BCC Heals

Lead pastor candidate try out

An officially unnamed lead pastor candidate will visit BCC December 2-3 to teach during the weekend services.  Some on staff appear very excited about this candidate perhaps hoping that the spot gets filled sooner rather than later.

It's not a huge deal to me, but I am curious about the secrecy surrounding who the candidate is and what his credentials are.  All we've officially been told is that he'll be here next Sunday?  Maybe it's prudent to keep his candidacy confidential until the last moment.

Additionally, I hope it doesn't turn out to be a problem but let's say this again:  BCC's membership does not officially vote on anything.  The elders (and staff) make the decisions.  So while we're invited to evaluate the speaker this weekend, the decision will be the decision.  However, I hope church leadership will provide additional information on the candidate when it's appropriate to do so but before he's called (if that ends up being the case).   We will trust that God guides this crucial point for BCC.

Lastly, another Vision Night is planned for Wednesday, December 6th at 6:30 PM in the auditorium:

...Our new elders will be introduced, plus we'll be filled in on the lead pastor search and get a financial update. Please make plans to attend this night of worship, communion and information. Children’s programs will be available.

Busy times at BCC.  Kudos to the energy and effort of the staff and leadership to keep working on all fronts even as they're preparing for Christmas. 

Thanksgiving thoughts

I wish everyone reading this a happy Thanksgiving full of all the things that make your life blessed.

Every year it seems I have more to be thankful for.  I know others may not feel that way, justifiably, and pray for better days for those who've lost much this year.  Grant us grace and peace, Father.

In the things I'm thankful for department, I'd like to offer a few thoughts about BCC and Thanksgiving:

I'm thankful for the healing and grace that runs through many of us associated with the events of this past summer.  I'm thankful that, for me, the anger and animosity, disillusionment, fear and disappointment faded quickly. As the weather got colder, it seemed like spring time at church.  There was renewal and new life in many ways.  For example, meeting people and making connections seems easier (to me) than it was a year ago.  I've mentioned before that the Wilson and Plantinga families have been at BCC for the better part of a decade and never connected until now.  What a joy it's been to make new friends that you can look up to and learn from.   Jared leads a Conexus group on Grace. In the beginning, it was a group reading about grace. It's now turned into connected believers extending God's grace to each other.  Randy Thompson:  I never knew him but now he greets me with a hug every Sunday that makes me feel like I really belong at BCC. And Bill West: I admire his faith and sacrifice for God's plan at BCC.  He really stood and faced the storm.  God has made His message for BCC known through this pastor. Lord, thank you for BCC!

I'd love to get your comments below on what you're thankful for as a part of the BCC family.  Let everyone know.

Dr. Foster on "Today"

Although I missed it as it aired locally, you can watch Dr. Foster's appearance on the Today show here. The discussion topic was whether there was a place for religion in modern society.

I won't attempt a full critique of the panel discussion because it was tough to understand everyone's core message in the edited down sound bytes comprising the 5 minute piece. Today anchor Meredith Viera commented that the discussion went on for an hour and a half. Not surprisingly, the issues that divided the panel at the beginning were not resolved at the end. (If they had, wouldn't that be news!)  What I heard is that Dave appeared to be the only one on the panel that didn't come off as more or less divisive.  For example, Dave asked why we can't believe something deeply but still "like each other and have an open conversation".  He might have been the only one on the panel making an effort in that direction.  I don't think the Episcopalian, atheist or the conservative Christian had any use for each other.  By the way, it strikes me that part of the reason we have to argue about things is the labels that are thrown on us..."evangelical", "conservative", "atheist", "episcopalian".  I guess Dave would prefer "Renegade" these days.

The conservative Christian mother was angry that religion was being thrown out of schools.  The Episcopalian wanted the government to treat "everyone equally" and church's allowed to offer same sex marriage ceremonies.  The atheist seemed to be the one caught in the middle, wondering how we can live in the 21st century with "all these competing moral communities".

Dave was identified as an evangelical Christian and author of A Renegade's Guide to God.  Congrats to him on getting a GREAT plug for the new book.

I will say that Dr. Foster was given the first AND last sound byte in the piece: "We talk at each other, we talk about each other and so we all feel in some way assaulted because we caricature each other rather than hearing the honest reasons why we embrace faith or don't embrace faith."

A BCC Happy Hour

Happy Hour is working. Last week I didn't hang around very long. But as I was walking through the concourse about 10:15, I noticed that there was quite a bit of fellowship taking place!  That's just what we had in mind I thought.

