I watched a short video from CTV on Canada and our national identity in light of the current olympics in Vancouver and something hit a chord with me. Maybe living here in Vancouver is the reason for its connection, but I have realized something about my life motivation, specifically in light of the church I started a short 4 years ago.

Something has happened to me over the years. I have learned a lot about myself, my motivation and my direction. But today I am a little stuck. I am in new territory. I have come through some larger issues, understandings and realizations only to find myself on the other side not knowing what’s next.

I had a great chat with another church planter friend yesterday, who more than anything else, allowed me to vocalize some of my current thoughts and stresses. It was in this time that I realized that I am officially in unchartered territory and the reason for this is that I no longer have a unifying idea of why I have done this in the first place. You see I have realized that my reason for starting this church in the first place was a “reaction” of sorts. It was a chance to start something originally canadian, and although that still may be true, the truth is I didn’t know what authentically canadian was due in part to a lack of examples and so I instead (perhaps unknowingly) decided to create something “anti” what I knew and struggled against.

I was never vicious, or blatantly against any one style, but instead found motivation from being different. And now I see all the methods, styles, types of churches, groups, gatherings very differently. I find goodness in them all, I find God in all of them and I am not sure if I know now what I am “for” after for so long being sure of what I was against. But today I am quite free from critique, but the funny thing is, this freedom has put me in a peculiar place.

In this video from CTV’s Steven Brunt he suggests that being sure of what we against as a national identity is changing.

And maybe Shane Koyczan said it best in his Opening Ceremony Poem…

“we are choices.”

And perhaps that is where I need to start;

…all over again.

This was my highlight of the olympic opening ceremonies. I have really enjoyed slam poetry since moving to the drive area in 2005. And this was brilliant.

Here is a good interview of Nick Fiedler author of the hopeful skeptic (which I am currently reading and which I may or may not have been mentioned about on pages 135-136 and in fact in this clip, I realize as I am writing this), who I met in the Bahamas back 2007. It’s cool that Project51 is making a difference if not just in the lives of the people we have blessed with it, but even in changing peoples view of the church. (Note to self: make a post on motion sickness and the open house about P51)

I am about halfway through the book and really enjoying it. I totally recommend it as a helpful book if you are going through a time of questioning the church and your faith.

Anna and I were watching some TV last week when a commercial came on for Bounce Fabric Softener. It was one of those commercials where the woman of the house (all in cartoon of course) was looking for that last item that would spruce up her life and change the way her house operated. And the answer she was looking for was “Bounce.”

Anna looked at me and in a frustrated way shared that this commercial appeared to be demeaning to women and who would buy this product? After some thought I shared that with all the marketing out there and our ability to turn off (in our minds) the commercials that “yell” at us that most companies have turned to advertising to niche groups and not to the masses and perhaps this commercial, as degrading as it was to you, was probably perfect for someone else (mainly one in that world of stay at home, make your house perfect type of lifestyle). Of course for us, spending our money on fabric softener isn’t exactly something we want to use our disposable income on, but for someone else it might be the best thing since sliced bread. That’s when it hit me that these commercials and maybe most commercials are not for me, they are for someone else competing for products in a totally different market.

I was thinking of this in light of the church and marketing and how personally I have beeen adverse to doing any sort of marketing/ awareness of our little church community. But I realized it is because most church marketing that I have seen has been to the “church” folk. People who buy fabric softener, so to speak. But there is a total group of people out there (which include the people in the open house and our friends in the neighbourhood) that would totally block out that sort of ad, because it is obviously not for them.

So I guess what I am saying is that I think a type of “new marketing” needs to take place in our faith communities that make up a minority and have their own niche. A marketing that makes people aware of faith groups that are welcoming, non-de-script in their structure, but are active in their community, participating and transforming their communities with good works.

To be honest I haven’t seen any “church” ads in the mail of late and for all I know they may have changed their “tactic,” but the truth is our model and message (Sunday gatherings for example) is an advertisement to the fullest. So how do we celebrate the good of what our churches are doing, to connect and welcome others to participate with us, without labeling the “message” as not for them or irrelevant, because whatever clever, outward message you advertise on the outside with be thwarted if it is nothing like what you are about on the inside.

So with this I am now seeing the connect. The outside and the inside need to connect if you wish to draw people in and get them excited about what you are doing. People who buy Bounce probably have a similar culture in their homes as other Bounce buyers, but how many people do you know that have different values and a different home buy Bounce and then realize that even though the advertisement was clever it really doesn’t fit with they way they run their household? I’m guessing these people never buy it again.

In and amongst this rambling and I am requesting something. Those that are familiar with the open house and what we are currently involved in, I am asking you to send me your thoughts on what a new wave of marketing might look like in a community like ours. Not just the message, but the method as well. I would like to work on some ideas toward a campaign that allows us to be true to who we are and want to be, but be able to reach out into our neighbourhood and welcome some of those that share values and want to better their neighbourhood with us. This will involve both an analysis of what we currently “do” and who we want to “become.” The mediums (like our Sunday night meal, book studies and outreaches) for sharing that hope will be critical in the process.

So share your ideas here, or email me at kyle AT theopenhouse.ca

I’m excited for your ideas.

Another quality message (10 minutes total time) from Rollins. I really find myself connecting with this guys words the possibilities he dreams and shares.

I hear his words of participation and transformation!

Taken from our churches website:

Hey everyone,

We are going to do things a little differently this week and instead of our normal program, we are going to host a little BBQ and potluck at the little nest for friends of ours, people in the community and for us as well.

We are going to have a couple BBQ’s set up outside and welcome people in for a meal and a chance to get to know some of us and for us to get to know our neighbours, as well our friend Matt Mei is going to play some acoustic music for us in the cafe.

