Millennium Matrix

Diastolic - from my friend Ed Chinn

2007-09-21T08:37:00.000-05:00

“So, how have you been?”

It’s a question I often ask friends and acquaintances when I’ve not talked to them for a while. And, increasingly, the inevitable answer is some variation of: “Real busy.” Last night, at a social gathering, I asked the question 3 times. Honest to God, I got that answer 3 times.

Here’s what is surprising: when I probe that answer, I rarely hear about tangible achievements – no stories about building a bridge, climbing a mountain, learning to play piano, fighting a disease, or repainting the barn. Rather, the busyness seems to consist of catching planes, working long hours, answering email, or running the kids through a marathon of activities.

Are we busy being busy? Has activity morphed into a confirmation of our human value? Does the economy drive us to say things like that so people will know our “market position” is secure/rising?

As Joanne and I drove to this event, listening to NPR, a doctor talked about his house or boat or cabin in the woods or something (I didn’t catch the beginning). He had named it “Diastole.” His explanation: “diastolic” is the heart beat’s resting state (“systolic” is the contraction state…the highest pressure point of the beat). The root word, Diastole (die – es – tall – eee), is a Greek noun meaning “drawing apart.”

Driving home last night, I wondered…are we afraid to say anything which would reveal “diastole” in our life? Can we only admit to life’s “systolic” moments?

Have we come down to… “I am exhausted; therefore, I am?”

I wonder if much of our “real busy” is perhaps rooted in fear. Are we are afraid of silence, our own thoughts, and intimacy?

Just wondering…

Please have a diastolic weekend.

Alice Cooper and the Kingdom of God?

2007-08-25T13:24:00.001-05:00

What is a great trivia question that would probably stump anyone you would ask?

By David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters Life!) - Shock-rocker Alice Cooper has a surprise for those who only see him as the man in haunting black makeup with a stage show featuring mock hangings, real snakes and plenty of fake blood.

The self-styled "Prince of Darkness" is throwing his energy into building a Christian teen center in Phoenix for at-risk youths from the area, hoping to break ground by November.

To read more link to: Alice Cooper's investment in the Kingdom of God

Translating the Kingdom of God

2007-05-20T19:29:00.000-05:00

I want to thank Joseph Holbrook for these observations and Brian McLaren for forging new language to reach the iGeneration and the unchurched world.

Here is a link to the full article click here.

Here are a few quotes:

The first step in understanding a culture is learning the language. The language is more than just words: it conveys the richness of meanings and symbols, values and worldview.

For example, I have found the best way to translate what we used to say in evangelicalism as “getting saved” into something like, “learning how to love God with all of your heart,” or “developing an interactive friendship with Jesus.”

I had started using the unwieldy phrase “moment-by-moment surrender to God’s leading” as my current translation based on my own recent experiences. My friend Michael Cook sometimes uses the phrase, “the eternal purpose” (Eph. 3:11) to describe God’s master plan for the universe. Another possibility was suggested to me recently in a conversation with Bob Mumford: “The Agape government of God”. Even better might be the “Agape Conspiracy” or Bob’s own phrase, the “Agape Road”. Scot McKnight, in The Jesus Creed, suggests the “movement for good.”

Brian McLaren, in his recent book, The Secret Message of Jesus (2006), devotes an entire chapter to this issue of how to contextualize the concepts of the kingdom of God for the current generation. (click on the article to get a good overview of Brian's chapter.)

What Race Are we In?

2007-05-06T18:16:00.000-05:00

I heard a clear word at our Return of the Tentmaker event - this is not your parent's church anymore, it's not even the church I'm comfortable with. Carl Raschke shared about the perfect storm - the collision of 4 Mega Trends:

Generation
Economics
Demographics
Organizational Structures

You can download Carl's presentation Church 2.0 (and the others) by Clicking Here.

Stephen Shields provides a great analysis on at his blog last month - Click Here.

Return of the Tentmaker - Final Call

2007-05-02T22:07:00.000-05:00

We're only a day away.

This Friday registration starts at 9AM and we kick off with a "hold on to your seats" exercise from Jim Carroll.

