Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
Some Quick Observations on Church Life in America
The guys over at Resurgence.com have posted an interesting study on church life dealing with staff, worship, and pastors’ job duties. Here’s a sample:
The number of paid staff for the average congregation is three. But nearly half of all congregations have one paid staff member.
The median pastor who is paid by the congregation works about 50 hours per week.
In almost all congregations, about half of the attendees stay after the worship service to socialize for about 25 minutes.
53.4 percent of congregations have small groups meeting regularly.
You can read the rest by clicking here.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Teenagers Then and Now: A Comparison and Contrast
I’ve been involved in youth ministry for the past 25 years, but driving a school bus for the past year has given me the opportunity to observe the teen culture outside of the church walls. I graduated high-school in 1983, and I’m amazed at how much teenagers have changed over the past quarter of a century. I’m perhaps even more amazed at how much they have remained the same.
Here are a few quick observations without much commentary. Feel free to add your own . . .
The Likenesses
Boy/Girl relationships – You can see the awkwardness when the opposite sexes start to notice each other. Middle school boys chasing girls are like the classic dog-chasing-car scenario – they wouldn’t know what to do with one if they caught it. The maturity disparity is on full display:
- Middle school girls are young women.
Middle school boys are big children.
Outcast kids – Some kids seem to be born with a target on their backs
Cool kids – Some kids are born cool, some achieve coolness, and some have coolness thrust upon them (apologies to the Great Bard).
Insecurity – Over school, family, friends, overall social position . . .
Peer pressure – The world still revolves around what everybody else thinks about you.
The Differences
All-access to anything – There are many more entry points into their lives – both good and bad.
Innocence Lost – Kids today are exposed to so much more at a much earlier age. As a teen, my biggest temptation was to sneak downstairs and watch an R-rated movie on HBO when my parents were asleep; today, that’s laughable.
Peer Influence – The internet allows MUCH MORE peer influence – Used to be parents had a certain amount of control over who their kids hung out with and were influenced by.
Language – Language seems to be in a transition. The profane is accepted, and words that were once innocuous are becoming offensive. Seated behind a keyboard, teens today are emboldened to express themselves in ways that only the worst of kids used to.
Order of service at Cornerstone Church Sunday, April 5th
• G67 – God of Wonders
Announcements
Special Music
• B57.5 – Blessed Be Your Name
• W135 – The Wonderful Cross
• H152 – Here I Am To Worship
Greeting
• H195 – Holy, Holy, Holy (Worthy to Receive Glory)
Ransomed – Bluefield College Drama Team
Song of Dismissal
• H195 – Holy, Holy, Holy (Worthy to Receive Glory)