So be sure to come out, bring a friend and a dish to share this Sunday January 31 @ 5pm!

Looking forward to it.

After reading “How (not) to speak of God” I really wanted to dive into more of Rollins works and so I quickly grabbed this gem (thanks to my amazon wishlist from my mother in law) and I was not disappointed. This book is a collection of parables that Peter Rollins has written over the years and used with his ikon community that truly stretch your comfortable concepts of God and the church and the bible.

Rollins uses familiar bible stories in some cases and the twists the endings to bring about a point or something for us to think about, and still in other parables he makes up a fictional world describing a well known moral lesson that we might know from the bible or church and then spinning it on its head as well. Each parable made me think deeply and I am even going to gift this book to a number of friends as I think it really has helped me along in my own journey and could be very helpful with anyone else. I even used one of the parables in a recent church service we put on at the open house.

I am not sure if I would do the review justice by telling you some specific examples, but I will say that for those church planters out there that want to have their view of God stretched and encouraged, and also have a way to bridge some of the culture gaps of today’s society, I highly recommend this as a helpful text that will encourage conversation amongst all types and backgrounds of people. I give this book a 4.5/5 for my unqualified CP ranking.

This book has inspired me to work through some of my own parables that I have written but never completed and possibly using them in the future. Maybe even posting them here. We shall see…

I was wondering when a church became a “Church” and no longer a “church plant?” I think I now know. Okay maybe I don’t but I have some good practical evidence to prove that I am on to something. That might be what I have enjoyed more than anything else when it comes to this church and the discoveries, it’s that all of my conclusions are found through my experience. I can always use people or events to mark out our journey as a community.

In terms of my thoughts on becoming a church, some might say that it’s when your church has a certain number of programs, or people, or finally has a building or a regular gathering or money then you can say you are a “Church” and not just a “church plant.” Still I think there are others that hold onto the church plant posture for way too long and it’s probably some insecure way of avoiding failure. I know I have pondered this within myself. As long as I am a church plant, I can’t be expected to do “this or that.” You see what I mean?

But something deep within me has challenged my current church planting posture that involves always creating something and replaced it with a new one. So for next 3 months I am in what I might call a observing posture.

Now does an observing posture mean that we have arrived? By no means. We have not arrived as a church and I doubt we ever will and I mean this in the most encouraging way possible. Knowing that we will never arrive is actually quite comforting, but maturing on the other hand, I like to think we have at least moved in this direction.

I am sure you must be wondering what makes me believe that we have made the jump. Well it’s hard to explain. It can’t be the numbers, unless 15-20 counts. It can’t be the programs, unless one girls group or a mens time at a pub counts. It can’t be a building, unless meeting in a loud coffee shop counts, and since we give away 51% of our money we can’t really afford to look like a real church so I am not sure that counts either.

But for me it’s simple.

I am seeing connectedness. I am seeing people excited to be around each other. I am seeing people step up and try things that may or may not work. I am seeing people honestly share where they are at that might scare most church people and I keep seeing the same people show up over and over again, not just on Sunday’s, but in each others lives. I see a community planning events together and attempting to make a difference in the neighborhood. There is a community that has been created that looks out for each other and I am proud to say that to me that means we have become a church and not a group of random strangers trying to be or act like one.

Lastly, I just want to give one more reason. Of all the things that we are actively doing as a church community I am not officially leading any of them! Sure I speak once in a while on Sunday and help communicate to the group, but I have no official duty for the next 3 months. I see that as a victory and for me a great excitement as I take the next 3 months to observe and report. I’m going to Ob(serve) those actively making a difference practically in their faith and report to the whole church how the open house is for real and slowly but surely earning credibility in the community as church that gives away more than it keeps, as people continue to come and go very much like an open house.

Maybe it’s time to change the tagline. But this missional community is definitely walking in a Jesus direction.

This marriage book is aimed at helping couples break free from their dysfunctional patterns and communication breakdowns. The book calls it “the crazy cycle” when couples enter into a lose-lose argument with both parties left feeling confused and hurt. In order to breakout of this pattern, Eggerichs applies a biblical based framework for recognizing the needs of men and women. Man’s biggest need according to Eggerichs is his need for respect and a woman’s greatest need to be loved.

Now after reading the book, I have a better understanding of how I inadvertently trigger something in my wife, leaving her feeling like I’m withdrawing my love. And she too, had begun to be more aware when she stumbles into language that disrespects me and sends me running. Knowledge of how each of us operates based on language of love and respect can easily turn arguments around making them shorter in duration and less intense than before.

A while back my wife and I also attended a conference called Love and Respect put on by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs and his wife and it has made this book come more alive than perhaps it may have by simply reading it. The stories were helpful in this book, but having a real person in front of you sharing a personal story, as opposed to the story about “Sarah” in the book, would make the experience and understanding of he topic more real. As it were, the books stories were helpful, but they were hard to totally identify with.

On the whole, I think my wife has benefited more from this book than I have. She is using words of respect that I really feel encouraged by. However, I’ve been left feeling still a little unclear of how to reframe my words of love towards her. Love is such an overly used word in our culture and it feels as if I’m left not knowing which words really hit home with her and which one’s sound like a cheesy soap opera. This is my homework I guess to ask her when my words connect with her and when they don’t.

NOTE:I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program.

I just completed this book, while on holiday here in Victoria. Basically this book is a commentary on an obscure Christian document called the Didache, with Tony utilizing a small community called the Cymbrogi as a real life example of people following this book along with the Bible. I found the book interesting and simple. I am not sure how important this book or the Didache are really, but I wasn’t struggling to finish the book.

Here is a better review than I could give by Bob Hyatt.

As a church planter I give it a CP rating of 2.5/5; not essential but helpful.

Happy New Year Everyone!