Is church’s vitality linked with percentage of seniors?

Lord thanks for the seniors!According to FACT surveys conducted by Hartford Institute for Religion Research, between 2005 and 2008, fewer congregations report they are spiritually vital and alive, have seen worship attendance growth of 2% or more, or have a clear mission and purpose. Just 19% say their current financial health is excellent vs. 31% in 2000. Old-line Protestant congregations confront a special challenge. Their memberships are significantly older than any other faith family. In fact, in nearly six of every ten old-line congregations, 25% or more are 65 or older. This is nearly twice any other faith family and nearly three times as great as evangelical Protestant congregations. One unfortunate corollary of a congregation%s age structure is that on average, the more seniors, the lower a congregation’s vitality.-HIRR Notes 9/9/09

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Who’s your favourite worship leader, dad?

Lord thanks for those who lead us in worship“Who’s your favourite worship leader?” my daughter asked.

We were listening to some worship songs in the car.

I could not answer her immediately. My mind did a quick search.

Don Moen?  Bob Fitts? Michael W. Smith?

Chris Tomlin? Graham Kendrick? or Terry MacAlmon?…

Then my mind went back to church. To the guys that lead us in worship, Sunday after Sunday, dedicated to their And for musicians too I thank youcalling, passionate in honing their craft, waiting on the Lord. They are the ones who together with the music and AV teams  facilitate the church’s worship of God. Each of the worship leader had been used by God to usher us into His felt presence. Some had been used more superlatively than others. For me it had to be pastor Simon Tan.

So I told my daughter, “Simon Tan.”

She smiled.

Maybe she expected me to say Darlene Z, or Clark Kent,  or something like that.

Yes I like them both, but it is when the church gathers on Sunday led by one from our midst that I experience worship in Spirit and truth, so my favourite is a local homegrown.

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Rayson Tan: conversion to Christ

Lord, glory be to your name.Rayson Tan is a Singaporean MediaCorp actor. Before joining MediaCorp, Tan worked as a flight attendant with Singapore Airlines. In 1990, he emerged as the 2nd Runner-Up in Singapore’s Star Search talent competition. He has worked on many different roles and hosted many TV programmes, including the role of Singaporean war hero Lim Bo Seng in the 1997 WWII drama series The Price of Peace and the host for PSC Night in 2006.

Tan has also been nominated for multiple times in the Annual Star Awards, including the “Best Supporting Actor” Salvation belongs to You, O Lordnomination. In 1997, Rayson Tan was voted as one of the top 10 most popular male artistes in Singapore media.

He is married to fellow MediaCorp actress Chen Liping and they have a son.

In 2003, Rayson Tan is sued by Andrea De Cruz in the Slim 10 pills saga. Tan was acquitted of the charges in the lawsuit. (Source: Wikipedia)

Rayson Tan from teachhisword on Vimeo.

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“The Shack”: an Asian pastor’s opinion

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Surprise runaway bestseller

I have just finished runaway bestseller “The Shack” by William P. Young. I like the fact that it was a self-published book and no established secular or Christian publisher wanted to touch it with a ten foot pole. So with $300 and a word of mouth marketing strategy and the power of the internet, the book remained number one on the New York bestseller list for months. It has sold 11 million copies and has been translated into about 30 languages. Everybody loves an underdog who becomes top dog story, including me. It gives us hope.

It took me some time to read the book. It was passed to me in July by a pastor friend during my vacation at the OMF bungalow. I finished the book only last week.

Its a fictional novel that conveys truths about the triune God, suffering, forgiveness, how God wants to heal and relate to us. I would rate it 3 out of 10 as literature, but 8.5 out of 10 for its power to connect with the post modern soul.

Opinions are poles apart

I googled to read up what others have said about this book. I already heard that the book drew lots of bouquets as well as bricks. Many wrote heartwarming testimonies of life changes while others burned it at the stake. Even among well known pastors, professors and writers the opinions are poles apart. Eugene Peterson, Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology at Regent College in Vancouver said, “This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress” did for his. It’s that good.”  Michael W. Smith, songwriter and singer said, “The Shack will leave you craving for the presence of God..” Dr Albert Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary said, “This book contains undiluted heresy”  and Mark Driscoll, the famous pastor of Mars Hill church in Seattle said, “Regarding the Trinity, it is actually heretical.” I have no idea what Simon Cowell said.

