ken castor

Books for Ministry in a Pluralistic Society course

You might be interested in the text books for our Ministry in a Pluralistic Society course at Crown.  The course will run as an 8 day intensive "block" for students who are preparing for their 5.5 month internship experiences.  The intensive nature of the course means that we can dig hard into a couple of textbooks, and then make reference of others in seminars and discussions.  (*The course also has built-in substantial field-observation and other active-learning assignments.  This course was a gem last year... hoping it will be that way this coming January once again.)

PRIMARY RESOURCES:

The Gospel in a Pluralist Society ~ by Leslie Newbigin.  This book is a vocabularists dream... and it serves as the bulk of journal reflections for our block environment.  Each day the students will wrestle with the issues of integrity, truth, culture, pluralism, relativism and motivation that are presented so eloquently in this book.

Cultural Intelligence: Improving Your CQ to Engage Our Multicultural World (Youth, Family, and Culture) ~ by David Livermore.  I'd be remiss if I didn't stress the importance of Cultural Intelligence to the future of missions, evangelism and discipleship work.  No longer can Christians be (and we never should have been in the first place) ignorant or arrogant concerning people in this world.  A true love for this cosmos would neither take for granted nor discredit the experiences and characteristics that make-up a person's identity.  Instead, in our desire to love others we should work tirelessly on our ability to actually love them.

 

SECONDARY RESOURCES: None of the following texts are required for the course, but they either provide some direct material for course content, or they serve as direct influences on the course outcomes.

Christ and Culture (Torchbooks) ~ by Richard Niebuhr.  The argument structure of this book is often used as the framework for discussions concerning Christian interaction with culture.

Transforming Worldviews: An Anthropological Understanding of How People Change ~ by Paul Hiebert.  Hiebert offers fantastic study and theory about how appropriately added data can change perceptions and constructs of reality.

Coaching 101: Discover the Power of Coaching ~ by Robert E. Logan and Sherilyn Carlton.  I was personally impacted by this book while going through CoachNet training with the North American Baptist Conference of Churches in Canada.  I wish someone in my early days of ministry had exposed me to these concepts of "Active Listening"... I wouldn't have flung myself so arrogantly and regretfully into many conversations. 

The Human Experience ~ DVD documentary by Grassroots Films.  This beautiful and moving documentary (not "Christian") serves as an introduction to differing experiences and paradigms that exist in our world today.  We can't assume that just because we view life/faith/world through our __(fill in the blank)__ lens that others from completely different backgrounds/languages/cultures/experiences will see things the same way we do.

Christianity Rediscovered ~ by Vincent Donovan.  This book tells the dramatic story of a Catholic missionary to the Masai... It wasn't until Donovan discovered humility, community and a deeply rooted appreciation for the people and culture of the Masai that he felt he discovered Jesus personally.  And until that moment, he realized he didn't have much to share.

Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours, A Study of the Church in the Four Provinces ~ by Roland Allen.  This book examines our patterns of ministry against the approaches of the earliest church movements.  This is a powerful reminder, again, to not grow arrogant in our methodologies, as if we have evolved to be the fittest missionaries in history.  Perhaps we can learn something by remembering what made mission in the 1st century so effective?

The Forgotten Ways: Reactivating the Missional Church ~ Alan Hirsch.  I would like to humbly state that we drew up the model for Hub in Calgary as this book was being printed... so I realize that once again someone else came up with my brilliant ideas.  :)  I especially love the hub and nodes network discussions (the diagram on p.204 looks remarkably similar to the Romans 16 network I've been drawing for the last 7 years or so)... and I have to admire that Hirsch does a much more thorough job at explaining networked/partnered ministry.

The Celtic Way of Evangelism, Tenth Anniversary Edition: How Christianity Can Reach the West . . .Again ~ by George Hunter III.  Only a few books outside the Bible have impacted me as profoundly as this one has.  My developing approaches toward partnership and creative initiatives in mission were both affirmed and enhanced through this introspection of St. Patrick's way of ministry.  Rarely a week goes by that this book doesn't pop up my conversations about the activity of the Church.

the addiction of arousal

The rather infamous Psychologist Philip Zimbardo recently gave a compelling, if not alarming, TED talk about the challenges boys face in terms of developing interactive relationships.  Boys are becoming addicted to arousal.  And like any addiction, it leads to an increased isolationism, confusion between porn and love, and difficulties in traditional, interactive settings.  There is much to be debated, but also much to be considered about the way that boys brains are being "digitally rewired."  He stated, "Guys prefer a synchronistic internet world to the spontaneous interaction of social relationships."

