In the Thin Places . Chris Ediger

Building Websites - A Social Experiment

2009-07-13T13:45:38+00:00

Contrary to popular opinion, good website don’t just happen overnight. A good site can take several months to build - even years.

There’s a good rhythm that goes into taking a site from concept to completion. Here’s the road we usually take at GiANT when we are creating something new online. Let’s call this “Exhibit A.” (I’m going to offer a different concept in a minute. Feel free to skip down if this is beginning to bore you.)

Strategy - what do we want to accomplish, who’s the audience, etc.
Outline - focus on the content, layout the overall structure of the content of the site
Block Out/Wireframe - focus on the layout of individual pages/sections, determine how many different page types you’ll need
Design - create the look/feel of the site based on 1-3
Code - make the design reality
Build Out - marry content and coded design
Test - test internally first, then externally with test group
Tweak - make necessary changes, retest
Launch - launch the final site to the public

This method is tried & true - we’ve built close to a dozen sites in the last couple of years using this process and it has served us well.

I’m toying with a new notion, though, and am itching to try it out as a social experiment. If someone that you know has done this, let me know, but from what I’ve seen, I haven’t seen it accomplished quite like this.

What if we simply laid the foundation and nothing else?

Take an event website, for example. What if we created the very base level - maybe something as simple as the event name, date/time, and other, minimal, pertinent info.

Then, we launch it & invite others to speak into the next steps.

We approach it from a weekly build standpoint, taking input and feedback from everyone, makes changes/growing the site, and then launching a new version at the end of every week.

How cool would it be to see the site begin to take on life as people add their own insights and concepts and help make it better. We might even keep a historical build record so that people could see how it evolved over time.

In the end (and you’d need to set an end point to look ahead to), you’d have a socially build site that carried the fingerprints of hundreds, maybe even thousands, of people, and which, because of this fact, was exactly what the community needed it to be.

Just an idea… thoughts?

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Empty Cup Responsibility

2009-07-12T15:15:54+00:00

Image by Joshua Ommen

I’ve been in the process of watching the Catalyst West DVDs from the conference several months ago. I wasn’t able to travel out to California for the event due to other work that was going on here at GiANT, so it has been nice to be impacted by the DVDs.

As Andy Stanley was getting set to begin his opening talk, he said something to the effect of…

“I feel like I’m at a stage of my life where I feel like I’ve got a cup that’s about halfway full, and my responsibility is to dump it into as many cups as I can. I don’t pretend to think that I can fill up anybody’s cup, but my responsibility is to empty mine.”

In many ways I believe I am at a similar stage.

For the longest time I would sit on my hands (the online equivalent of zipping your mouth shut) out of fear of being thought of as egotistical. I have talked about writing a book for probably ten years now, but I’ve always relegated that goal to somewhere in the future. In fact, I’ve often told people who ask that I don’t want to write a book until I feel like I have something to say. To me, it doesn’t even have to be something overly profound - just authentic.

We leave today for a week long vacation on the beach with all my family - my dad & his wife, my sister & her family, and us. As part of this time, my brother-in-law, Kenneth, and I will be spending some time talking through book ideas and plans. We’ve committed to pursuing individual book projects alongside one another, and our conversations next week will mark the real start of that journey.

In a way, I feel like all of us should be in a place of “Empty Cup Responsibility” - shouldn’t we? Shouldn’t there be those around us that we are constantly pouring into and lifting up?

If you aren’t already, I’d encourage you to “pray and pour”... invest and impact the lives of those you are journeying through life with at this stage… family, friends, co-workers, etc.

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No Water to Wash Away This Longing to Come Clean

2009-07-11T13:45:51+00:00

I’m not sure exactly why, but this song really struck me today for some reason. Annie Lennox is incredible & this song off her most recent album is beautiful…

“Dark Road” by Annie Lennox

It’s a dark road and a dark way that leads to my house
And the word says you’re never gonna find me there, oh no
I’ve got an open door
It didn’t get there by itself [2x]

There’s a feelin’, but you’re not feelin’ it at all
There’s a meaning, but you’re not listening anymore
I look at that open road
I’m gonna walk there by myself

And if you catch me
I might try to run away
You know I can’t be here too long
And if you let me
I might try to make you stay
Seems you never realize a good thing ‘til it’s gone.