Right-brained and left-brained opinions

The opinions of these esteemed men displayed the contrast in views of the right-brained and left-brained readers. The former two read with right-brained creative, intuitive, arty eyes and interpreted it according to its genre, giving it its due artistic latitude, leaving the soul of the book intact. The latter left-brained folks dissected the book with logic, reason, systematization and and the surgeon’s knife of doctrinal precision, identifying the viruses that made the cadaver infectious. The former helps us to see possibilities, gives us the freedom to explore and seek truth, to struggle with dissonance, be frustrated with ambiguity, and search further until conviction grows. The latter seems to stifle exploration of faith, and want to keep everybody safe, orthodox and sound in the doctrine – and that is not all wrong either.

Connects to the postmodern mind

The Shack has a great appeal to this post-modern generation and attempts to answer questions they are asking about suffering, God, the afterlife, church, truth, life and forgiveness. It connects powerfully at gut level. Unlike left-brained, linear books that turn off a visual-fed people with rigid deduction and patronizing didactic outlines, the Shack is more like Jesus’ way of communicating eternal realities: the story. It is a doorway inviting people to explore theology, yes, I said theology. Today people only want pragmatic and practical lists of “how to” sermons and books.  There is a dearth of thinking and meditating about God, doing theology as laypeople. This book has the potential of tempting laypeople to leave the shore of shallow Christian cliches’ and sail beyond familiar waters. I would urge you explore this ocean with a reliable map or navigator.

To read or not to read

Should I read the book? Don’t be swayed by the opinions and reviews of others. Get one and read it yourself. Enjoy the ride with the first read, and if it doesn’t spoil the fun, underline the parts that make theological statements and struck you . In your second reading, go to those highlighted portions and compare it with a left-brained, conservative viewpoint (this is the map) like this detailed review done HERE by Tim Challies, and have a lively discussion or meditation with yourself, a friend or a group. Do not be afraid of theological exploration and debate and ambiguity. Let the journey enrich and deepen your faith.

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Chew Chor Meng: finding the True Way

Lord salvation belongs to you!All Time Favourite Artiste Award

“Chew started his career in MediaCorp Studios after winning Star Search in 1990, a bi-annual nationwide talent search. Since then, he has never failed to make it to the Top 10 Most Popular Male Artistes in Star Awards, an award ceremony for TV personalities, since its inception in 1994. In 2004, Chew was awarded the All Time Favourite Artiste Award as he had garnered a record of 10 popularity awards.

Chew is able to immerse himself so well into his characters that viewers often have a lasting impression of his roles. This was evident when he bagged the Best Actor Award in Star Awards 2000 in Hainan Kopi Tales. His popularity has also spread across the causeway as he was voted the Most Popular MediaCorp Male Artiste in Malaysia.

Converted to Christ

Chew is married to Deon Tan and they have two daughters, born in 2002 and 2004. He revealed during a celebrity talk show in early 2008 that he did not have a happy childhood, often being abused by his overly strict father (a compulsive gambler), who committed suicide when Chew was still in primary school. He began attending a Charismatic church, Renewal Centre from 2007 and was baptized in late November 2008 with his daughters.

Limping while filming

On December 19, 2008, Chew announced during a church event that he was suffering from Kennedy’s disease, a muscular dystrophy illness that resulted in him limping while filming for his latest role as Wang Zhongkun in Love Blossoms II. Chew said that he was diagnosed with the illness in September 2008, and that he alerted the local press as to his condition, but asked the press to not report it yet, as he was psychologically not ready for it. Chew originally planned on officially announcing his illness during the Star Awards 2008 ceremony, due to be held in March 2009. However, signs of his illness can be clearly seen already, and the news was hard to keep under wraps. The illness has also brought on cardiac problems and diabetes for Chew.” (Source: Wikipedia)

Here is his testimony in audio.

Chew Chor Meng from teachhisword on Vimeo.

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