DreamBuilders Ministry in Motion (DBMIM) Ezine, October 01, 2008

-- Book Review: "The Church of the Perfect Storm," by Leonard Sweet, reviewed by Tom Hanover.

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Susan was frustrated. It seemed like every week she would start with the good intentions of writing her sermon by the middle of the week. Here it was, Friday afternoon, and she was just starting. She was tired and wrung out. She had no energy or creativity. She was not in the frame of mind to think about preaching.

What she really wanted to do was to escape from all the people who had been tugging at her shirtsleeve all week. There were hospital visits and that unexpected funeral. One of the youth broke his arm at youth group. Aunt Sarah was upset that Thanksgiving was on the Thursday this year that interfered with the set up for the bazaar. (Wasn’t Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of every November?)

Susan didn’t expect ministry to be like this. Of course, there would be weeks of interruptions. Ministry happens, but she did not anticipate that every week would be like this. Preaching was important. It should be a priority. Her congregation had confirmed that many times. Why, then, was she preparing her sermon with the leftover time and energy of the week? Susan needed an IPOD.

Every ministry leader is making kazillions of decisions every day about how to use their time, which is their most valuable resource, and to what and with whom will they give their attention and effort.

Those decisions create a picture of what the pastor’s priorities really are. Susan would like to make her sermon preparation time a high priority. But her choices to let other distractions interrupt or delay her prep time reveals that there are other priorities.

Those other priorities may not be her priorities. And if the leader does not have a disciplined plan by which to use or spend his or her time, other people will plan it for him or her. They will do it by the impulse of their daily rhythms.

Unfortunately, Susan’s problem is herself. Fortunately, Susan’s solution also lies within her power. Susan needs an IPOD.

An IPOD is a plan for Intentional Pay Off Decisions. Not every activity of the ministry leader is equally important, valuable, or productive in light of the mission and vision of the ministry. Some moments are critical and others are trivial. Some experts project that as much as 80% of one’s productivity comes from as little as 20% of one’s effort. If Susan were clear what 20% was most important and could focus on that, she would increase her effectiveness as a leader and likely enjoy her work even more.

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The back-to-school ritual in my household when I grew up always began with a trip to the discount department store, where my mom's mission was to outfit me in the most embarrassing clothes possible. Between the dressing room and the cash register, I'm sure my pants lost roughly six inches of length. You might be thinking that I'm referring to the phenomenon known as "high-waters" but you would be mistaken. High-waters are pants that show about two or three inches of your socks. The pants I had showed about two or three inches of my leg right above my white athletic socks.

After my new school clothes were in the cart, my mom headed over to the school-supplies section of the store. Hint: if you're buying your clothes, school supplies, and auto parts at the same store, you're probably not the most fashion-forward kid at school.

The first item on the school supply list was a pencil, but not a regular-sized No. 2 pencil. No siree. We had to get super-sized, gigundo pencils that were about the size of telephone poles. The size of these pencils was supposed to make it easier for teeny little hands to manage, but try writing your name with a tree trunk and then come back and tell me if that makes any sense.

The next item on the list was an eraser the size of an electric razor that would have lasted for the rest of my life had I kept up with it. Unfortunately, there was absolutely no use for it, since there was already an eraser the size of a cantaloupe on the end of my telephone-pole pencil.

But the kids today don't know how good they have it. I saw some kids getting on the bus yesterday who were wearing shorts. I would have killed to wear shorts to school because my school didn't have any air-conditioning.

Mention air-conditioning back then and almost any adult would instantly poo-poo the idea with a statement like, "What, do you think you're Rockefeller or somethin'? Hey Agnes! The kid thinks he's gotta have air-conditioning in school!"

The phrase perfect storm refers to the simultaneous occurrence of events which, taken individually, would be far less powerful than the result of their chance combination. Such occurrences are rare by their very nature, so that even a slight change in any one event contributing to the perfect storm would lessen its overall impact.

Len Sweet uses the analogy of this perfect combination of events to describe many of the phenomena the church is facing in the world today. The images of hurricanes and tsunamis reflect the danger and the urgency of these cultural trends for the Christian church.

Several distinguished global thinkers contribute chapters to the anthology: Thomas Bandy, Bill Easum, Mark Batterson, Michael Blewett, Greg Glatz, Younglae Kim, and more. All of whom play on the metaphor of the storm to talk about the future challenges of the church.

Many of the writers are sharing their observations about the changes in paradigms that are emerging from premodern to modern to postmodern eras. These cultural shifts are blowing across the global landscape, sometimes leaving ministry leaders bewildered and unaware of the dramatic change they have experienced.

Consequently, this is not a book for the faint of heart or those who prefer fairy tale endings. While the deep faith of these writers quickly emerges in the course of their discussion, it is not a pretty picture for the church. Dangerous storms such as these often create much damage and claim many victims.

However, it is clear that these writers hear a call for bravery and courage in the midst of treacherous times. But these are not times to hunker down and ride out the storm. Quite the opposite; these are times to turn the ship into the storm and head into an adventure only God can lead.

This is a book that can be easily understood by both clergy and lay leader; but will require the heart of a deeply committed disciple to hear its message.

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DBMIM Ezine October 01, 2008

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