Maybe I’m still searchin’ but I dont know what it means
All the fires of destruction are still burnin’ in my dreams
There’s no water that can wash away this longin’ to come clean

I can’t find the joy within my soul
It’s just sadness takin’ hold
I wanna come in from the cold
And make myself renewed again
It takes strength to live this way
The same old madness every day
I wanna kick these blues away
I wanna learn to live again

It’s a dark road and a dark way that leads to my house
And the word says you’re never gonna find me there, oh no
I’ve got an open door
It didn’t get there by itself [2x]

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Unchurch, Part Five (We Are Not Alone)

2009-07-10T13:00:57+00:00

Image by João Almeida

“We need to get away from ‘Event Jesus.’”

My brother-in-law told me about a radio commercial he heard recently where the announcer declared the above statement. For a good number of Jesus followers, that, unfortunately, describes their regular experience.

They float in and out of the routine of ‘church’ without ever experiencing the beauty of what the Church was meant to be. Far too many have settled for far too less of Jesus and His Church.

This series is not meant to be a railing against any particular expression of the Church. It is also not meant to be a treatise for a new form. There are dead expressions in both traditional and new forms, alike.

It is meant to be the beginning of a larger conversation, and one that is imperative that takes place.

As I stated in Part One, regardless of whether you find solace or discomfort in the discussion, “the interactions and conversations I have experienced have brought me to a place where these voices need to be given a platform and their convictions allowed to breath a free and open air.”

This is part of a great story of what God is doing in this day and age - a story that, more times than not, finds itself on the outskirts of church as we know it. And the story continues…

We are not alone.

I would love to meet you - connect with you online, or over coffee, if possible.
If you have a similar story as those I have spotlighted this week, I’d love to hear it.
I would love to hear the things you hoped to find here, but never came out in the conversation.

Leave a comment on one of the Unchurch posts, use the contact form on the site, or send me a DM on Twitter or message on Facebook.

My hope is that the discussion this week will carry you into deeper conversations with friends, family, and those you do community with. Depending on the stories and people I continue to encounter, I may do another Unchurch series in the future someday.

Until then…

What is one thing that stands out to you from the Unchurch conversation?

What is one thing you wished would have come up in the conversation, but didn’t?

MORE OF THE UNCHURCH SERIES…
Be sure and catch the rest of the Unchurch series…

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Unchurch, Part Four (Survey Results)

2009-07-09T13:45:41+00:00

How common is it to find people in an ‘Unchurch’ space? How is the Church changing around us?

As I stated in the beginning of this series, this conversation was birthed out of ongoing interactions with more and more people over the last several years who were finding themselves in a place of unrest - a place of loving God, but not satisfied with church as they had known it.

I think, in large part, the Church as a whole is pretty exclusionary. We tend to project our own beliefs, including the form & function of the Church that we are most familiar with, onto other people. This doesn’t apply to everyone, but I believe it applies to the majority of Jesus followers. We tend to think that the proper expression of the Church in other’s lives ought to be the same expression that we are used to.

One of the main reasons I wanted to put a spotlight on the Unchurch topic is because it is something that I believe is more prevalent than you might think.

A few weeks ago I created a short 10 question survey and invited people to add their own voice to the Unchurch conversation. Close to 50 people participated.

Before we begin, I have to add the disclaimer that I am not a statistician, nor do I play one on TV. I realize that 50 people is nowhere close to a large enough sample to consider the results conclusive. I don’t claim that they are. I believe, however, that they give a good sampling of where people are in their spiritual journeys - especially in relation to this topic.

Here is some of what I found as a result of the Unchurch survey…

65% of people who are active involved in a church meet together on a regular basis with a group of Christians outside of an organized church setting The “how it looks” differs from person to person, but a good majority of those surveyed shared that they meet together with a group of other Christians on a regular basis - outside of the programs or activities of an organized church setting. To me that’s a good sign that there is something lacking in our current common expression of church if so many people feel a need to connect outside of that setting.
40% of those actively involved in a traditional church setting consider their primary expression of Church outside of that setting I fully expected there to be a good percentage of people who considered their primary expression of church to be found outside of what most people would consider a traditional church setting. The numbers lined up right about where I thought they would. What was really surprising to me, however, was the high percentage of those who shared this conviction who were also actively involved in a traditional church. 40% of those who were active in a church, found their primary expression of Church somewhere else.
70% of the people surveyed are currently actively involved in a traditional church setting I was hoping for a more even sampling of people - a good half & half between those who were active in church & those who weren’t. The fact that 70% of those surveyed were active church goers lends even more weight to the last two findings, though. If the numbers would have been the same with a more even distribution of people participating, it would have been an important finding. The fact that the sampling of people was more lopsided toward active church goers makes the results, in my opinion, eye-opening.
Most of these people aren’t new to their churches… 75% have been there for at least 3 years; 53% at least 5 years; 34% at least 7 years. To add even more fuel to the fire… Those surveyed aren’t even church ‘newbies’ - the vast majority have been involved in their current church setting for a good number of years. The highest percentage have been active in their current churches for seven or more years. Out of this group of active church goers, a large percentage of them consider the truest expression of Church to be outside of the walls of their churches.

