ken castor

Generational Transference: It's a Two Way Street

The following article on Generational Transference was written by Jason Ostrander for Envision Culture. Good words!!

Go to article: http://www.alliancelife.org/article.php?id=674

GENERATIONAL TRANSFERENCE

It’s a two-way street

By Jason Ostrander

The role of Envision Culture in the C&MA is to mobilize the next generation for Kingdom change. Members of the Millennial Generation—those who are 18–30 years old (or who just think they are!)—desire very much to see change. Whereas Baby Boomers are motivated under the mantra of “serve the world,” the Millennials’ mantra is “change the world.”

This presents the Church with an opportunity that is dangerous, not only if we ignore the mindset, vision and dreams of the next generation but also if we focus too much on these aspirations. Ultimately, what needs to happen is transference—our denomination being handed from one generation to the next in a biblical manner.

We want this to happen in the way that Moses transferred leadership to Joshua. In that process, the younger man understood that for any generation’s vision to be fulfilled, its mem... {Go to article: http://www.alliancelife.org/article.php?id=674}

 

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.

Books for Social Justice course

You might be interested in the text books I'm requiring for the Social Justice course at Crown in the Spring of 2012.  *Note: The term "Social Justice" is, unfortunately, froth with controversy because right behavior has not always been held in congruence with right doctrine... and vice versa.  The following books, however, help us realize that true justice cannot be devoid of faith and true faith cannot be devoid of justice.  So our course spends 1/3 of its time on biblical foundations for systemic and personal approaches to justice issues, 1/3 on comprehension of the raw, current global and local justice issues, and 1/3 considering proper personal and missional engagement. 

Primary Resources:

The Hole in Our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us? The answer that changed my life and just might change the world. ~ by Richard Stearns - The President of World Vision discusses how he came to personally discover that caring for the poorest of the poor in the world is not only a kind action, but a necessity of the Gospel.

With Justice for All: A Strategy for Community Development ~ by John Perkins - John Perkins invites the Church to live out the Gospel through reconciliation between racial and ethnic groups and to examine current systemic structures in light of the Gospel.  Perkins' voice evidences the strong integrity that can only come through the humble experience found in the midst of injustice.

On the Move ~ by Bono - Stemming from his address at a National Prayer Breakfast before the President, world dignitaries, and religious leaders, On the Move creatively packages Bono's speech that transitioned him from his rock star status to that of a world advocate for those living in abject poverty.

Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger: Moving from Affluence to Generosity ~ by Ronald J. Sider.  Although I don't require students to buy this textbook, I will be referencing it extensively because it is a convicting, biblically engaging response to some alarming statistics about the wealth of North American Christians in the face of the extreme poverty of most of the people in the world.

Secondary Resources:

 

 

E is for Everyone ~ DVD documentary by Unveil Studios - I use this in class a visual introduction to the disparity that exists in our world... and as a means to deconstruct our temptation to pursue Maslow's heirarchical scale.

The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical ~ by Shane Claiborne.  Many students have read this book or have at least already been indirectly influenced by Shane Claiborne by the time they take this course.  It is a convicting account of Shane's struggle to integrate into his life Jesus' call to care for others.

Humanitarian Jesus: Social Justice and the Cross ~ by Christian Buckley and Ryan Dobson.  A recent book interviewing significant evangelical leaders (e.g. Francis Chan, Franklin Graham, etc) on concepts related to Jesus' approach to social justice.  This is an interesting and provoking discussion starter.

Sunday Asylum: Being the Church in Occupied Territory ~ DVD and booklet by Stanley Hauerwas and The House Studio ~ I utilize this challenging visual study guide in class to discuss the theological identity of the Church's role in culture and urges us to reassess our motives and actions.

Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practices of Transformational Development ~ by Bryant Meyers.  Another perspective from World Vision, this staple book discusses the figures, theology, principles and implementation of strategies to overcome social evil in our world.

 

full vision

Myopia is the condition of being shortsighted... Hyperopia is the condition of being farsighted. Both conditions require corrective lenses or corrective surgery in order to enable a person to see clearly both near and far. 

Full vision is neither myopic nore hyperopic. Full vision has to do with being able to see clearly those things that are far away and those things that are close.

Many of us engaged in ministry struggle to have full vision. We can tend to either be myopic in our approach, focused soley only what is right in front of us because we are overrun by the tyranny of the urgent or because we are too self-absorbed to see past our own circumstances.  Alternatively, we can tend to be hyperopic, focused predominantly on what is a long ways down the road and failing to do the work required today to make a long-lasting impact.  (I suppose that some of us who do the work of ministry can tend to be just plain blind... but that's another post...)

The Bible calls us, however, to a full vision. 

We are to impress upon this generation, now, the pattern of the Lord. We are to proclaim and share the Good News of Jesus today to our children and to our neighbor. We are to equip right now the generation in our midst.

We are to engage in ministry now in such a way that, down the road, generations upon generations for the length of future history will follow the ways of the Lord. Our ministry now is purposed for the long-term future, far into the distance, beyond what is in front of us even now.

This full vision is inherited from the past.  Someone had a hand in developing this strategic/action sight in us.