I spoke to one of the executives today who is flying in from out of state. He has a great message titled "Solid Men." He'll build on the revelation that Jesus gave to Peter - "you are a rock" - and share the real life path of revelation, reality and redemption. Something we must all face if we're going to become God's servant.

If you haven't seen the show "My Name is Earl" here is a teaser for his presentation.

Check these links before you come Friday:
Event Details
What are the Topic?
What to bring
Promote your ministry or cause
Submit your questions
Chatter and Buzz

Return of the Tentmaker - Church 2.0 - Carl Raschke

2007-04-30T21:43:00.000-05:00

The Return of the Tentmaker gathers this Friday from 10AM - 5PM. Click here for full details.

In addition to the phenomenal sessions (click here for a list), you'll have plenty of opportunity to network with others and find people you can help or who can help you put your vision into action. When you register you'll have an additional opportunity to post your vision or ministry on the website and offer and request help. This is a Web 2.0 creation.

We're also posting some of the interesting comments and feedback on the Chatter and Buzz page - Click Here.

Here is an interview with one of the speakers - Dr. Carl Raschke

Carl shared some of his desires and frustration looking for community within the current church paradigm. During breakfast last week, in Sherman Texas, I asked Carl to unpack his ideas that we called Church 2.0.

"I attend a small church in North Texas. We recently lost our senior pastor and we’re now finding out what holds us together. We are not a traditional church as I see it. Many of those churches focus on serving families with small kids. These churches understand that many parents still feel a need to expose their kids to a positive environment so if the church provides program kids like then the family will come too. But what about the rest of the people; singles, divorced, career people, retired etc. Some of the very large churches have enough resources to address the different demographics – but the trade-off of size and broad programs is often a lack of community.

I’m interested in finding the living church community, not a Sunday event driven church.

George Barna makes some interesting observations in his book “Revolution.” Many are stepping outside the traditional church to connect spiritually. People are looking for smaller contexts for connection. This probably explains why many of malls are dying – people are looking for more than a big box with a large variety of offerings.

Family is transferable but not easily scalable. Our institutions on the other hand have attempted to make it scalable but what they are doing doesn’t really transfer family. It transfers knowledge – a weak substitute.

This whole phenomenon of Web 2.0 intrigues me because people are rediscovering the power to self-organize as community. They’re now called social networks – but it’s a form of community and its growing within and without institutional structures.

We’re going to look more like the web; nodes that are hubs of interaction, connection and a new reciprocity in relationships.

I’m excited about The Return of the Tentmaker because it represents a social network of people looking to serve the Kingdom and connect with one-another in unplanned ways to discover where it might lead. It’s a living thing, not a program or an organization. This experiment will be interesting to watch."

Return of the Tentmaker - Interview with Stu Johnson

2007-04-29T09:36:00.000-05:00

We started a church plant by renting space in a forgotten strip mall. We had our core members but also began attracting the disenfranchised. That made sense because of where we were located. In time about half of our congregation was made up of people living on the fringes.

They were looking for family but traditional churches didn’t offer that. They needed stability but that kind of care also falls outside traditional churches. Many had become disillusioned.

We saw God calling us to serve the disenfranchised; the poor, widows, prisoners and single moms.

We began serving them and considering those who came family. In the process it became clear that they needed discipleship, including basic life skills and financial stability.

What emerged was a vision for our church community. We saw that in many ways work functioned more like family to people than their churches. Working side-by-side with others for eight hours a day provides a wonderful context for family – if approached properly. The “aha” lead us to begin creating businesses that provided financial stability and a context for discipleship.

When we started I was still head of real estate and manufacturing for a large medical equipment company. I cashed in some of my investment portfolio to buy a more suitable church facility in order to begin our journey creating community and creating Kingdom oriented businesses. The business umbrella is called Jesus Fishook.

