Archive for June, 2011

Community Isn’t a Noun

by Tim Schraeder on 06/21/2011 in Church Communications with 9 Comments

In my new life working as a consultant with churches, one of the areas where I’m noticing churches are focusing a lot of their time and attention is on their name.

Names matter.

Many more traditional churches are losing the name of their denomination in their name, choosing to move away from preconceived notions of particular denominations or faith movements. Others are adopting more hip or trendy names to stir up a sense of intrigue or mystery.

One of the most common words churches use in their names is the word “community.”

For so long in the evangelical tradition we’ve read the story of Acts and the community experienced by the believers of the early church and long for that same sense of awe and wonder to be experienced in our faith communities. Saying you are a “community” doesn’t make you one. Becoming a true community is tough work and it takes far more than adding it to your name.

Community isn’t a noun, it’s a verb. It’s an act of being together. Of sharing. Of giving. Of living life and committing yourself to one another and to the teachings of Christ.

For many churches, small groups are the route to experiencing community and life together. While I know and have been a part of some amazing small groups, I would say that small groups [or community groups, cell groups, whatever you want to call them] aren’t community. I’m not bashing small groups ministries or anything like that… I know they are important. But to me and in many of the churches I interact with, they seem like they are forced “community” that’s based on proximity, common interests or what night of the week is best for your schedule.

Community can’t be scheduled. It can’t be assigned. It doesn’t happen by sitting in a circle for 60 minutes with people you wouldn’t normally associate with and share how work is going or how your struggle is with your “secret sin.”

Community happens organically. It happens when people come together with the common bond of Christ and connect on a level that’s deeper than the surface. It’s not made up of people like you or who share the same viewpoints, hobbies, or zipcode. It’s made up of people of all backgrounds who share the common desire to live for Christ. It takes time, effort, and energy to make community happen.

The beauty of community as Christ intended it is diversity. Different ideas. Different opinions. Different experiences. Different ethnicities. Different ways of living life. That’s just part of being a part of the body of Christ. Each member looks different and has its own function but collectively becomes a living and breathing organism that works together.

We need one another and we need people who are different than us. We don’t need to be all be the same or fit into the same box or stereotypes… we need to live and be who we are as God created us and learn from one another’s uniqueness. Inside each one of us is embedded something beautiful and something wonderful that God wants to bring to bear in the context of community and our relationships with one another.

Community shouldn’t be a noun used to describe your church it should be a verb that embodies the very essence who your church is.

A big buzz phrase today is, “don’t just do church, be church…” I’d like to add, “don’t say you’re a community, just be one.”

Many churches are far from being communities, they are like country clubs or cliques where you have to act, think, and look the same. That’s not inclusive; that’s exclusive. I believe that the true mark of community is a place where everyone is radically loved and radically accepted. Where differences are celebrated and embraced and where we all strive to learn and grow through the uniqueness of one another’s experiences and our love for Christ.

What would people who attended your church for the first time say about their experience? How would they define your church? How are you at including them, not just welcoming them? Would they say they experienced community being at your church? Is community something that truly defines the essence of your church?

So what’s in a name? A lot.

Don’t say you are a community just be one.

Creative Collective Chicago Meet Up

by Tim Schraeder on 06/20/2011 in Just For Fun with 22 Comments

About 2 months ago I shared about the Creative Matters book project that I was priviledged to be a part of. If you missed it, it’s a book that serves as a field guide for the role of creativity in the Church. You can learn more here and download a copy for your Kindle, nook, or iBooks.

To go along with the book, there are Creative Collective Meet Ups happening around the country where you can gather and network with area creatives, get some inspiration… and be back to work by 11 [if you so choose].

The Chicago Creative Collective Meet Up is happening on Wednesday, June 29, from 9-10:30 AM at Soul City Church in Chicago. Tom Ryan, CEO of the incredible Chicago-based T-shirt company threadless will be there to share some ideas as well as Willow Creek’s brilliant creative director [and soon-to-be-author] Blaine Hogan.