Ironically perhaps, as I'm mulling over the implications of half of a population that could increasingly struggle with fidelity, I'm reading the writings of Jean Vanier.  The founder of L'Arche, a network of homes and centers inhabited by people with dissabilities and caregivers, Vanier suggests that true life is found in the intimacy of true relationships and a loving embrace of people within community.

networked ministry

The latest whiteboard scribbling... another rendition of the Romans 16 network... done in Youth & Family ministry class at Crown today.  Paul never considered ministry the job of a loner.  He considered others to be in partnership with himself... and he depended on others and was thankful for others who practiced ministry.  Paul understood that without him ministry would still be accomplished.  In the writing, sending and hearing of the letter-book of Romans... there was partnership between people of varying ethnicity, gender, experience, age, nationality, economic status, and social position.

 

Minnesota Church Expo - This Saturday

Please join me at the Minnesota Church Expo this Saturday at Edinbrook Church in Brooklyn Park.  I'll be leading a seminar encouraging more people in our churches to reach out to others with their faith.  There are also many other workshops during the event covering church issues and strategies in the areas of leadership, youth ministry, worship and relationships.  Some diverse and solid ministry leaders from around the Twin Cities are joining in. 

ENGAGE Alliance Youth Conference

Christian Ostrom just released the site!  I'm really looking forward to this gathering of passionate practicers of youth ministry in the Christian & Missionary Alliance.  ENgage is a conference designed to equip and release fully devoted youth workers into district leadership over areas of worker care and event implementation.  Check out the site: http://alliance-youth.com/engage/

Joy despite Cancer ~ Carolyn's Story

*This is a message given by two long term friends of our family (especially very dear to my wife). David and Carolyn Kranz, along with my wife's family, were part of the early days of Hosanna!, a small church plant in Lakeville/Burnsville, MN right across from the Buck Hill Ski slopes.  Along with Pastor Bill Bohline, who married Kathy and I (with Carolyn's help!), the Kranz's continued to serve and make a difference in the church and in the lives of many people.  Today, Hosanna! is a multi-thousand person congregation with a great track record, doing some tremendous things in the Twin Cities.  For Kathy and I, one of the joys of returning to Minnesota was the privilege of reconnecting with the Kranz's 6 months ago at a morning service at Hosanna!.  That morning, David and Carolyn share this message --- (Carolyn starts speaking about 11 minutes in... after her husband shares thoughts on the journey they've had)---- This is a story of joy and heartache and praise.

It is a very moving story.

After a very long bout with cancer, Carolyn has joyously gone to be with the Lord.  To me, hers is a powerful reminder of how real a life of faith can be.    Please take the time to see and hear this tremendous, all-too-real story.

Project 32 + God is Good

I'm taking a wee pause in the Romans study (although, this could be a bit of a precursor for chapter 16) in order to participate in a meaningful project with Youth for Christ in Ireland and Northern Ireland (YFC-NI).  One of the most treasured aspects of this trip for me will be the convergence of several groups of people with whom we've shared geographies (and life!) over the last decade.  (Wow, tough sentence, sorry!) 

The first geography (and life!) sharing with YFC-NI occured several years ago while I was serving as a youth pastor at Parksville Fellowhip on Vancouver Island.  Chris Miller, one of the most gifted youth workers I have ever known, asked to lead a team of our youth to Ireland.  Sounded great to me!  So I called through some of my old Youth for Christ circles (I had served with YFC in NE Indiana way back in the early 90s)... and connected with some guy named Steve McCready in Dromore, NI.  Our connection with Steve and the Dromore folks was magic.  So encouraging was that first trip to both of our growing groups, that the "Dromorians" brought a large team to Vancouver Island for a project the following summer.  Since then, the networks have blossomed beyond our expectations, as we've shared mutliple trips, retreats, ministries, interns, volunteers, visits, holidays, etc.  

When Steve became the National Director of YFC-NI and I took on a couple new roles (at Brentview Hub in Calgary, and now Crown College in MN), and as Chris moved to a youth pastor role in Kelowna and Petey Mo toured the world with famous bands, and as _________ (e.g. Kathy, SMoore, Anne, Rachel, Wally, Billy, Dinger, Stu&Janine, Mandy, Connie, Jer-uh-mey, Jenn, Dan&Laura, Emily, Alicia, Jonny&Rebecca, Amanda, Tony, Adam, etc etc etc) increasingly shared life across the pond, and as youth became adults who became sold-out ministry-minded-catalysts, and as Steve transitions now to work at Brentview in Calgary, and as God stirred our hearts for one another over-and-over-and-over again, our have networks continued to become ever-increasingly entwined.   So this year, friends from all over Canada and the U.S. are converging on Ireland and N.Ireland with friends from the UK and other places in the world. 