Jesus’ model was clear and simple; take outcasts and invest in them 24-7 for three years. We believe in this pattern and have taken several steps to move in that direction. My passion for woodworking led me often to my favorite shop. One day the owner asked if I’d be interested in buying it. I didn’t have to think twice. We took over Wood World in Richardson, Texas and expanded it from supplies to fabrication. Then we came across an opportunity to buy another business, window tinting. The owner needed to exit due to health reasons and things worked out for us to acquire the business at very favorable terms. Last year we generated $1,200,000 in revenue. More importantly, these businesses provide a context to build financial stability and receive daily discipleship. We recently bought housing so we can offer a complete stable environment.

Classrooms rarely provide transformation but the OTJ discipleship we’re experiencing offers incredible life changes for everyone involved.

We work with some of the local prisons and provide a transition point for some of those released. Part of this effort included orientation to better understand the backgrounds for the people we will be serving. Part of this orientation is to sit in on some of the group counseling. This includes listening to each person’s story. I was amazed and saddened by the similarity in each person’s story. I was also surprised about the consistent common denominator. It wasn’t poor family backgrounds or economic class. The common element was a crisis that spun them out of control and isolation from any community network. In many cases the tipping point was a bad choice, but it was also a job loss or a family crisis. Once they fell out of their stable world what followed was a pendulum that never stabilized.

I recently retired and now spend my time working with our church community and in the local prisons. News of our efforts made it to the producers of the “Heartbeat of America.” They came in to film our businesses and interview several of our employees. We are excited because we feel God has led us to a personal understanding of his heart for the disenfranchised and provided us with practical ways to walk this out. I’m also excited and support The Return of the Tentmaker because I know there are other “me’s” out there; people who have a passion to find God’s heart through serving others.

Return of the Tentmaker - Underused

2007-04-15T19:39:00.000-05:00

When churches are desparate for leaders and potential leaders sit in the pews feeling underutilized how do you reconcile this huge disconnect?

The Return of the Tentmaker was birthed after running into this disconnect in every church I've spoken to in the last five years - without exception.

Pastors need to come to better understand how to reach, support and tap into their tentmakers. Business people, teachers, government employees and home execs (that's right moms) need to come to tap into their hidden potential and opportunity for significant impact.

Here is the most recent story:

I was priviledged to participate in a dialogue last week in Atlanta between several very large and fast growing churches and several consultants attempting to get a handle on the future of the mega-church.

During the dialogue some of the leaders shared the challenge of outgrowing their ability to develop leaders. This is, perhaps, the most common challenge I hear from leaders.

I was fortunately in a forum to offer a view from the other side of the coin. I responded and said that I run into dozens of people in congregations who say they they want to serve but can't crack the code in their church for serving. One of the pastors shared that they make frequent announcements asking for help. In that moment I saw one of the disconnects. Tentmakers respond to a call from God. The call is specific even if not fully formed. When the church asks for parking attendants, ushers or help in the children's ministry (all very important) it passes over most tentmakers. Some will fill the void but the heart call in a tentmaker needs a greater challenge.

A pastor or church leader will need to talk to a tentmaker one-on-one. A church will not tap into the tentmaker's potential through a general announcement.

The Return of the Tentmaker

2007-03-31T18:21:00.000-05:00

Return of the Tentmaker

Not a conference…but an event!

Mary 4, 2007

Irving Bible Church - 10AM - 5PM

In the tradition of Paul, who followed in the tradition of Jesus, Tentmakers are once again front and center.

Not since the first century have those in the congregation been this well prepared and armed to transform the world.

The dominant model for church was developed 500 years ago, fashioned to harness the power of the written word. The theater style, main event churches were fashioned to harness the power of the mass media culture for the last fifty years. Both have done well for their time.

Digital, interactive, mobile, global communications demand a new response, one perfectly suited for Tentmakers.

Old habits die hard and I've lost count of how many tentmakers or potential tentmakers I've talked to who feel hesitant, reticent or stifled because the stirring they feel doesn't quite fit the setting they may be in.

Come and hear tentmakers making a difference; how they found their calling, how they've developed their ministries and what they've learned that allows them to run the race and continue to qualify for the Kingdom Olympics.

This event may be the most important preparation for expanding the Kingdom you will ever experience.

