George Bullard's Journey

Wanna Know More About "Unhindered"? Go to

One of my favorite words in the entire Bible is “unhindered”. It occurs in Acts 28:31. It describes the manner in which Paul was able to preach, teach, and write about the kingdom of God for two years while he was in prison in Rome. [And, I get to teach it tomorrow in the Empty Nesters class at my church! Aren’t I lucky?] “Unhindered” is a word of great freedom. It is a word that speaks to the potential of ministry action by passion people and congregation seeking to reach their full kingdom potential.

 

One of my favorite people in the entire Bible is Gamaliel. It was said he was not only a highly respected teacher of the law, but that among his students was Saul—later the Apostle Paul. In Acts 5:34-40 Gamaliel made an impassionate plea not to put to death the apostles of Jesus—who had been arrested. The reason he gave is that if their mission was of humankind, it would fail on its own. If it was of God then no one could stop it. Gamaliel took a prophetic action that ultimately allowed the kingdom of God to be proclaimed “unhindered”.

 

What impact does this concept have on you? What are your thoughts?

Posted by email from George Bullard's Posterous

Staying in Atlanta Thanks to My Airline. Read More . . .

My Delta Connection flight on SkyWest Airlines was 1.2 hours late leaving Omaha, NE tonight because of mechanical problems it encountered in Atlanta earlier in the day. The pilot did a great job trying to make up time. He gained us 20 minutes. While I had 15 minutes to make my connection, I did not get a chance. The gate agent did not respond immediately to the arrival of our airplane, and then could not get the mobile gate to the airplane until after making multiple tries. Ten minutes later we left the airplane and there was no way—I knew—to make the next flight three concourses over. The monitor, in fact, indicated the flight was closed. So, here I sit at the luxurious Clarion Hotel-Atlanta Airport spending the night and waiting for my flight home to Columbia in the morning.

 

Oh, the glorious benefits of travel!

Posted by email from George Bullard's Posterous

Checking Out Posterous So Go to . . .

I am checking out Posterous.com to see what if any value it might have for ministry networking. Do you use it? What has your experience been?

Posted by email from George Bullard's Posterous

Follow George and The Columbia Partnership on Twitter

You can now follow George's activities and those of The Columbia Partnership on Twitter. Here are the links:

http://twitter.com/BullardJournal

http://twitter.com/ColaPartnership

Conflict Is About Power and Control

[an excerpt from page 13 of George's book, Every Congregation Needs a Little Conflict]

'One of the central manifestations of sin in the twenty-first century is our neurotic needs for control. For all the control we attempt, we can never seem to control what matters most--our relationship to God. The more we clamor to be in control or in charge, the more we squeeze life out of everything that is precious to us."

"Control changes people, and even the best-intentioned are perverted by it. Control seeks to deny progress to others. Control is non-risking and avoids the call of God."

'"Power, at its best, has a creative nature to it. The apostles were told in the first chapter of Acts about the power they would receive when the Holy Spirit came upon them. God's power transforms people."

Comments: What are your thoughts about the excerpt and how can you apply it in your life and ministry?

The Number One Choice for the Future Made by Congregations . . .

. . . to stay the course and remain substantially the same. In reality, many congregations choose to do nothing exceptional or significant in response to the challenges of their present situation. They are willing to make some incremental changes to keep people from leaving the congregation or staying and causing too much commotion. But, to really change in response to the dynamic congregational and contextual situation is far beyond their comfort zone. But, then, that is why they are dying at a slow to fast rate depending on various factors.

At the same time, are there three times when congregations ought to choose this future:

1. The current direction really is the best direction for the congregation at this time. They may be on track towards a missional future.
2. No other choice engenders passion within the congregation, so even if attempted it would not be supported with the full heart, soul, mind, and strength of the leadership--much less the pew sitters.
3. Other choices would require the congregation to sacrifice cores values it holds dearly and deeply. These are often doctrinal values, but they can also be cultural values.

The reality also is that many congregations back into this choice. It is an unintentional decision. A few congregations intentionally focus on this choice for their future because it truly comes forth from their sense of mission and purpose.

Where is your congregation with this choice? What are your thoughts about this choice?

Digital @ Leadership Network: Does your church website serve two masters?

I love this piece on church web sites possibly trying to serve two masters. It is so true!

Digital @ Leadership Network: Does your church website serve two masters?

Misunderstood Megachurches - Opinion - USATODAY.com

By Scott Thumma who is a professor of sociology of religion at the Hartford Seminary and co-author of Beyond Megachurch Myths.

Misunderstood megachurches - Opinion - USATODAY.com

How do you see this issues as outlined today in USA Today through this article by Scott Thumma?

National Association of Evangelicals

Evangelical Leaders Survey: Many evangelical denominations have no big churches (July 2008)

National Association of Evangelicals

"When asked about the role mega churches play in their denominations the top answer from evangelical leaders responding to the July Evangelical Leaders Survey was “None.” That’s because many evangelical denominations have few if any very large churches."

Can you be an evangelical denomination and not have a few congregations who grow to a very large size? Maybe yes. Maybe no. What are your thoughts?

White Americans No Longer a Majority By 2042

[The following is being reported today on NPR News in Brief and probably many other news sources: http://www.npr.org/newsinbrief/index.html. The implications for congregational and denominational ministry are huge! What are your thoughts?]

"White people will be a minority in the U.S. by 2042, according to a new analysis from the Census Bureau.

By 2050, whites will make up 46 percent of the population and blacks will make up 15 percent, a relatively small increase from 2008. Hispanics, who now make up about 15 percent of the population, will account for 30 percent in 2050, according to the new projections.

The nation has been growing more diverse for decades, but the process has sped up through immigration and higher birth rates among minority residents, especially Hispanics, the bureau found.
The Census Bureau also found the overall population will be larger than previously thought. The U.S. has nearly 305 million people today. The population is projected to hit 400 million in 2039 and 439 million in 2050.

Steve Camarota of the Center for Immigration Studies said the increase is like adding the populations of France and Great Britain. He advocated reducing immigration, saying that is the only part of the census equation that federal policy can control. "