Paul Clark

A vote for intergenerational church

2009-12-23T05:17:00-05:00

Last Sunday I was one of four in a quartet singing a Gaither-style Christmas song, "Down in Bethlehem." As in most quartet songs, it was high-energy, lot's of clapping, harmony, and enthusiastic applause at the end. Andrew Nichol busted (almost a gut) the ending, which Glenn Priest wrote especially for us. It was fun, and the older people, actually my age and up, really loved it. My 19 year-old son was smiling, but I'm not sure I want to know why.

There's lots of talk about using modern music to reach a modern audience. I get all that...Gen-Y, post-modern, emerging church, yada, yada. Most of the people I enjoy reading and the churches I follow, wouldn't use a Gaither-type song if the Gaithers were there to sing it themselves. I admit, a little southern gospel goes a long way for me. But when you see over half the congregation's faces light up, smiling, clapping and enjoying this small deference to a music style they appreciate, you have to think twice.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some." There's value in expressing our faith using a variety of styles that speak across the generations. I think it takes more courage and skill to try to sculpt a ministry that reaches an intergenerational audience, than to write off those who are not in our generation and say we're being missional. I like where Fairhaven is positioned. We lean young, but we value everybody. Now and then, that means a quartet.

Second chances

2009-12-21T05:21:00-05:00

We recently invited Don Solin back to the staff of Fairhaven Church. Don served with Fairhaven as our leader of student ministries for almost 10 years back in the late 80's and early 90's. He left to pursue a vision for being a senior pastor, which he did for several years. As he journeyed through that experience, God walked him through some tough days in leadership. Eventually, God led him to resign his position and, for a time, leave the ministry. Through that process, Don realized that his gifts and passion are best fitted for leading leaders of students, not leading the church at large.

We invited him back to Fairhaven as our Pastor of Next Generation Ministries, overseeing the staff leading middle school, high school, and college ministries. He's found his sweet spot. He's seasoned, settled, committed and passionate. He's matured through the last 10 years. He's doing an incredible job, and it's a thrill to be on staff with Don. I reflected back though, on some of the churches I've served in. Not all of them- maybe none of them- would have had the grace and the courage to invite someone who left, to come back. Though God is a God of second chances, we often are not. I'm thankful I can be part of something that's different. Meet Don Solin...

Why Fairhaven?....Why a Youth Pastor? from kevin batson on Vimeo.

A river runs through it

2009-12-17T05:44:00-05:00

John Ortberg has a great article in the current issue of Conversations, a journal that I highly recommend to stimulate your thinking about spiritual formation--your own, that is. I'm especially challenged by the idea that living in the flow of God's Spirit is simple...

"What if Jesus really meant what He said? That the Spirit of God is like a river and flowing all the time? What if your job as a follower is not to try harder or run faster or get up earlier or rev up your emotions? What if God really is at work in every moment; in every place? What, if in a sense, my job is to learn simply not do those things that close me off from the Spirit? Instead of needing to do something else, what if it’s about how I keep myself aware and submitted so that rivers of living water are flowing through my being?

Paul puts it like this and in some ways, the spiritual life is that simple. Just don’t quench the Spirit. The Spirit is already at work. He is bigger than you. He is stronger than you. He is more patient than your failures. He is committed to helping you 24/7, so just don’t get in His way. Don’t quench the Spirit. Don’t grieve the Spirit. We are always either opening ourselves up—walking in the Spirit—or quenching the Spirit."

Read the article

Secrets of my success- LinkIn founder

2009-12-16T05:42:00-05:00

As I've said, I like to grab good advice from smart people. Here's a few tidbits from LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman.

It's okay to be brief. When people ask me about work/life balance, I just laugh. But I try to be time-efficient by scheduling meetings in appropriate increments --15 minutes or less sometimes. I've also tried to build a culture that understands writing brief e-mails is not emotional coldness.

I love quick meetings and short emails! Being brief does not mean you're non-relational. Nobody likes to have their valuable time wasted. Be concise, but be human.

Be willing to change course. Entrepreneurs tend to believe, "I've got my idea, I'll go until I die." But I advise them to take seriously the questions about whether their [business] plan is irredeemably flawed and whether they need to change what they're doing. Be diligent about failing fast so that you don't spend five years doing something that's just going to fail.

Always be willing to ask the question, "Is this working?" I am surprised by the level of activity people are willing to endure without ever stepping back and asking, "Am I doing the right things?" Good leaders are not afraid to question the course.

Don't be a perfectionist. I frequently tell Internet entrepreneurs, "If you're not somewhat embarrassed by your 1.0 product launch, then you've released too late." There's value in launching early, getting engaged with customers, and learning from them. That can direct your progress.

As Larry Osborne says, "Good is good enough." If you wait until it's perfect, you'll miss out on lots of opportunities. The goal is not to start out perfect, but to learn from and get better at each opportunity.

Paul Clark

A vote for intergenerational church

Top posts at Your Church

Second chances

A river runs through it

Secrets of my success- LinkIn founder