THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM COLUMBIA BUSINESS SCHOOL

By Maria Francesca French, Director of Innovative Training and Creative Strategies for Hatchery LA

I and my colleagues at Hatchery LA, along with Disciples of Christ leaders from Urban Mission and First Christian Church Oceanside, have just finished a 6-month incubation process in Spiritual Entrepreneurship led by Columbia University School of Business and Glean Incubator. We are grateful for the opportunity to participate in this incredible learning community and want to share three of our big “takeaways” from the experience.

1. We are not alone! DOC-affiliated programs (including Hatchery LA) made up 4 of the 10 programs or projects that participated in Columbia’s Spiritual Entrepreneurship class. What an “aha” experience it was to share the class with a diverse group of people with perspectives and faiths different from ours – yet, all who are seeking new ways of expressing and operationalizing their faith in a 21st Century reality. From the Jewish community, to the Lutherans and Methodists as well as a Muslim based project – it became quickly apparent that we share a common desire to be relevant to the populations we serve, and similar struggles to create new models of church or faith that are sustainable. It is enough of an issue for enough people that Columbia Business School developed this curriculum!

2. We can’t presuppose the questions that people are asking about God and community. We live in a radically different world than 50-, 20- or even 10-years ago. The questions about God and community that people are asking today are different than before. That means we must be intentional about first listening to those in our community and being open to new questions, and then developing responses that are relevant.

3. Love the problem, not the solution. This was the mantra of Columbia’s University’s Spiritual Entrepreneurship program director. Too often we are quick to jump to the solution without really understanding the problem – an understanding that would inform a successful outcome. So, rather than starting with the solution and working backwards, our attention was continuously drawn to the problem we were trying to solve. This allowed us to work on identifying the questions mentioned above, and then create and test and dissect and define and redefine thoughtful, strategic responses. For Hatchery LA, we are seeking to respond to the shifts in culture and the world, inviting others to engage new questions of god and new ways of engaging god that promote community, sustainability and viability.

If Spiritual Entrepreneurship sparks your interest, consider joining Hatchery LA in a Certificate program:

Certificate in Spiritual Entrepreneurship, Discovery Phase. This is a 12-week course preparing you for your journey toward spiritual innovation, the practice of it and the need for it. Move swiftly through theories of innovative theology, finance, technologies, culture, coupled with training on lean methodology and why this matters for the future of your context. Apply here.

Regional Minister Search Committee, Communication #1

COMMITTEE NAMED AND SEARCH PROCESS UNDERWAY

Since the final term for our Regional Ministers ends in 2019, we are pleased to inform you that the Search Committee for the Regional Minister of the Pacific Southwest Region (PSWR) of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been approved by the PSWR Regional Board. With representation from the diverse expressions of the PSWR, the Committee shares a sense of humbleness and gratitude for being called to this important task. In our first meeting, held on March 3, 2018 at First Christian Church, Orange, we affirmed that this is a sacred journey upon which we have embarked. In addition to getting to know each other and learning our way around video-conferencing software, we established a timeline and scheduled meetings through May 2019, at which time we will present a candidate to the Regional Board. While this seems like a long time from now, there is much to do, and we will call upon you, the Regional Church, to participate in the process. 

2018-2019 Search Committee: (Top photo, L-R): Tom Perring, Larry Morris, Carol Warsaw, Lydia Yang, Joi Robinson, Louise Sloan-Goben, Cathy Perring, Ben Bohren, Rogelio Martinez, Ed Ramolete. (Lower photos, L-R): Janette Jara, Judy Hong, Rip Rippentoe, Shobie Lopez.

Sandy Messick, Regional Minister, Northwest Region

To help us with our search, Sandy Messick, Regional Minister from the Northwest Region has agreed to serve as our "Regional Minister Search Partner," and we are truly grateful that she answered "yes" to this call. The next step in our process is to spend a day with Sandy. We will participate together in Pro-Reconciliation and Anti-Racism training then Sandy will lead us in spiritual practices that will ground us in faith and bind us together as a Committee seeking to serve God faithfully in this diverse Region. Sandy will be an ongoing resource as we move forward.