This week, our Conexus group finished up at 10 and I was invited to take advantage of the buy one get one free coffee deal.  Much of our group reconvened in the atrium and spent the next hour visiting.  Happy hour is like attending a church health club.  But it's strengthening your relationships not your muscles.  My new friend Emily has an exciting job interview this week. If it's God's will, she will soon be making an impact on young college students right here in Nashville.  Brack and Joy have a beautiful baby girl. She has Joy's eyes and Brack's mouth.  I got to hold her and someone said I was good with babies.  That made me smile inside.   JJ told her step-mother (who is more like her sister) that she was the best in the world.  Along the way, other BCCers stopped to say hi and people got introduced.  Dave Clark had good news about his daughter Rachael who is officially going on staff.  Dave Clark also ran into Dave Foster this week, which was interesting to hear.  Bill West got offered a Happy Hour Dr. Pepper by a boy who had one to spare.  Bill doesn't drink Dr. Pepper, but he took it to find a friend who did.

I was asked during this time how I thought BCC was doing.  And it turns out I'm not the only one that thinks BCC is better than ever despite the challenges we face.   We're finding out what it means to be a church family; how family members lean on each other when times get tough and those relationships grow stronger.

Around the BCC Happy Hour table,  The Jesus Creed comes to life.  Here's how Scott McKnight expresses it:

A spiritually formed person loves God by following Jesus and loving others.
As an expression of loving God and loving others, a spiritually formed person embraces the stories of others who love Jesus.
-The Jesus Creed by Scott McKnight

From my viewpoint, BCC is better than ever.  We need to share it now more than ever.

Dr. Foster going on national television

David Foster has been booked to appear on NBC's Today show Next Tuesday, November 14.  An message sent out to Foster's e-mail list says, in part:

Tune into NBC's "Today Show" on Tuesday morning, Nov 14 when Dr. Foster will be part of a panel discussing Faith with Meredith Viera during the show's series, "The Mystery of Faith."

The Today Show airs locally on WSMV Channel 4 from 7am - 10am.  Click here for details on "The Mystery of Faith" series.

BCC Hip-Hop Part II

Wizzup!

Last month I titled a post BCC Hip-Hop after a weekend service featuring a hip-hop arrangement during the worship music.  Although I didn't say much then, a couple things have now come to my attention so here goes...

Including the worship music lead by Paul and the Jason Pettus reunion, this was as good as any BCC service has been.  That's why I was surprised irritated to hear from Paul that he got anti-hip-hop email messages.  This is what he had to say:

Man... I dunno if you were talking about having rap/hip-hop on stage that weekend, because I can say I was a bit disheartened that I received email that said they REALLY didn't like it. I am SOOOOO FOR diversity in our worship music....and I am glad you enjoyed it. God was using Lamont's gifts to bring a truly powerful element to the worship service. I hope we can do it more...

People, here's a BCC news bulletin: The music is going to be different than what you would hear at Woodmont Baptist Church, although they have an excellent choir.  Thank goodness the music team at BCC doesn't allow our untraditional music to become traditional.  "And now please turn to the salsa section of your hymnals."

Want more rap my brothers and sisters?  Check this out y'all. 

New York Episcopal priest the Rev. Timothy Holder, who goes by the rap name "Poppa T," created the HipHopEMass two years ago after an armed hostage situation at his South Bronx church made him focus on the neighborhood's younger generations.

Using rap music and the hip-hop vernacular, he got the attention of some teenagers and young adults, going on to hold about 75 hip-hop inspired services around the country over the past two years, attracting from 12 to several thousand people.
-Hip-hop worshipers hope to spread the rap/Reuters News Service - Nov. 6.

You've heard of The Message paraphrased version of the Bible?  How about this?

The success of his HipHopEMass services prompted him to pull together "The Hip Hop Prayer Book," with morning and evening prayers, psalms, Bible stories -- in hip-hop language.

For example instead of the 23rd Psalm "The Lord is my shepherd," his flock says: "The Lord is all that, I need for nothing, he allows me to chill."

Word out.

God on the Go

We are a come as you are church: Jeans, shorts, T-shirt, flip-flops, cell phone...

CELL PHONE?  Uh no, that you have to silence or better yet leave it in your car.

But in a spiritual application of "if you can't beat 'em, join em", the word of God has gone mobile. 

The latest cellphone technology brings new meaning to the notion of hearing God's call.

Media-savvy ministries are adapting their message for a new generation of phones, which have memories capable of holding entire books and playing videos and music.

From mini-sermons to texted blessings, companies are now tapping the ubiquitous cell phone as another channel to reach the religious on the go.

Is this a case of trying to put God in the palm of your hand because you're too busy to read the bound version of the Bible or attend a worship service?  Or is God using technology to reach people where they are listening?

If you'd like, look over this article and let me know what your take is.  I'd love to see some comments on this thing :)

Gen Y Marketing

I spend my weekdays serving clients at a direct marketing agency here in Nashville. I watch a number of blogs on a daily basis to see what others are talking about regarding different aspects of marketing.

One of the blogs that I think is very well done is Ypulse, a often updated site focused on news & commentary about Generation Y for media and marketing professionals.

Considering that BCC is concerned with growing the Wired and the Source ministries, I think Ypulse is the kind of site that can help our church marketing to teens not (stink), so to speak. 

I'm the first to admit that I'm not tuned in to what tweens and teens are into.  Did you know that e-mail is already old-school?