Other Results…

The reasons people gave for being actively involved in a traditional church varied greatly… some did so out a desire for community, others did it for their children’s sake, others cited a desire to worship with others, and others said they were active because of parents or out of a sense of obligation, etc.
For those not actively involved, almost all had been a part of a church in the past.
The reasons shared by these people for no longer being involved varied greatly as well… some had negative past experiences, some found themselves in circumstances (work schedule, life situation, etc.) that kept them from attending, still others said they were seeking more than what they saw from their previous church experience, etc.
The groups meeting outside of the traditional church structure described themselves as… sharing lives, praying for one another, discussing Scripture or current events, sharing stories, sharing meals, encouraging one another, serving alongside one another, etc.

Very few expressed themselves in a negative or cynical light. Rather, they found themselves seeking some higher ideal that they saw lacking in a normal church. They described this journey in ways similar to these…

“We all have yearned for community and depth we can’t find in church and small groups affiliated with churches we know.”
“A group of people who love God, want to follow, but can’t find a church that wants to worship & fellowship without strict rules.”

Perhaps most interestingly, even with the varied answers and situations that participants found themselves in, there was quite a bit of commonality when it came to their future perception of the Church. When asked “Where do you see the Church (big “C”) 10/20 years from now?” the common threads were…

Some form of conventional church will still exist (in other words, it isn’t going away anytime soon)
Less formal/structured
More fluid/adaptable
Community-based
Much smaller
Online more & more
Meeting in homes more

Regardless of how much weight you give the survey, the point is that there are more and more people finding themselves in an Unchurch space, and that trend is sure to only increase in the years ahead.

Join us tomorrow as we conclude the Unchurch series…

MORE OF THE UNCHURCH SERIES…
Be sure and catch the rest of the Unchurch series…

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Unchurch, Part Three (Kauzbots and 2nd Chances)

2009-07-08T13:44:36+00:00

What happens when you are alienated from the church? Whether as a result of your own choices, or the whims of others, where do you find solace in seeking Christ outside of the walls of a traditional church?

For David Trotter it was a new and desperate place. As a former pastor of two thriving churches in California, he was brought face to face with his own convictions of what the Church was meant to be.

I asked David to give a little background on his life leading up to this place: (5:03)

(Visit the blog at chrisediger.com to listen to this audio)

The Thin Places in our lives are those moments when the space between God and us feels incredibly thin, and moments when our lives and courses are altered by Him. I asked David to share some of his Thin Places - one of which had profound implications on his view of church: (7:43)

(Visit the blog at chrisediger.com to listen to this audio)

After alienating himself, I asked David how he was able to get to the place in his journey where he was able to walk back into the doors of a church, and the implications of what he found when he came back: (2:26)

(Visit the blog at chrisediger.com to listen to this audio)

Out of that place - of having a deep desire for God & to connect with others on that same journey, but outside of the walls of a traditional church - David and his wife began hosting a gathering in their home each week. I asked David to share a little about how this began and what it looks like on a weekly basis: (6:09)

(Visit the blog at chrisediger.com to listen to this audio)

In addition to this gathering time, David and a partner created Kauzbots as a way to inspire others to change the world around them through the work of non-profits. I asked David to share a little about the beginnings of Kauzbots: (2:33)

(Visit the blog at chrisediger.com to listen to this audio)

You can learn more about Kauzbots at kauzbots.com. If you’d like to connect with David, or if you have any questions, he invites your feedback at david@davidtrotter.tv.

Tomorrow we’ll be looking at the experiences and stories of those who took part in the Unchurch Survey and releasing those findings.

MORE OF THE UNCHURCH SERIES…
Be sure and catch the rest of the Unchurch series…

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Unchurch, Part Two (Pancakes and Jesus)

2009-07-07T14:00:48+00:00

What do you do when you are confronted with the realization that your vision of the Church doesn’t mesh with what you’ve always experienced? What if your family’s livelihood was dependent on that former reality?

Eric Vardeman faced just that kind of crossroads. As a worship leader and a former teaching pastor, Eric was ‘knee deep’ in an expression of church that he no longer could agree with. With his family’s support, he walked away.