Critical to our search process is the development of a PSWR regional profile and Regional Minister Position Description. To inform these documents, we will gather information from the Region through surveys, discussion forums, and interviews of the various ministries of the Region. This will be the time when you have an opportunity to express your views about the current and future direction of the Region, and what you would like to see in our next Regional Minister. 

To close, in recognition of the central role God plays in our process, our Committee has committed to be in prayer with each other every Thursday at 7:00pm. Regardless of where we are physically located, this prayer time will spiritually bond us. We invite you to join us in this prayer life.

PREPARE YOUR CHURCH AND MEMBERS TO SURVIVE A DISASTER

By Rev. Dr. Norman L. Williams, PSWR Disaster Recovery Ministry

Prepare your Church and Members to survive a disaster with the new toolkits and videos from FEMA's Ready Business website.

Organizations and their staff face a variety of hazards. The Ready Business program helps organizations plan for these hazards.

The Ready Business Toolkit series includes hazard-specific versions. The following versions include step-by-step guides in English and Spanish to build preparedness within an organization.

• Earthquake “QuakeSmart” Toolkit
• Hurricane Toolkit
• Inland Flooding Toolkit
• Power Outage Toolkit
• Severe Wind/Tornado Toolkit

The Ready Business videos, available in English and Spanish, briefly explain several key parts of getting ready, such as:

• Staff/Employee Management;
• Physical Surroundings;
• Physical Space;
• Building Construction;
• Systems; and
• Community Service.

Download and view these new resources at www.ready.gov/business.  If you need any help or guidance please contact me.  We have team members ready to help your congregation and members prepare for to survive!

Rev. Dr. Norman L. Williams
PSWR Disaster Recovery Ministry
ChNorm@msn.com
909-289-6525

What's New With Hatchery LA?

Hatchery LA is an initiative of the Disciples of Christ of the PSWR and we are an incubator for Spiritual Entrepreneurs.  For those of you who aren’t as familiar with Hatchery LA, here is a little background… 

Being integrally passionate about spiritual communities, churches and projects that are thriving in serving the needs of people and promoting sustainability and viability, the PSWR Regional Ministers along with Executive Director, Spencer Burke, dreamt up Hatchery LA.  

As an initiative of the Disciples, we resource the region both in terms of existing churches and communities that are in need of spiritual innovation as well as new projects that are seeking new frameworks for the way ministry is done in the 21st century.  

We believe these new frameworks are part of an emerging discipline called Spiritual Entrepreneurship.  What is this new emerging field?  Hatchery LA defines SE as:

Responding to the shifts within culture and the world, motivated by the goal of common good, Spiritual Entrepreneurship is an invitation to engage new questions of god and new ways of engaging god that promote community, sustainability and viability. Spiritual Entrepreneurship innovates and iterates to anticipate and address the changing needs of spirituality in the 21st century.

Maybe you are you a seminary graduate that doesn't feel completely prepared to do ministry in the 21st century.  Perhaps you are a minister or pastor struggling amidst the transition that changing culture brings.  It could be that you are what we call a cultural creative and filled with new ideas and passion.

Whatever ministerial context you might find yourself in, we want to invite you to consider our 12 week course, Certificate in Spiritual Entrepreneurship.  Go to the Hatchery LA website - http://HatcheryLA.com - to see a preview of each week of the course and what you can expect.  We are covering topics that include innovative theology, lean methodology, economics, technology and sustainability and viability for the future.  Our course launches April 23rd.  We would love for you to take this journey with us!  Feel free to contact Spencer - Spencer@HatcheryLA.com for more information!

Mile Marker #99: Can You Hear Me Now?