The Return of the Tentmaker - picks up a key endorsement

2007-03-09T11:02:00.001-06:00

Carl Raschke, noted scholar and evangelical cattle prod, has been signed as a free agent for The Return of the Tentmaker mini-conference. He commented on the timeliness of the event and the pent up demand for ministry that the current/old Organizational and Theological models can't address. (For initial details click on the title)

My blog will focus up until the event on how these old models are getting in the way and emerging models (people) who are rewriting the rules.

I understand that others are developing similar ideas; workplace ministries, mentoring etc. All are excellent. I think this will be different for two reasons;

This is an event by and for amateurs; architects, sales, commerical real estate, technology geeks, construction, executives and entrepreneurs - to name a few. This will have an entirely different feel, flavor and focus than a church gig or parachurch event.

We are in the middle of mega-changes witnin government, business, communities AND the church. The rules are different and the front line forces are more intuned with these realities than HQ. Here is some copy for an the Army ad campaign launched in 1991 called "The Army of One."

"Even though there are 1,045,690 soldiers just like me, I am my own force. With technology, with training, with support, who I am has become better than who I was."

"And I'll be the first to tell you, the might of the U.S. Army doesn't lie in numbers. It lies in me. Corporal Richard Lovett. I am an army of one. And you can see my strength."

"Discover your strength."

The Tentmaker paradigm will do more to expand the work of the church than any model since the first century. There are thousands ready to go sitting in their driveways like high powered precision engine vehicles revving up their engines. This mini-conference will provide the road, road-map and show you how to shift from neutral into over-drive.

Random - A conversation on the way home:

I was driving home with my wife and youngest son, Tyler. We needed to stop in Walgreens to pick up a subscription. I offered. My wife countered and said she would be happy to do it – she knew I had a long day. I countered again and said with emphasis – "nooo I’d be happy to do it." My wife who is smarter and better looking than I said – “you love to fetch don’t you?” With tongue hanging out I wagged my tail. Women know things.

Return of the Tentmaker - The Longtail in the Church

2007-03-04T21:28:00.001-06:00

Will the church learn the power of the Long Tail?

If you're not sure what I mean click on Long Tail.

The current church model supports the big head, the front platform, the single mission, the main event. The model filters, surpresses and is often blind to innovation among the masses (hoi polloi). While many churches find ways to transcend the model - the model still rules.

The Long Tail is comprised of radical transparency (click to read the recent Wired Magazine article) and a collaborative platform. This collaboration thing, however, is really new. My generation thinks of collaboration as collegiality (getting along, good vibe). Its really an unconscious emmersion into highly interactive peering. I see and watch it when kids play their online multi-player games and work together looking for glitches and hacking the code.

We don't peer. We don't have the instincts for peering. When we try it we are highly self-conscious. We still lean toward managing and directing. That's not a bad thing - it is just not peering. The problem with managing and directing is that the innovation goes through the single filter/bottleneck. Peering is better able suited for complex, interactive and changing systems (like out world). Managing and directing is suited for a fairly predictable platform with a playbook of pre-set strategies and tactics. Its football in a world playing basketball.

Back to the Long Tail. There is more innovation and world changing power sitting in the pews every Sunday, parked in neutral, while the platform does its thing.

The Return of the Tentmaker is an event to kick the long tail into gear. The current model will continue - and has more good work to do. However, there is an incredible pool of untapped Kingdom power lodged in the tail. We'll show you how to get your tail into gear.

Mark your calendar: May 4, from 10AM to 5PM.

Location: Irving Bible Church (click here - for directions)

Return of the Tentmaker - The Unconference: May 4 - Irving, Texas

2007-03-04T21:21:00.000-06:00

"We are now moving away from the intellectual leader valued by print and the motivational leader beloved by broadcast. We are moving at light speed toward what I call the impartational leader of the digital culture."

"Interaction and connection place a new premium on understanding and building vital relationships." The Millennium Matrix - pp 155-156

Welcome to "The Return of the Tentmaker."

Today the vital strength of the church sits in the pews on Sunday's or worse - stays home. I meet successful business people and parents every month. These are mature Christians, passionate about their faith - but they feel underutilized.