I asked Eric to give a little background on what led up to that point of decision: (5:20)

(Visit the blog at chrisediger.com to listen to this audio)

So Eric & his family found themselves in an unfamiliar space - fully devoted to God, but unsatisfied with the only expression of church they had ever known. They tried going with friends to other churches, but kept running into the same unsatisfactory place each time.

Eric recounts how one morning his teenage daughter asked him, “Dad, can we just fix pancakes & do church here at home today?” Thus began a weekly tradition of “Pancakes and Jesus.” I asked him about the journey after they had walked away from the institutionalized church, and what Church looks like for them now: (7:05)

(Visit the blog at chrisediger.com to listen to this audio)

For Eric and his wife, the concern over their children’s experience with Church was an important part of their decision. I asked him to reflect a little bit on that and what the aftermath has looked like in relation to the spiritual journeys of his kids: (2:11)

(Visit the blog at chrisediger.com to listen to this audio)

The journey for Eric and his family wasn’t a simple one; nor was it one that they took lightly. I asked him to share how he would counsel someone, or what words of advice he would share, if they found themselves in a similar place… what would he say? (11:12)

(Visit the blog at chrisediger.com to listen to this audio)

You can follow Eric’s journey with Pancakes & Jesus at pancakesandjesus.com. If you’d like to connect with him, or if you have any questions, he invites your feedback at eric@biggerrock.com.

Tomorrow we’ll look at another story of someone seeking the Kingdom outside the walls of the traditional church…

MORE OF THE UNCHURCH SERIES…
Be sure and catch the rest of the Unchurch series…

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Unchurch, Part One (Introduction)

2009-07-06T13:45:33+00:00

Image by Donika Sadiku

What does it look like when you are Jesus follower but not a church goer? Can you legitimately live in such a space? Is there a way to be Kingdom-focused outside the walls of a traditional church structure and still fall within the confines of what the Church looks like in Scripture?

This is a series that has been brewing in my mind and spirit for three or four months and one that I’m excited to see unpack itself over the course of the next five days!

It’s really a topic that, at least in my own life, has a beginning over five years ago.

At that time I was serving on staff of a small church in small town Kansas, working with students and leading worship. It was a good time and a good experience for me and my family. However, about 5 years into a 6 1/2 year stint I started to feel restless. An important turning point came when I realized that if I wasn’t serving on staff of that church I likely would not be attending there. They weren’t effectively reaching people like me.

That statement’s not meant to be a slam necessarily against that single church - when I looked out at the surrounding area, I didn’t see any churches reaching twenty- and thirty-somethings well.

The unrest brought on by that realization is one that eventually led us to move to Oklahoma City and be a part of a house church movement that friends of ours were a part of. It was the beginning of a journey that in a lot of ways is still not over.

Over the course of the last five years I have met more and more people just like me - passionate about God, and particularly unpassionate about the church. In fact, I’d have to say, that the people I meet nowadays are much more likely to be less involved or uninvolved completely in a traditional church setting.

And we’re not alone. More and more people are finding themselves in that same place, and it can be a disconcerting place to be. For some of you reading this series, you’ll be able to identify with the stories I share. You’ll realize, if you haven’t already, that you’re not the only one existing in such a space.

For others, you will scratch your head because you don’t understand, or even throw up your arms in protest because you don’t agree. Regardless, the interactions and conversations I have experienced have brought me to a place where these voices need to be given a platform and their convictions allowed to breath a free and open air.

Over the next two days I’ll be sharing two stories of people who are finding their expression of Church in different places and settings. It’s still not too late to share your own story as well!

Later in the week I’ll be presenting some of the feedback and conversation from a survey I posted a couple of weeks ago. I’ve intentionally left the survey open to allow for others late to the conversation to add their own voices and experiences as well.

Head over to the link below and take a few minutes to share your experiences. Then join me tomorrow as we take a look at simple faith expressed in “Pancakes and Jesus.”

Find out more about the Unchurch Survey… (The survey is now closed… sorry!)

MORE OF THE UNCHURCH SERIES…
Be sure and catch the rest of the Unchurch series…

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The Future of Technology?

2009-07-01T20:28:07+00:00

Image by Pink Ponk

Last night I finished writing an article for LifeWay on the future of technology. I had agreed to do the article a couple of months ago, but didn’t realize how difficult of a task it was actually going to be.

The roadblock hit first when I remembered that the article isn’t going to be published until next spring. It was supposed to be coming from the angle of new/next technologies that are cutting edge or right around the corner. Problem is that 10 months later anything I wrote about would no longer be so ‘edgy’ by the time the article was actually read.

