Comments from Monday's Presentations!

1. A few comments on the presentation from Jerry:

Thoughts on the conference call - Today I joined the conference call feeling a bit skeptical. My skepticism came from two directions:

First, I really didn’t know what the “project” we were going to discuss was going to be or what might be asked of me. Secondly, I find myself at kind of a low point. I am less sure of myself and my work at St John than I ever have been.

The conference call really helped me deal with of this skepticism. First, I must say the call answered many of my questions. But it not only answered my questions, the presentation challenged me. I still have questions, but the questions have changed. I now have practical questions about how this works and doesn’t work. Second, the call enlightened me about some of the concerns I have about my own ministry at St John. What I heard really affirmed what I have learned through the years and the presentation helped explain some of the disappointment I am currently experiencing. It even gave me some new ideas. Prior to the call I had not made plans for the trip to Portland in February because of my questions. But now I am anxious to go and would vote for making the session a day longer. I think we have lots to do.

Some thoughts:

I realize the church has become institutionalized, but how do we deal with it? I thought the one slide about working with the church lent some insight. I have a lot of questions in this regard. I wonder if it might not be easier and more effective to start new groups alongside (or even outside) the existing church rather than try to change the people inside the church. I don’t know. I believe God’s Spirit will give direction here.

I love the concept of discipleship groups. I have come to realize long ago that discipleship is the missing concept in many LCMS churches and that it is the “powerhouse” of the church. In fact, the last couple of years I have been working with a model we call FITT for Life. FITT is “Christ For me, Christ In me, Christ working Through me as an individual and Christ working Through us together. Although I think this acronym describes the Christian life, I haven’t been very effective in selling it.

Along the same line of thought, several years ago the staff at St John began working with a new definition of Christian education. Our new model is: Christian education is accomplished best through multiple learning experiences, but education is not active until it is applied to the learner’s life and we live it together in community. The fact that education isn’t happening until it is applied to the person’s life has been something we have understood for a while, but what is new to us is that a great deal of learning occurs through life together. This last part is a key to appreciating that we are the body of Christ and the function of the Body in learning and growing.

Pastor Jerry Reinke
November 18, 2009 10:03 AM

2. Comments from Toby:

Jerry….you are not alone in the frustrations of ministry……If nothing else I pray that all of us together can encourage and help one another in discipleship ministry. We are trying some new stuff here in this very area which I can share more of later. Not sure if it will work but never throw in the towel.

Toby