BCNE News
The latest news from our network of New England churches. Looking for our New England Perspectives Articles? Click here.
Welcoming the critics
My wife, Natalie, was about to criticize me. She prepared me for it. She assured me it wasn’t personal. She even confessed that she might not be right in what she was about to share. And then she said, “From my perspective, I think you…”
I was busted. She was right – and she loved me enough to say something.
Holy impatience: “How long, Lord?”
There is nothing like a global pandemic to remind you that life is short and you are but a frail mortal. A microscopic virus could send you or someone you love to the hospital or to the grave.
Moses experienced something similar with the people of Israel when they were exiled to the wilderness for forty years. He witnessed the deaths of all the older generations during their wilderness wanderings. Although he himself lived a long time, he was well aware of the shortness and frailty of human life.
The generational relay race
As much as 2020 was a year of shut downs, frustration and anxiety for so many, it was also a year of creativity, miracles and divine intervention. One thing I have particularly noticed in the region where I serve is that I am beginning to see a transition. The baton of church leadership is being passed on to the next generation, and those handing off the baton are grabbing hold of another baton as they enter a new Kingdom role.
Walking with wisdom toward outsiders
Last January, just after a Sunday morning worship service, I stopped by Trader Joe’s to buy a special dessert for a gathering of college students we planned to take on an international mission trip during the summer. It was a signature dessert from the very country we’d be traveling to, and I was excited to serve them something unique to this Middle Eastern culture. The friendly cashier commented on the new dessert they had just started carrying, asked me how my day was going and what my plans were for the afternoon. It was a wide-open door for conversation, but this is how I replied: “Oh, just buying a little food for some friends who are coming over to hang out later.”
Building momentum for church revitalization
It has been said that your church zip code is not an accident, and neither is your position in the church. God has placed you to speak into the brokenness of your community and capture your town for Christ. However, sometimes we do not feel like we have the momentum to do so.
The good news is that the people in your church can actually be the key to getting moving forward. Think back to high school physics when you learned that to gain momentum you need two things: mass and velocity. In religious terms, a church gets moving when a number of people buy into Jesus’ vision (mass) and decide to act on it (velocity).
Timeless truths for Christians in a divided world
Last week I listened and watched in distress and disgust as a crowd of “protestors” overwhelmed security measures and ransacked the Capitol building. The images reminded me of the unstable governmental situations that prevail in too many African nations and the dysfunction and hardship that inevitably flows from that. It is not a place where anyone in their right mind would want to go. I pray that the church will play a vibrant role in leading our country back from the brink of irreconcilable division. If we are to be used of God in this way, these events need to remind us of some great truths that we must remember and incarnate.
From challenge to triumph
As a mom of school-aged children, I was struggling to manage all of my responsibilities. Stress, feelings of being overwhelmed and insecurity were my unwelcome companions. I turned to God for help, and He heard my cry. He answered me in a way that I did not expect – He used one of my son’s diagnoses to bring healing and hope in my life.
Much more than a meal: Serving and connecting during a pandemic
During this unprecedented and seemingly never-ending season that is COVID, fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ has taken on a new form. Togetherness during Sunday morning services is impacted by elders making very complicated decisions. Hospitality looks different and is potentially non-existent given your context, capabilities and convictions. For some, hugs and handshakes have given way to waves and greetings from six feet away. Meals around the table occur more frequently through a computer screen for some or not at all for many. May I encourage you to consider bringing someone a meal?
Winter reflections
January is a busy time of celebrations. It is the start of a new year, and the month we will hold YEC (Youth Encountering Christ), the BCNE’s winter weekend conference for teens. This month both of these things are on my mind.
Welcome, 2021!
Those dreaded New Year’s resolutions, ugh! In a normal year we might make five or six commitments to do better in various areas of our lives in the New Year, only to break most of them by the end of the month. We all know it’s true, even if we don’t want to admit it.
Three books to hack your 2021
“Auld Lang Syne” swells in the background as you sweep the last bits of Christmas into storage, making way for countdowns and confetti. It’s time to break out your fancy glasses and talk about the dreams you plan to turn into goals, pandemic or no pandemic.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a handful of resources tailored to multiply every ounce of energy you put into meeting those goals? A way to get the biggest bang for your buck?
Obstacles to engaging my community: Part 2
In Part One of this article, I identified two obstacles that impact how I am engaging my community with the Gospel. First, am I waiting/longing for things to return to “normal”? Second, am I only listening to those voices that reinforce what I already think? This article identifies three more obstacles.
Finding Christmas peace that lasts beyond Christmas
We all have our favorite movies that we have watched so many times that there are no surprises left. We know all the characters, all the plot twists and all the subtle details that make the movie so great. Because such movies are our favorites, we want to keep watching them, but because we know them so well, some of the excitement we used to feel about them has faded. Then, along comes one of those “documentaries” about how our favorite movies were made. They reveal the behind the scenes details about the movie, and we fall in love with it all over again because now we know the background of the movie as well as the movie itself.
The wonder of the incarnation
My favorite Christmas movie is Elf. It might just be my favorite movie period, the only one I can watch over and over. Something about Buddy’s “affinity for elf culture” though he is a human, as well as his innocent unawareness of the fact that he sticks out like...well, like a grown man in an elf hat and yellow tights among the working professionals of New York City, is just so endearing. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that Buddy doesn’t realize he’s a human, though nothing about the miniature elf world he’s grown up in suits him. It isn’t until falling behind in his toy production that he overhears a couple of elves whispering about him: “Well, if he hasn’t figured out he’s a human by now, I don't think he ever will.”
Obstacles to engaging my community: Part 1
In a recent email this caught my eye “your experience . . . caught our attention . . .your skill set, and background mirror our current franchise owners.” I was intrigued, so I kept reading.
What was the franchise offer that they thought would connect with my values and interests? Owning and managing a boxing for fitness franchise! This sounds like a great idea and a great platform for physical fitness, but there is nothing about me that makes one think of boxing! It was like they were speaking a foreign language to me.
Christ is nearer than you think
Christmas will be different this year.
Changes, disruptions and difficulties have marked this year, and now we turn the corner towards a Christmas season that will, for many of us, be one more cruel reminder of how trying this year has been.
A blue (collar) Christmas
It was my father who first called my attention to the visitors in the Christmas story. “Look how the wealthy and highly educated wise men had to travel hundreds of miles, guided only by a star in order to greet the Son of God. And yet, the poor shepherds just doing their jobs were visited by millions of angels and only had to walk down the street.” It was always clear to my dad that the Lord had a special affection for the working class, while he was not all that impressed with the well-spoken “elites.”
Technology is our friend
Many years ago I was at a national meeting and heard Ed Stetzer, a well-known missiologist, say “facts are our friends.” That always stuck with me, and during this pandemic, I have coined the phrase that “technology is our friend!” I know that adjusting to new technology has not been easy, but it certainly has provided a way to interact with our congregations, and I believe we need to embrace it as a “friendly” alternative.
Lessons from The Grinch
In a year of true controversy and arguing with loved ones in person and “friends” on social media about masks, politics and why the Sox traded Mookie, I’ve got one more question that could spark some controversy and heightened feelings:
Which of the Grinch movies is your favorite?
Ten shifts New England churches are making
The metrics of the church scorecard are changing at a fast and furious rate during the pandemic. In the past few months, we have seen drastic shifts in our New England churches as they adapt to their new normal of functioning. Although there are struggles, most churches are showing clear signs of perseverance, persistence, and engagement. Here are ten positive changes our BCNE Church Growth Team has seen in the last few months.