Characteristics of a Movement - Tim Keller

Interesting and short piece by Tim Keller on Four Characteristics of a Movement Vs an Institution over at Catalystspace.

While the body of the article is solid, but not particularly surprising, the conclusion is what caused me to pause and reflect:

...part of what makes a movement dynamic is a unified vision, and that always requires some codification and control. As time goes on, to maintain the main engine of movement-dynamics - a unified vision - a ministry must adopt some of the aspects of institutions. A strong movement, then, occupies the difficult space between being a free-wheeling organism and a disciplined organization. A movement that refuses to take on some organizational characteristics - authority, tradition, unity of belief, and quality control - will fragment and dissipate. A movement that does not also resist the inevitable tendency toward complete institutionalization will lose its vitality and effectiveness as well. The job of the movement leader is to steer the ship safely between these two opposite perils (emphasis mine).

I have felt that tension many times!

(Thanks to co-worker, co-leader, Holly, for bringing this article to our attention!)

Sage Advice on Using Research

I like research, especially when it done by someone else. This is not because I am lazy (though that could be discussed among friends.) It is because I know my strengths—my training, experience and expertise—and high-level statistical social research isn't included. Let’s say I have a BA in Speech Communication and a Masters in Divinity. ‘Nuff said.

I also like all I’ve read by Christian Smith. He is what I am not (a sociologist) and does what I don’t (high-level statistical studies on our audience, particularly youth and emerging adults.) But today I am reflecting, not on his research, per se, but on his sage advice to us who rely on other’s people’s research and ideas. These excerpts are taken from a lecture he gave at Princeton in 2005, following the publication of Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers. Ponder these excerpts:

To begin, we suggest that faith communities would do well to stop accepting and promulgating what may be simplistic generalizations about American youth that originated from various popular book authors, substandard research studies, journalistic coverage of youth, common stereotypes about teens, and so on.

Note the key phrase: "simplistic generalizations"!

We have observed a noticeable tendency when it comes to youth—including among youth ministry workers—to overgeneralize, overstate issues, frame situations in alarmist or fear-based terms, and latch onto simplistic answers to alleged problems. But the fact is that the lives, including the religious lives, of American youth are diverse and complicated.

Four sins (Am I guilty?) or tendencies:

• To overgeneralize
• To overstate issues
• To frame situations in alarmist or fear-based terms
• To latch onto simplistic answers to alleged problems

Why these are wrong? Because “the lives, including the religious lives, of American youth are diverse and complicated.” (You can say that again. Oh, I think I just did.)

Thus, religious communities may do well to learn to be more discerning, more skeptical of alarmist claims, less captivated by trendy popular books, and more perceptive about the diversity and complexity of the experience and situation of U.S. teenagers. We suspect that they would likely then be more effective in planning programs, prioritizing initiatives, and working with teens in ways more true to their own traditions and identities and more effective over the long run.

So what we need to be is...

• More discerning
• More skeptical of alarmist claims
• Less captivated by trendy popual books
• More perceptive about the diversity and complexity of the experience and situation

What outcome should we expect? We would no doubt be “more effective in planning…, prioritizing…, and working…more true… and effective over the long run.”

Nice lecture from the esteemed professor of Sociology. Wonder if we have to know this for the final?

Resources Galore @ CrupressGreen

Here is an announcement from our friends at CruPress Green (that is, Rick & Neil).

CruPressGreen.com has launched, offering nearly every chapter of every CruPress resource for free to download. You can instantly download materials like Cru.Comm, The Compass, publicity posters, teaching and training videos, classic Campus Crusade talks, and so much more. It’s easy to use, pretty to look at and just what you need to accelerate Movements Everywhere. Visit CruPressGreen.com and start downloading resources for your ministry.

If you are doing campus ministry, you might find the poster section particularly helpful at this time of year.

A Chartreuse Generation & the Make-up of a Future One

As I am pouring through my backed up e-mails from the week, two items arrested my attention.