I think this may be what heaven will be like... when heart-friends from all over time and space (not outer... well maybe... that's another post) join together.  I'm am so amazed at how God's church truly becomes a body... it's like there were all these limbs and organs and sinews dismembered all over the world... and God is sewing us all together... not as frankenstien, but as his body... full of joy and encouragment and a deep sense of awe.

Please pray for us as we share with YFC-NI in their efforts to love the emerald land with Jesus' light and passion.  We'll be serving youth and families and communities all over the little island... an island that fits into God's plan, an island that once saved the world, and an island that perhaps once knew Jesus better than anywhere else on the planet.  I'll be teaching quite a bit, but it's our students and volunteers who will be doing so much of the relationship building and dynamic serving opportunities.  Please pray for us all.  Thanks for doing that!  Here's the Project 32 link.

And here are some photos from years gone by:

Devotional about St. Patrick in Downpatrick, one of the possible sites of Patrick's burial.

With some of my all-time favorite people (Steve, Pete and Alan) at the Rooted Leadership Conference at Belfast Bible College:

In Calgary (Castors, McKnight's, McCready's, Leffelaar's, Monkman's) watching someting stupid:

The early days... at Cathedral Grove on Vancouver Island ~ these youth and youth workers have gone on to live all over the world serving God:

And this early one, when Steve and I had a Gandalf moment:

 

Romans 1:8 - First of all

“Let me say first of all that your faith in God is becoming known throughout the world.  How I thank God through Jesus Christ for each one of you.” (NLT) 

Before kicking into the flow of his letter, Paul wants to linger a bit longer on his personal relationship with the recipients of this letter --- Christians in Rome with whom he has experienced life and faith throughout the eastern Mediterranean world.

We have, over the years, built-up the apostle Paul into a superman of faith... I have heard people credit him with the spread of Christianity… as if he did it alone.  But the truth is that Paul was just one of an increasing many who were captured by the love of Jesus and then set loose on the world.  Paul did have tremendous impact, of course.  But his impact was enhanced by the growing network of his partners in faith who found their hub in Rome... a place that Paul had not yet ever visited.

Paul knew this.  And rather than being jealous about being left out of the limelight of the spread of Christianity, he was deeply strengthened by it.  He understood that there were many, many others… and an increasing many of others, who were champions of the Gospel (1:1-7).  And he was so thankful.

Paul, like each of us, doesn’t really want to be alone in faith.  While he was willing to go it alone, he honestly wanted to endure for Jesus knowing that others were also living for Jesus.  Paul is deeply encouraged that these friends continue to pursue a life of faith.

In fact, their life of faith is so impressive that it is becoming known.  “More than famous,” as Ned Nederlander might say (Sorry-- Three Amigos reference!).  Paul says that their faith is being reported “all over the world”.  While those in China in 55AD might not have heard of Epenetus or Apelles or Tryphena and Tryphosa (etc), people all over the Roman Empire certainly were beginning to hear about this band of “Christians” who were creating a stir in Rome.  A city of 1 million people, the center of the “world” in many respects, was being transformed in just a few short years by the Way… by a group of people who claimed to worship the true living King, Jesus Christ. 

So significant was their faith, in fact, that within the next 10 years, Christians would be pursued and executed regularly in Rome (including Peter and Paul himself).  Within 15 years, Christians would be blamed by Nero and for a fire he set (which burned a significant portion of the capital).  So numerous and passionate and dedicated were these Christians, that others around the Roman world were being inspired to give their lives over to Jesus Christ.  Their testimony, perhaps more than any, catalyzed the growth of relationship with Jesus in the 1^st century.  And Paul hadn’t even been there yet.  A truth that encouraged him greatly!

I love this verse!  And I respond to it in three ways:

1. I am so thankful for those of you who live your faith whether I’m there or not.  Because of your example to me, I am affirmed to keep going and keep living more deeply for Christ.  Thank you!!
2. Your faith is being reported all over the world!  I reflected recently that I must have passionate-Jesus-following friends right now in almost every country of the world… or with direct ministry relationships in every country of the world (not sure about North Korea or Iran actually- but I am certain Jesus knows some solid people there!).  Christian faith is flourishing so much in some places that societies are being turned over, systems are being recreated, and powers are being overwhelmed.  The networks and partnerships I’ve had over the years are being increasingly intertwined and knit together… and all of it without me needing to be spearheading any of it.  The presence of the Holy Spirit in the way things work out in this world is remarkable to me!
3. I am encouraged to pray for you!  Even selfishly, I pray for you to “keep ‘er lit” (Sorry- Northern Ireland reference!)  so that I’ll be continually encouraged to keep ‘er lit too. 