While the church still takes a mass production approach toward its members the world needs "mass customization." Even the mega-churches that offer hundreds of classes and small group formats still operate in a programatic way.

The result; the power and passion of most of these ready and willing servants goes undiscovered, untapped and deteriorates.

If you are a business person, parent, educator and feel underutilized in your church then this unconference is for you.

If you want to know how to begin your own ministry then this unconference is for you.

If you are a pastor or church leader and want to learn how to tap into this hidden resource then this unconference is for you.

Date: 05/04/07

Time: 10:00AM - 5:00PM

Location: Irving Bible Church, Irving Texas

Fee: TBD - it will be cheap

The Church at a Crossroads - Flexibility to Change

2007-02-21T21:37:00.000-06:00

The church has six problem areas adapting to the future:

Isolation: Many churches and denominations are isolated from the realities of their community and the larger culture.

Fragmentation: Many churches are so fragmented and activity driven that they have little opportunity to develop strong relational bonds.

Lack of identity: Community and corporate identity are not the same as being purpose-driven or having a mission statement.

Lack of innovation: Many churches do not tolerate fringe or eccentric elements...

Central leadership: The primary bottleneck to innovation. Innovation is sitting in the congregation and remains largely untapped.

No margin for error: Many churches confuse running lean with being fiscally conservative.

You can find the rest of the story on pages Xi-Xiii in The Millennium Matrix.

Audio from NRB - Going Native with the iGeneration (click here)

2007-02-18T21:50:00.000-06:00

Click on the title and you'll receive a link for the audio to my presentation to the National Religious Broadcaster's Convention in Orlando. This is fresh.

This photo is my 14 year old son and lead researcher and myself taking a day at Universal Studios.

Click here to down load the audio. It's a large file and may take a few moments to download. It begins with a song by MC Lars in the background - call iGeneration - click here for the lyrics.

Click here to download the presentation PowerPoint in PDF format.

Too Busy - Peggy Noonan

2007-02-18T21:23:00.000-06:00

“Earlier this week I heard a minister quote a spiritual genius: ‘All the problems in the world are caused by man's inability to sit quietly in a room by himself.’ We're restless and need action, which in a modern media world means information. We need the busy buzz--the Internet, TV, instant messages, magazines and newspapers, the beeps and boops and bops. Rudy's up in Iowa. Hillary's stuck. We want to be among the first to have this information and the first to share it. And we want it not because it's crucial but because it distracts us from the crucial. It takes our minds away from what is most important.” - Peggy Noonan

When we are vital to one, we can be vital to the world.

Rex Miller

National Religious Broadcaster's - PowerPoint

2007-02-12T19:58:00.000-06:00

Here is an advance copy of my presentation for the NRB. I'll provide an audio next week.

(Click here)

Speaking to the National Religious Broadcaster's

2007-02-10T20:45:00.000-06:00

My son and I fly to Orlando 2/16 for the National Religious Broadcaster's convention. My presentation is Sunday 2/18, 2:00 - 3:30.

Here is a link to the program (click here).

I'll provide a link to the PDF so you can download the presentation before I leave.

"History becomes an astonishing succession of new media toppling old empires by repatterning perceptions of time and space."

Michael Schrage, No More Teams

I'll get to talk about the toppling Broadcast Empire and the emerging Digital Sovereign. I'll share about:

The Millennium Matrix effect - how changing media changes worldview
Christopher Locke and his Cluetrain Manifesto
iPod - "on demand" world
1337 - The Hacker's Mind
MySpace - social networks
Blackberry/Treo - Anyplace - Anytime
Wikinomics and the power of prosumers
The Long Tail and the untapped value of content
Youtube - DIY
Truman Show and the unreal reality and inevitable caricature of Broadcast
Gilligan's Island vs. Lost - how storytelling has forever changed (again)

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #10 - Jacuzzi Worship

2007-02-03T23:05:00.000-06:00

Mistake # 10 – Theological Ignorance

Our sensual approach to life has created a sensual approach to God. Therefore, we have what I call “Jacuzzi worship.” It just feels so good, is so relaxing, and is so transporting of my senses.