First, the color of this generation. Let's go with chartreuse, not a deep green. This thought was stimulated by MediaPost's, "Chartreuse is the Real Color of GenY". The bottom-line -- much greener in values than in action (at least when it comes to consumption.) Or should we say "hard-core light green"? (Nice epithet, in a positive sense of that word.)

Second, what will be the composition of a future generation of college students? Here from USA Today is a glimpse at the class of 2024: "Kindergartens See More Hispanic, Asian Students". Not surprising. But interesting, none the less. We have fourteen years to get ready for them. Is that in your long-term strategic planning? Does your current plans reflect these changing realities? If not, check out Destino and the Epic Movement.

Ex-Christian II

Earlier today, I posted on the Barna research with an intro regarding Anne Rice's departure from Catholicism ("Ex-Christians"). Later this afternoon, I received the Christianity Today eNewletter that featured, "Q&A: Anne Rice on Following Christ without Christianity". Since I mentioned the wikipedia quotes, it seems more responsible to include this interview to capture a fuller sense of Ms. Rice's journey.

Ex-Christians

Barna Research has recently released (Aug 16, 2010) new finding entitled, "Do Americans Change Faiths?"

The report begins with a very brief reference to writer's Anne Rice's public departure from organized or institutional Christianity (i.e. in this case, Roman Catholicism). It is worth reading a bit more about her thoughts and experience, which can be easily done at the Wikipedia article about her. Her departure stems from her experience of "Christians", not of Christ, in whom she continues to confess faith. She writes:

It’s simply impossible for me to “belong” to this quarrelsome, hostile, disputatious, and deservedly infamous group. For ten years, I’ve tried. I’ve failed. I’m an outsider.

How many new believers experience similar? It underscores the need for a community of grace and truth in Christ-centered community.

But within the Barna study itself is this: While one if four adults indicated they had changed from their childhood religion, 12% had left Christian (in some form) for no religion or another religion, while only 3% of the adults left no religion or some other religion for Christianity. Should this alarm us? Remember that 78% of Americans identify themselves as Christians, according to the U.S. Religious Landscape survey (Pew). So the departure numbers are quite consistent with the percentages of "Christians" to non.

Its worth noting that 75% of those in our culture will not deviate from the faith of their childhood. As Kinnaman concludes,

"...the study underscores that the spiritual allegiances of childhood are remarkably sustainable in our society."

Thoughts?

CurPress Green Goes Live

I return to my blog after a month of travels--half for ministry purposes, half for vacation. In my absence, one of the most exciting developments has been the launch of CruPress Green.

CruPress is the formal publishing arm of the U. S. Campus Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. Over the last six or seven years it has developed and distributed (in my biased opinion) an excellent set of tools and resources for campus ministry (and beyond.)

What publisher, Rick James, and editor, Neil Downey, have down with CruPress Green is to take the majority of that "intellectual property", along with extra "goodies", digitize it and provide it free of charge for those doing campus ministry (and beyond). WOW! Great work guys!

Here are some of the highlights:

Resources are generally organized under six categories: Growing Movements, Evangelism, Personal Discipleship, Small Groups, Body Life, and Sending. Each category is packed with articles and resources for download. For example, Evangelism has (currently) 66 downloads available. Small Groups includes thirty three. But even more, all the three years of Bible Study curriculum of Cru.Comm is available under another tab, as is the proven discipleship materials of the Compass.

You need follow-up material? Download the zip file of the Life Concepts for five basic follow-up appointments for free. Of course, the formally published (and thus, much nicer) materials are still available through CruPress. But now you have options.

Also at CruPress Green featured talks given to CCC audiences (conferences, etc.), a blog that is intended to tap into the writing of various USCM leaders, and the newly developed C456:Taking Conversations to a New Level videos.

This is not just a tool box. It is a treasure chest of resources for campus ministry!