise in a person who can recognize the difference! Can you and I even recognize the areas in our lives that are not congruent with the teachings of Jesus? So, back to values. What values do you want to be descriptive of your church family? Are those very values descriptive of you? That’s the secret to church health and growth – alignment between what we teach, preach, and promote in our church – and what we live out in our actions and attitudes. Once there is that alignment, then movement and progress pick up real momentum. Because it’s natural, organic, and healthy. Do you want your church to be
You see, it really is that easy. It takes time for a church to “catch” the qualities of its leader(s), but given enough time, churches generally take on the characteristics and values of their leader(s). Therefore, in order to change your church, you must start with YOU. Forgive me, but can I quote Mahatma Gandhi who said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” In this case, in your church! In order to change your church, change you. If you want your church culture to evidence a certain quality or character – you evidence it first. Paul said this to the Philippians: “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” He was basically saying, you watch me, then put into practice what you see. Like Dan Reiland said a few weeks ago on the podcast, “leaders go first!” We love you pastors of 200churches all around our country and world! Your leadership, love, and vision for your people is so insanely crucial to the Kingdom of God. Go for it! Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are “small”, but be an example to all the other churches in preaching, ministry, love, and purity. And pastor… you go first! Next Week - Pastor Karl Vaters from NewSmallChurch.com will join us and talk about his ministry in Europe last month, how small church pastors in eastern Europe are thinking about ministry, and what we can learn from them! This week on the 200churches Podcast we talk with our friend Jim Powell, the Lead Pastor of Richwoods Christian Church in Peoria, Il. There’s an old saying in politics – “How will it play in Peoria?” Well, Jim Powell has learned how to play and pastor in Peoria! We are talking to him about the importance of our church culture, that we understand it, know how it affects the fruitfulness of our church, and learn how to shape it intentionally. Jonny and Jeff talk to Jim about his book, Dirt Matters – The Foundation for a Healthy, Vibrant, and Effective Congregation. Here is a quote from one of the first chapters…
The issue is that every church has a unique culture that serves as the soil where its ministry occurs. A church’s culture is the somewhat nebulous and complex blend of norms, beliefs, attitudes, traditions, and practices that define the congregation. The culture establishes the environment that often predetermines the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of God’s Word within that body of believers. It influences a congregation’s potential impact more than techniques, programs, or pragmatic changes. This conversation with Jim, and his book, go beyond painting the lobby, changing the church name, or introducing a new music style. His book cuts to the heart of the church, what makes it tick, what is the passion of the people, what are the values that live within the congregation, and how do those values express themselves in the life of the congregation? Think about your 200church. What are the top three values of your church? But before you answer too quickly, remember, each value you list has to have corresponding anecdotal evidence that it is truly owned and lived out in the life of the congregation. If you say, we care about people, can you give concrete illustrations where caring for people has occurred? If you say, God’s Word is our authority, can you give an example of when your people changed something in their lives or church because they learned something in God’s Word? If you say, outreach is our mission, who can you list as people you have reached out to in recent weeks or months? (they don’t even have to go to your church, just who have you actually reached out to, and how?) Jim compares dirt, or real soil, to the culture that a church grows in. He says that if our culture is right, things will grow. He has an interesting way to explain how each church should go about learning and shaping its culture. Between now and Wednesday, work on discovering the top three values your church really holds. It's harder that you first think. We are excited to share this podcast episode with you! |
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