When I consult with churches, I pay attention to the worship. And, I’ve learned to categorize the expressions (musical or other). They are vertical, praise, exhortation, Oprah, whatever.

But, worship is about God. Therefore, what it says about Him (theology) should be reflective of His character. This is so simple, but . . . worship is all about Him. Therefore, the theology behind the music should describe One Who is Holy, Awesome, Gracious, Loving, Jealous, and Perfect…

Conclusion: “All Things New”

To understand why we need to recognize and correct these mistakes, let’s revisit worship through the various communication eras and look at the future.

In oral culture, the primary worship format was liturgical. Because they saw the created order as integrated and unified, their worship was choreographed into a divine drama, a mystical reenactment of the cosmic play. It culminated in the Eucharist.

In print culture, worship became an orderly reinforcement of the principles of faith and theology. Reinforcement of faith, of doctrine, through song was a primary objective. “A Mighty Fortress is our God” is a good example of theology in song.

In the broadcast era, worship became a time of self and congregational expression. Experience became primary.

Now, we’re moving into a brand new era. The digital interactive age will be the dominant pattern for your children and future generations. It creates intimate, multi-sensory, improvisational, immersive, mystical, and highly-engaged worship experience

Trust me: these worshipers are not going to be satisfied by having a performance. As transcendent and transparent as worship leaders or artists may be, future worshipers are not going to be content with that. They will want to create their own interactive, collective, worship experience. That flows out of the way they see the world.

They don’t want an experience designed and created by others, even if they’re called “worship leader.” They will want to design and build it themselves. This will be a huge challenge to existing thinking and patterns of worship.

Improv theaters represent a reasonable facsimile of what this will look like. It is spontaneous, combustible, and loosely scripted. It is a whole group experience.

That is where these 10 mistakes find urgency and traction. Worship in the digital interactive environment will stress every prevailing attitude and pattern. It will increasingly reveal the flaws behind these 10 mistakes.

True to His pattern, He is making all things new! (Revelation 21:5) He calls us to join Him in that newness.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #9 - Praise = Worship

2007-01-31T22:11:00.000-06:00

Mistake # 9 – Praise vs. Worship

In our approach to the Lord, we walk (sometimes crawl) through many dynamics: petition, exhortation, praise, lamentation, and thanksgiving. Worship leaders should learn the distinctions and help others to learn them.

Remember, “A” is “A.” Call it what it is.

Obviously, a part of that is helping the people to distinguish between praise and worship. Two different realities.

When praise moves beyond the borders into worship, a good worship leader will point that out. That’s discipling people in worship. Help them to see it. Let them know, “What you’re tasting now is…the apple!”

I am a certified tennis pro and once made my living doing that. As such, I had to tell students the truth. If I told someone they were really good when they weren’t, that student would have been ill-served. So, I would help them… “OK, you need to work on this,” “let’s break this down and look at it,” etc.

Worship leaders should take the same approach in training people and congregations.

If the focus and intent is to get into the Presence of God, then press in without script, formula, or assumption. Worship is, first of all, an attitude. It pushes the heart up before Him. It doesn’t assume music or anything.

I know people (and you do too) who can walk into a room, or touch a keyboard, or just close their eyes and worship happens! They are minstrels of God – unscripted and unorganized (and usually uncontrolled). They just do what they do and when you experience it, you know this is worship. God is here. Time and space fall away and, once again, real worship transcends constraints.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Response

2007-01-30T22:51:00.000-06:00

These are thoughts from Dale - great job!

"I understand the definitions - good distinction.the football imagery is intriguing:

If the worship leader is the coach then his/her interplay between familiar and routine. A coach will use routine to help the team become familiar with his strategy for playing the game. But he wants his team to know how to do more than just the same plays all the time otherwise his team will lose.

No smart coach spends all his practice time working on the trick plays and the variations. Yet in some ways the coach is hoping to create such confidence in the team so that they can run the occasional variation or trick play seamlessly without tipping off the other team.