Technology is changing at compounding break neck speeds. Take these figures, for example, from the “Did You Know?” video that’s been circling all over the place:

Years it took to reach a market audience of 50 million:

Radio: 38 years
Television: 13 years
Internet: 4 years
iPod: 3 years
Facebook: 2 years

Or my favorite…

The amount of new technical information is doubling every 2 years… For students starting a 4 year technical degree this means that half of what they learn in their first year of study will be outdated by their third year of study.

So, how do you approach an article on the future of something that has such a short half-life?

I approached it from the viewpoint that “We Are What We Create” - that technology is a form of expression for each generation. We create and innovate according to the needs and interests that we see around us, and with a desire to help move us from where we are to where we want to be.

Where do we want to be? That’s different for each generation, thus, technology is approached differently from each successive generation.

It was a fascinating challenge for me. I can’t post the full article here because it doesn’t belong to me any longer, but I’d be happy to email you a copy if you’re interested.

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Are You a Ball or a Bubble?

2009-06-28T11:57:39+00:00

As I’ve mentioned previously, Josiah and I are spending some time each week hanging out together and working through some of the concepts found in the book Integrity by Dr. Henry Cloud. This week we began talking about how to build trust with others.

Trust is one of those difficult, but essential things in life. It’s not easy to attain, it fuels our relationships with others, and it is hard to regain if lost.

There are two different types of “Trust” people that we encounter in life…

Those who repel others because of lack of trust
Those who attract/connect with others because of trust

Think about it… Let’s say you have a work project/school assignment that is critical - perhaps one that the future success of the company or half your grade in a subject depends on. You’re encouraged to find someone else to partner with for the work. Who do you seek out? Who do you avoid?

We either act as billiard balls or bubbles when it comes to trust and people.

Billiard Balls repel/bounce other people away because of a lack of trust. The connection can even be painful and one that leaves a mark that is hard to remove.

Bubbles easily connect with others because of trust. When they encounter others they easily attach themselves and become something greater than they were alone.

Which are you? When the project/assignment comes to someone else you work with/go to school with, do they seek you out? Or do they avoid eye contact and avoid you?

Ultimately, if we are going to achieve success, we must connect with and work with others in a way that is bigger than ourselves. And it all begins with trust.

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In the Thin Places . Chris Ediger

Building Websites - A Social Experiment

Just an idea… thoughts?

Empty Cup Responsibility

In a way, I feel like all of us should be in a place of “Empty Cup Responsibility” - shouldn’t we? Shouldn’t there be those around us that we are constantly pouring into and lifting up?

No Water to Wash Away This Longing to Come Clean

“Dark Road” by Annie Lennox

Unchurch, Part Five (We Are Not Alone)

“We need to get away from ‘Event Jesus.’”

We are not alone.

What is one thing that stands out to you from the Unchurch conversation? What is one thing you wished would have come up in the conversation, but didn’t?

Unchurch, Part Four (Survey Results)

How common is it to find people in an ‘Unchurch’ space? How is the Church changing around us?

65% of people who are active involved in a church meet together on a regular basis with a group of Christians outside of an organized church setting

40% of those actively involved in a traditional church setting consider their primary expression of Church outside of that setting

70% of the people surveyed are currently actively involved in a traditional church setting

Most of these people aren’t new to their churches… 75% have been there for at least 3 years; 53% at least 5 years; 34% at least 7 years.

Other Results…

Join us tomorrow as we conclude the Unchurch series…

Unchurch, Part Three (Kauzbots and 2nd Chances)

What happens when you are alienated from the church? Whether as a result of your own choices, or the whims of others, where do you find solace in seeking Christ outside of the walls of a traditional church?

Tomorrow we’ll be looking at the experiences and stories of those who took part in the Unchurch Survey and releasing those findings.

Unchurch, Part Two (Pancakes and Jesus)

What do you do when you are confronted with the realization that your vision of the Church doesn’t mesh with what you’ve always experienced? What if your family’s livelihood was dependent on that former reality?

Tomorrow we’ll look at another story of someone seeking the Kingdom outside the walls of the traditional church…

Unchurch, Part One (Introduction)

What does it look like when you are Jesus follower but not a church goer? Can you legitimately live in such a space? Is there a way to be Kingdom-focused outside the walls of a traditional church structure and still fall within the confines of what the Church looks like in Scripture?

Find out more about the Unchurch Survey… (The survey is now closed… sorry!)

The Future of Technology?

So, how do you approach an article on the future of something that has such a short half-life?

Are You a Ball or a Bubble?

What is one thing that stands out to you from the Unchurch conversation?

What is one thing you wished would have come up in the conversation, but didn’t?