12 Dec “Of writing of books there is no end….”
Someone recommended to me the book by Bill Easum, Unfreezing Moves. It is not a brand new book, having been published in 2001, but it is worth reading. While I do not agree with everything Easum says, I found the book to be challenging and worth the time to read it. Reading it is the simple thing to do. Acting on what it teaches is not so simple.
The book’s focus is on helping readers identify their church as “stuck or unstuck” and then give the prescriptions needed to become “unstuck” as a congregation and follow Jesus into the mission field.
Chapter two, “The Systems Story,” is a particularly good chapter if you have never thought about the systems that are in a church. But section two, “Unfreezing Moves,” where Easum takes 9 moves that a church needs to make in order to become unfrozen, was worth the price of the book.
My heart aches when I go out to many of our churches and find them controlled by people who are carnal at best, who just want to control everybody and everything. That, by the way, may be the pastor as well as the people.
Many of our churches have been and are being choked to death by unspiritual controllers. I used to say, “O but they mean well,” but I’ve changed my tune. I am not sure they mean well at all; they just want their own way and control. If they meant well, they would be willing to look at their ministry area as a mission field, themselves as missionaries. and be wiling to move heaven and earth to see lost people come to Jesus. Sad to say, but most controllers are not even interested in seeing lost people come to Jesus. They are only interested in controlling the status quo.
We need leaders with the courage to lead in new directions. If you think you are one, then reading this book, especially Part Two, will give a good overview of what your task is. If you are one of those leaders and you decide to challenge the status quo, I will be your biggest cheerleader.
On October 21, Huntington University students plunged into the community for the annual Fall Work Day, a tradition since 1996. Volunteers divide into groups, usually by dormitory floors, and are assigned a location and project.
Fall Work Day has averaged about 425 volunteer hours a year. This year’s 222 volunteers, up from 186 in 2005, gave 777 hours of community service. One group went to Huntington’s Head Start to help with yard work–pulling weeds and raking leaves. Another group went to the YMCA to assist with organizing and cleaning rooms. Nichole Wolf (right), a freshman educational ministries major, took donations for the Boot Shake, a Red Cross fundraiser. Maggie McWilliams (left), a freshman elementary education major from Franklin, Ind., helped with cleaning at Good Shepherd UB church.
In the last post I mentioned the idea of a corporate time of prayer and confession for sins of the past in our church. Well, I was directed to a great resource, a book by Dr. Kenneth Quick titled, Healing the Heart of Your Church. Some of you might be interested in reading it for the insights it could provide for your local church situation. The publisher is Church Smart. You could order it direct from them or you could order it from our bookstore here. It is worth the read and will give you some insights as to why I possibly began to think about such a time at the National Conference 2007.