So, dear friends around the world,

first of all,

I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you,

because your faith is being reported all over the world.

Romans 1:1-7 \\ PART 2

Consider the following for a devotional today: In Romans 1:1-7, notice that there are at least three major themes that make for a solid foundation of the Christian life, a life which seems much more dull or lost or frustrating if one of these three elements is missing:

1. Relationship – More than a “book”, we must remember that Romans is a “letter” written by a person and his friends (probably temporarily in Ephesus) who were writing to their friends in Rome. There is an established relationship with a deep history and a deep future. Paul, along with several close people (chapter 16) is writing to dozens of people whom he knows (chapter 16). Here in the first sentences of this letter, Paul greets them with earnest sincerity. 1:1 = Paul \\ 1:5 = us \\ 1:6 = You \\ 1:6 = dear friends \\ 1:7 = yours. Paul sincerely offers his friends a blessing at the start of this letter: “Grace and peace be yours from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Is there a greater altruism you could have for someone than that? Perhaps the first lesson to learn from the book of Romans is that the Christian life is based upon personal relationship.

2. Gospel – More than a “letter”, we must remember that Romans is also Paul’s culminating explanation of the implications of a resurrected Jesus. Even in this first sentence of Romans we learn a significant introduction into what the Gospel is:

•  A promise of God from the Prophets in the Scriptures (more on this later… but again, actual people in an actual place at an actual time in the past writing about the Gospel which was to come).
• About God’s Son, Jesus.
• Who was an actual human being who was actually born into the lineage of Israel’s great King David.
• Who was proven to be God’s Son when he was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit. Uh, yeah-- That’s a pretty big deal.
• Who has given Paul and others the privilege and authority to tell all people in all places what God has done for them [more about this later… but don’t miss here that it has something do with relationship, reconciling people who were separated by brokenness (e.g. Gentiles and Jews) with God and each other]
• So that people will believe in Jesus and obey Jesus
• So that Jesus’ name will be given glory. 

3. Calling – Just like being called for dinner or called on the phone, God calls people into both a relationship and a responsibility of Gospel. Gospel means “Good News” --- and God wants the people with whom he has relationship to share that relationship with others. Paul is called (1:1), his friends have been called (1:5), and his friends in Rome who are receiving this letter have been called (1:6). It is because God loves them so much that God has “called” them. Have you been called? Well, odds are that if you are reading this post and studying this passage because you have a yearning to deepen your relationship with God and learn how to better relate with others, then God has called you into the Gospel. Be careful now, because Paul is going to spend more than a dozen chapters explaining what being called into a relationship of Gospel is all about.  

Your thoughts?

Pastor Wally ~ Received into the arms of Jesus

Every now and then when a person dies, people just seem to know that Heaven is fuller. 

Pastor Wally Fus is closer to Jesus now.  And that says a lot because they were already pretty close.  I know we're not supposed to "judge" someone's salvation and eternal destiny... but sometimes you just know when someone was good friends with Jesus.

My heart cries out for Shirley today.  Shirley, your husband was a dear man and I know you will miss him.  When you and Wally joined us for our Young Marrieds retreat in Canmore, your example of a godly couple in love was a pivotal moment for many of our younger couples.  I have prayed many times that my relationship with Kathy will be as challenging and fresh and cute through the years as the one you had with Wally. 

Wally and I began working together at Brentview the same week.  What a special privilege that was for Jesus to give me.  I am thankful for the years that Wally and I met with people as they received Jesus into their lives.  I will forever remember the moments of bedside ministry as we sat and prayed and held hands with people in their final hours.  I am thankful for our many moments of prayer and laughter and wrestling as we sought to pursue Jesus in ministry.  I will miss Wally's encouragement... very much miss it.  And strangely, I'm a bit suprised this morning to actually be grieving the quirky way Wally approached our church staff meetings... and that speaks to Wally's impact upon me... because I never thought I would ever miss a staff meeting.  And perhaps most of all, I will miss Wally's overflowing well of passion to see people know Jesus--- There just aren't enough people like that anymore.   Wally genuinely, heartfully, cared for others because he so deeply cared for Jesus.

Into Your hands is Wally's spirit committed, Lord.  And Jesus, many of us look forward to the day when we will be privileged to see Your servant Wally in Your humble glory.  Amen.