If you don’t know about threadless, it’s a community-based design company with an ongoing open-call for design submissions from visual artists. The Threadless community of over 1 million members vote to determine which designs become Threadless t-shirts and other products. A poster child of the “crowdsourcing” trend, Threadless was named by Inc. Magazine as “the most innovative small company in America.”

I think there will be a lot we can learn from him and I’m excited to be there. And, you can come too! Tickets are still available for $29 online, or be one of the first six people to comment below and you can get in with me for free.

Creativity does matter in the life of the Church and if you’re local, I hope you’ll take advantage of this great opportunity to gather, learn, connect, and be inspired.

I’m Alive and Well

by Tim Schraeder on 06/13/2011 in Personal with 6 Comments

Well, the month of May has come and gone and let me say it was pretty crazy.

The first half of the month was a whirlwind… it started in SoCal for the Cultivate Conference, quick trip back to Chicago for the weekend to go to one of the final tapings of the Oprah show, back on a plane to Salt Lake City for work, home in Chicago for 12 hours [and some emergency dental work], on another plane and a short road trip to Michigan for work, back to Chicago for a few hours and back on a plane to San Diego for the weekend with my family.

From May  2-16 I was home for a total of about 36 hours… and 2 weeks, 5 cities, and 12 flights later, I came home on May 16 not feeling well.

The next day I had a fever of 104.

For the next two weeks I had a fever nearly every day between 101-103, night sweats, chills, a loss of appetite and I was exhausted, sleeping over 14 hours a day. I saw my doctor a total of 5 times over the course of 2 weeks and after countless tests, a physical exam, and blood work there was no answer. My diagnosis was “fever of unknown origin.”

Over Memorial Day weekend I still wasn’t feeling well and clocked another 104 temperature.

The next day, after talking with my doctor, I was admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago for testing and observation.

The day before I was checked in to the hospital I broke out in a rash and since there was no clear explanation of what was going on with me I was put in a “containment room.” If anyone came into my room they had to wear a face mask and if I left my room to get a test or walk around I had to wear a mask, too.

Here’s some of my brave friends that came to visit:

To be perfectly honest, I was freaked out. Since all of the tests that had been run on me up to that point had ruled out a lot of the basic ailments that meant that I was probably facing something more serious. The doctors were using words like cancer and lymphoma and ordered CT scans and ultrasounds to look for anything abnormal since there was no clear explanation as to what was going on with me.

Finally, after 3 days, we got some answers… I had a very rare viral infection combined with mono. I first got mono back in October and apparently never kicked it… so, the combination of crazy travel, multiple time zones, lack of sleep, etc earlier in the month brought my mono back full force along with the viral infection that I no doubt contracted somewhere in the midst of my travels. The combination of the two caused my body to wage war with itself, explaining the fevers, night sweats, chills, etc.

I was discharged from the hospital over a week ago and have orders to take it easy, stay off the road for a month and watch myself for any future symptoms.

So, while all of this was certainly trying and crazy, I am so, so thankful that it was nothing serious. Yeah, it sucks to not be 100% well now, but I’m grateful that it’s nothing life-threatening.

I want to thank all of you out there who, through twitter or Facebook, expressed your thoughts, prayers, and concerns. I really do believe that it was your prayers that helped me get through this time and get a good report. I believe in the power of prayer and am thankful to all of you for the prayers that were offered up for me and my health.

I’m feeling much better now but still have to take it easy. I am still sleeping a lot but thankfully the fevers, night sweats and chills have subsided. There is still a little abnormality with my blood work but my doctor doesn’t think it’s anything to be concerned about. So, from the looks of it, I’m well on the road to recovery!

This whole experience taught me a lot. There was literally a day when I wrote an “if anything happens to me…” email it was that bad. I’m thankful that it’s nothing serious and am now very motivated and challenged to take care of myself and be healthier in general. Our life and our health are a gift and we need to steward them well.

Thanks again to all of you out there and to all of my friends who have expressed their support, love and prayers though this ordeal. I am thankful for all of you and for God’s grace in these last few rather crazy weeks.

God is good!