By Revs. Don Dewey and Susan Gonzales-Dewey, Co-Regional Ministers 

Then Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." Mark 4:9

Cellco Partnership, which operated under the name Verizon Wireless, launched their “Can You Hear Me Now?” campaign in January 2002. It was an effort to increase their market “footprint” and expand coverage for more mobile phone users. It also helped establish higher-ground branding for Verizon amidst their competitors.

The goal for this campaign was to show future customers that their networks were better at avoiding dropped or lost calls and maintain stronger connections for their phone service. Verizon was spending $1 billion every 90 days for this campaign!

This past weekend I attended the REVIVE conference held at Mission gathering in San Diego. A guy referred to as “Science Mike” led one of the workshops offered. Though Mike is not a scientist in the traditional sense, he has done extensive study on generational characteristics. In this workshop he was specifically sharing information on what is referred to as the “Millennial” generation, those born between 1980 and 2000.

Looking across the broad spectrum of church in America, Millennials are seen as the “lost generation.” According to one study (and many others like it) church attendance and impressions of the church are the lowest in recent history, and most drastic among Millennials described as 22- to 35-year-olds.

• Only 2 in 10 Americans under 30 believe attending a church is important or worthwhile (an all-time low).

• 59 percent of Millennials raised in a church have dropped out.

• 35 percent of Millennials have an anti-church stance, believing the church does more harm than good.

• Millennials are the least likely age group of anyone to attend church (by far).

Another staggering statistic shared in the workshop led by Science Mike at REVIVE was that 35% of Millennials (and growing) are in depression. Some of this is attributed to the continual use of electronic devices. He said that there are at least two things that help mitigate this rise in depression among this generation. One is their involvement in sport activities. The other is active participation in church and/or a faith community. Unfortunately Mike says, that most churches do a very poor job of connecting with Millennials and younger generations.

This is both good news and bad news. Good news in that a faith life improves our overall life no matter the generation. Bad news is that we in the church have failed to connect well with the younger generations.

Their mass absence from our churches is a silent cry, “Can You Hear Me Now?” While so many in our churches bemoan the fact that there are fewer and fewer young people in their midst, yet when ask what would they like to see in their church they almost always reply “more youth and young adults” but rarely take the time to find out what they need or want from their church or faith community.

Mainline churches, including Disciples, continue to experience growing decline even with our best efforts to start new churches and yet remain reluctant to make the necessary adaptive changes that might begin to reach and connect with our newer generations. Many will say that the church is dying. I believe the church, as we’ve known it, has been and will continue to evolve, change and transform to meet a continual need with or without us.

Our scriptures tell us: “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:11

The mission of God is emerging all around us and most often in places and ways we least expect it. God’s activity is not limited to age, culture, language, generation, style, place, denomination or any other category. The desire in every human being to be drawn into the mystery of God knows no boundaries. God’s Spirit continues to move in and through us seeking connection and asking again and again, “Can You Hear Me Now?” Then Jesus said, "Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." Mark 4:9

Sam Eaton has written a provocative article/blog titled, “12 Reasons Millennials are over church”, see: https://faithit.com/12-reasons-millennials-over-church-sam-eaton/ I would encourage anyone interested in some of the concerns of the Millennials to read it. Besides the critique of why Millennials are over church, I appreciated that he offered some suggestions for what churches might do to change this situation and connect with this lost generation.

Obviously there are no quick or easy solutions to the ever shifting and changing landscape of church in America, yet I believe we must begin to take the time to listen to the needs of our young people if we want to be a part of God’s continual activity and mission in the world.

I continually hear from those who are new to Disciples that we are the best-kept secret in mainline churches. Friends, we can no longer afford to be a secret when there are generations unable to connect with the Good News of Jesus Christ because we have not done our work in connecting with them.

I don’t believe we need to spend $1 billion every 90 days to do this. However, I do believe we need to be continuingly asking our younger generations, “Can You Hear Me Now?’ with the desire to make the best possible connections!

Together on the journey,

Don and Susan Your Regional Ministers