I see the same tension for the worship leader. He wants to create familiarity in the congregation and may need (I suggest) to use routine to establish that familiarity. But he/she must also remember that routine breeds complacency and stagnation. To inject spontaneity is to go outside of what is familiar.

Which still leaves me wondering if there is something I am missing in the pursuit of balance here. My perception is that a focus on developing familiarity can often lead quickly to the suffocating routine that you are warning against. But my own experience says that when too much spontaneity is inserted into the mix it can quickly become debilitating for the congregation as well which is what i think you are getting at also...I hope you don't mind if I drag some of my readers attention to these posts..."

Rex's Response

Dale, you've described the real world of worship well!

Let's assume that your congregation has tasted worship and knows the difference between praise, thanksgiving etc. and worship. Let's assume your team loves worship more than it loves music. Let's assume that you have a pastor who honors worship and you have the time and freedom to transition from song singing into Presence gazing. Let's assume that your congregation has a rich vocabulary and reservoir of songs that they are familiar with. Let's assume you're in a sanctuary of extended family and not just in a hall of strangers.

Okay - once you've worked through mistakes 1 - 8.... the tension between familiarity and complacency become relevant.

I'll fall back on another sports analogy; tennis. I was a decent player. Good enough to become a certified professional (USPTA) and still am. In high school I would drill and drill and drill the same shots over and over - during practice.

Backhands - down the line then approach shots. The coach would choreograph shot sequences and we would practice those for hours. They became second nature so that in a game situation I would execute in the flow (context) of the point, anticipate the next shot and respond automatically.

I went through stages in my game development. At points I did execute like I was going through some kind of drill - with no feeling for the context. I typically lost those matches. When shot was not ingrained I was SELF-Conscious. That usually resulted in over directing my effort, being tight and making mistakes. When the shot was automatic the feeling is exhilarating.

The point for all of this: There is no formula. Every congregation has a different maturity, cohesion, understanding of worship etc. Here is a distinction that may help. There is a difference between a Master of the trade and a Journeyman, similar to the difference between a tennis pro and a club or weekend player.

A master artist or musician is able to effortlessly transcend the medium. The journeyman excels within the boundaries of the medium. Getting back to another one of the mistakes - "A" is "A." We have to accurately assess our growth in the practice of worship. If we're novices, intermediate or masters - then we need to know what the means. I would wager that many who have the role of worship leader may still be novices as worshippers but highly proficient as musicians or choral directors.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Familiar vs. Routine

2007-01-29T14:50:00.000-06:00

One worship leader asked - "so on the one hand we should provide something familiar but on the otherhand not get stuck in a routine?" As my son might say - "so what' up with that?"

It's a good question - an important question that gets to the heart of leading worship. First, take a moment and read the definitions of Familiar and Routine.

Definition for Familiar:
1. commonly or generally known or seen: a familiar sight.
2. well-acquainted; thoroughly conversant: to be familiar with a subject.
3. informal; easygoing; unceremonious; unconstrained: to write in a familiar style.
4. closely intimate or personal: a familiar friend; to be on familiar terms.

Definition for Routine:

1. a customary or regular course of procedure.
2. commonplace tasks, chores, or duties.
3. regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure.
4. an unvarying and constantly repeated formula, as of speech or action; convenient or predictable response: Don't give me that brotherly-love routine!

Familiar is a relational term and refers to closeness, comfort and intimacy. Routine is a functional term and refers to procedure, habit and formula.

A football team has to be familiar - even intimate - with its offensive scheme. It has to execute the plays with precision and out of habit. However, if the coach's strategy becomes routine then the opponents will easily anticipate the play selection and counteract the offense.

If worship becomes familiar and intimate people will feel at ease and open up in their conversation to the Lord. If it becomes routine then they easily fall into auto-pilot and go through the motions.

Here is my sports plug. Watch any football or basketball game and you'll easily find the coaches who are familiar with their team and the competition and manage their team with finesse and those who are following a rigid protocol or playbook. This is your excuse to watch more sports.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #8 - Latest and Greatest

2007-01-28T21:18:00.000-06:00

Mistake # 8 – The Secret formula

Every local church becomes something of an enclave. And, those who lead have a way of developing highly sensitive radar about the habits, nuances, preferences, and triggers of the enclave’s residents.