Psalm 78 is an example of that. Those engaged in ministry (which should be every follower of God) need to listen now... to grab onto what those in the past invisioned and passed down through the generations to us... to reveal these truths about God to our children now today... to embrace the command that God gave his followers to impress his story on the next generation... to raise them up in such a way that they would be able to do the same thing... that they would be able to share God's story with the generation following them... and so on... so that each generation would hear and embrace and be freed and enabled to pass on the hope and the pattern of the Lord to every successive generation...

... A vision that is active now with what is at hand... and invisions even the children not yet born.

Psalm 78 (NLT)

 ¹ O my people, listen to my instructions.
      Open your ears to what I am saying,
    ² for I will speak to you in a parable.
   I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
    ³ stories we have heard and known,
      stories our ancestors handed down to us.
 ⁴ We will not hide these truths from our children;
      we will tell the next generation
   about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
      about his power and his mighty wonders.
 ⁵ For he issued his laws to Jacob;
      he gave his instructions to Israel.
   He commanded our ancestors
      to teach them to their children,
 ⁶ so the next generation might know them—
      even the children not yet born—
      and they in turn will teach their own children.
 ⁷ So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
      not forgetting his glorious miracles
      and obeying his commands.

 

 

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.

 

Project 32 ~ 2012 version

Not all missions experiences are the same!  Along with Youth for Christ-Northern Ireland, I invite you consider what role you could have in PROJECT 32 in Northern Ireland and Ireland for next year.  What a great experience we had this last summer... passionate people from around the planet gathering to take their place in what God is doing in an ancient and mystical land.  What a profound opportunity to partner in some incredible life-building initiatives for 2012.  So I've included in this post the initial promotional brochures for next year... Just click on them to enlarge the graphics.  Then let me know if you're interested and would like to hear more about this creative, intelligent, multi-faceted and passionate approach to ministry with Youth for Christ.

 

JabuAfrica

Way back in 2002, Kathy and Zachary and I made the long trek to Johannesburg, South Africa, to meet our new son, Benjamin Themba.  Ben was approaching 6 months old and so the time had come for us to hold him in our arms.  (Kathy's sister, Sue, and her daughter, MacKenzie, also joined us-- a family experience!)  Ben had been well loved by an amazing orphanage... a community of sacrificial saints to whom we will always be thankful.

What makes this story even better is that my brother, Dave, and his wife, Sarah, were also along.  They were meeting their new son, Toby, for the first time.  Toby and Ben are only separated by two weeks in age, and they slept in cribs right next to each other for the first months of their lives toether.

Today, Toby and Ben are cousins!

Dave and Sarah have gone on to adopt two more beautiful boys, one from Ethiopia and one from the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Their story has inspired many people... and as a family they have taught many people, who otherwise had been unconcerned or unaware, about rich African traditions and deep stories of survival and beauty.

While driving in the car one day, with their three boys in the back, Sarah and Dave imagined doing something that was greater than themselves... something that would express the uniqueness of their family... something that would teach all of us more about loving others on this earth... something that would assist all the incredible caregivers in Africa who have made such a tremendous impact on the lives of the millions of orphans in Africa.  Sarah describes their adventure this way: 

"Our family came together in chapters over several years through the miracle of adoption.  Our journey began in South Africa, then Ethiopia and finally, Democratic Republic of Congo.  Pieces of our grateful hearts will forever remain in those places, with children that were left behind, and with tireless caregivers who dedicate their lives to care for the fatherless.  Our family story has been full of twists and turns that we never could have imagined.  It is a story full of tragedy, immeasurable joy, deep sorrow, and abounding hope.  This story is an adventure about living life with purpose and leaving a legacy of hope."

And so Jabu Africa was begun.  The Mission of JabuAfrica is to lend financial and emotional support to grassroots organizations caring for orphans in the countries of their children’s birth.

Here's Sarah's account:

"JabuAfrica was born out of a simple conversation between my husband and I while driving in the car with three little boys in the backseat. We wanted to step out of our ordinary lives and into something that was bigger than ourselves – and we wanted to invite others to join us. It’s a bit frightening to step out with such a big mission BUT we won’t be standing alone. So, thank YOU! Let us not be silent. Let’s not be still. Let your heart be broken, your life shaken up… join us in this adventure making lives better for children in DRC, South Africa and Ethiopia."

Would you consider joining the invitation to a better story... for yourself, for your neighbor, for the millions of orphans in the Africa... for my son and his cousins? 

mobilizing others in ministry

This is the graphic from the first slide for my session at the Minnesota Church Expo tomorrow.  The workshop will focus on "how to mobilze your church for personal outreach".  Should be an encouraging, and hopefully radical (in the real sense of the word), look at "outreach" and our tendency to do it alone... or not do it at all.  Some of my favorite topics such as Cultural Intelligence, Romans 16, St. Patrick, Generational Transference and Active Listening will be explored... maybe... if time allows.  Can't wait!  Come on by!

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. 

The Pursuit of Youth Ministry

This graphic is basically the outline for my "Introduction to Youth and Family Ministry" course at Crown College this fall.  It's a work in progress (and the 50+ students who took the course last year have helped me improve it a bit for this year)... and I'm fairly happy with this current diagram.  What do you think?