We recommend one of two strategies for organizing a Church Forum event. The first model is a formal, Academic event. The second model is an informal, social gathering. The model you choose depends on your preference. There is no right or wrong model. They each have pros and cons
0 Comments
A recent study demonstrated the decline in church: Reasons suggested include Americans marrying later and to spouses with different spiritual backgrounds, Americans having fewer children, the internet connects people to more like-minded communities, and what I think is most interesting church is boring. Of all the reasons for the decline, I believe this is the one we can easily do something about. This post speaks to understanding why church is seen as boring and how hosting a forum is one way to mix it up.
Thinking of hosting your very own church forum? “There’s no time like the present. There’s no present like time” (Georgia Byng, Molly Moon’s Hypnotic Time Travel Adventure). The best way to learn if church forums are for you is to just try it out for yourself! Sure it doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact it’s probably wise to anticipate making a mistake or two. Albert Einstein said, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”
It seems only natural that you would host a forum in your facility. After all, it’s not the best manners to force your friend to host a dinner party that you decided to throw. There’s responsibilities that come with hosting. It wouldn’t seem right to impose those responsibilities on someone else. But what if your friend said this scenario is actually what he/she desires most. Maybe there is an uncomfortable history your friend has with your house. Or they suffer like countless others from an anxiety disorder that cautions them to leave their home. They’d rather stay at their own house or go to a neutral site. The point is this, church forums seek to heal the divide that is our churches and surrounding community. Oftentimes for that healing to begin the church must step outside of themselves into the world of others.
I was asked once to lead a Sunday morning church service for a high school football camp I was working at. I spent 2 months planning my lesson and was really excited. I worked hard and hoped for a big turnout because there were over 200 campers. When the big day arrived I ended up with just 6 kids that showed up. There’s nothing that takes the wind out of your sails like putting your heart into something and have no one shows up. Now don’t get me wrong, the 6 students and myself had a great time. But looking back there were a lot of things I should’ve done to get more people to come.
|
ArchivesCategories |