In that milieu, that radar tends to build “the routine.” You know what I mean – that almost subconscious stratagem which pulls the right strings, leads in the safe and predictable progression, etc. That kind of formula actually creates a fear of intimacy which leads to a solid wall of activity and noise. No breathing room. No silences. No room to hear and respond. No room for the Presence.

Think about it: when’s the last time, you saw the pastor or worship team come out and just fall on their knees? When’s the last time you saw a leader (or anyone) take a bowl of water and wash someone’s feet?

Worship is not a formula.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #7 - Latest and Greatest

2007-01-28T11:50:00.000-06:00

Mistake # 7 – The latest and greatest

I believe the ratio of novel to the familiar keeps worshipers off balance in most gatherings of the church. The compulsion to always have the latest and greatest tends to keep spiritual intimacy away (hint: it’s the familiar that leads to intimacy).

If the goal in worship is intimate expression to the Lord, then the content has to become not just familiar but very close and personal. Why do we discard – even disdain – some of the anthems that carried us before Him in the past? When’s the last time your church sang “I Exalt Thee?”

Of course, new worship expressions should be integrated into the gathering. But, the ratio of new to familiar must be closely scrutinized! Any professional has a bias toward new terrain. But – that’s the point. The congregations aren’t professionals – they’re looking for guides into His Presence not acrobats. Furthermore, worship leaders should create context for the content (new or old), share the story and its relevance and why it was chosen for today.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #6 - Excellence = Complexity

2007-01-26T16:55:00.000-06:00

Mistake # 6 – Excellence equals complexity

We live in complex times. As a result, we tend to assume that excellence is complicated. It’s not.

The “Blues Clues” children’s TV show offers a valuable pattern for worship. They keep it simple. Each show is one point, one theme, one story line. They play each show five times during the week. The first time, you get the basic idea. With each subsequent viewing, more of the details of content are being grasped.

So, what does that mean for worship?

Should it be a sophisticated variety show? Should it blow minds with stimulation? Do you want them to walk away with sensory stimulation or with an impartation of God?

Composers used to write songs for common people. Today, they tend to write for each other. So, complexity reigns. Much the same thing has happened in the church. Because it is a sub-culture, the elites create works to impress the other elites and professionals rather than giving the people spiritual on-ramps to the Presence. As a result, many people singing the songs have no clue what the words means or why they were written.

People must know the story behind the song. If they do, a real and living connection is possible. But, a complex shower of sounds and sights erroneously called “worship” doesn’t leave any kind of deposit in the people who were there! They didn’t understand (much less remember) the words; they just remember shards of techno-lights and noise.

I believe technology is a tool and, used properly, can greatly support the various dimensions of our faith walk. For example, use your website, podcasting, email, instant messaging, etc. as means of delivering and repeating the story, sending lyrics to the congregation, distributing songs and interviews with the composers, and other vital things that can’t be done on Sunday morning. These are wonderful applications of technology tools.

Technology should make coming into His Presence simpler, not more complicated. It should prepare the path to the congregational meeting. Techno-toys should not take center stage. Excellence does not equal complexity.

10 Mistakes Worship Leaders Make - Mistake #5 - Worship = Music

2007-01-25T20:28:00.000-06:00

Mistake # 5 – It’s only about music

Worship is about the transport of our heart to God. It has many expressions – meditational, contemplative, dance, chant, etc. Music is not an essential element to worship. But, today, “worship” is a sub-culture and “worship music” is a genre.

Did you know that monks designed the diatonic scale? They saw a great geometric symmetry in the universe. So, they created chant, not just because of the words, but because of the notes themselves. Those notes – Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti, Do – resonate in and through different parts of the human body.

It was, literally, a cosmic tuning fork, capturing the powers of the universe. That is what chant is all about. It is beyond what any of us in a modern era can come close to understanding. Their unified world view gave birth to these kinds of integrated mysteries. They saw music, not as a style-driven show, but as a way to tune in to the harmony of God’s creation.