Brian Jensen: Called to be Different

Posted by Kendall Harmon

Rick Richardson is a professor at Wheaton College and the author of a book called Evangelism Outside the Box. He tells the story of a pastor named Dan who realized that his preaching was getting stale. So, with the support of his pastoral team, he took a part-time job at a nearby Starbucks coffee shop. And before anyone even thinks to suggest it, I am NOT taking a part-time job at The Pampered Palate!

So Pastor Dan when to work at the local Starbucks. Much to his surprise, all 21 people he worked with believed in God. Not one of them was an atheist. They were all very positive toward God and toward spirituality.

Yet Pastor Dan was surprised to discover that while they believed in God and were interested in things “spiritual,” he also discovered that they were NOT interested in Christians, Christianity, or the church. No one wanted to hear Dan’s proofs for God, his invitations to church, or his ideas about salvation. Most of them thought they knew what Christianity was all about and had decided they didn’t want it. They were what some people call “post-Christian.”

Read it all.

Filed under: * Christian Life / Church Life • Parish Ministry • Evangelism and Church Growth • Preaching / Homiletics • * Religion News & Commentary • Other Churches

9 Comments
Posted April 3, 2009 at 4:30 am [Printer Friendly] [Print w/ comments]



1. Just Passing By wrote:

Greetings.

If anyone is interested, here is link to an article by the original Pastor Dan [Hill] himself, describing his experience and conclusions.

regards,

JPB

April 3, 6:29 am | [comment link]
2. robroy wrote:

Forwarded this to friends. Thanks for posting.

April 3, 11:14 am | [comment link]
3. Terry Tee wrote:

Sorry but my critical faculty kicked in. Some good material, yes, but too unfocussed. T his sermon is way too meandering.  Back in seminary they had a test for our homilies.  We had to be able to encapsulate in one sentence the gist of the sermon - and whatever that was, it also had to link to the scriptures.  B+ perhaps.

April 3, 4:29 pm | [comment link]
4. centexn wrote:

#3…


But did you not get the gist of his message?  Seems to me more important than whether or not he successfully pleased your critical sensibilities. By the way, you misspelled, unfocused.

April 3, 5:01 pm | [comment link]
5. Laura R. wrote:

Terry Tee, I had precisely the same reaction to the sermon.  The story of pastor Dan was interesting but then the preacher veered too far away from it.

April 3, 5:45 pm | [comment link]
6. Laura R. wrote:

I should add:  the point of the sermon, the necessity of a Christian’s living in the world with integrity, is an important one.  We ought to be preaching well by how we live our lives.

April 3, 5:48 pm | [comment link]
7. Rob Eaton+ wrote:

Whaddya want?! It’s got a nice plug to let us know that Kendall actually does some pastoral work—or at least it seems so….
:  )

Really, though, along with some others dissatisfied with where the sermon went, I’ve decided it simply is missing the ending.

April 3, 6:49 pm | [comment link]
8. Rob Eaton+ wrote:

Just Passing By,
Thanks for posting the link.
The Episcopal Church in our North American context has been so much more successful in drawing in the Post-Christian soul, rather than reaching out and evangelizing the Pre-Christian.  The work at River City seems especially convertable to our lingo.  As long as we are not neglecting how to be evangelists to the 25% pre-Christian crowd.

April 3, 7:05 pm | [comment link]
9. libraryjim wrote:

The Church is becoming too insular.  WE have our own bookstores, radio and tv stations, etc. Many churches are even installing coffee shops (with names like “Holy Grounds” or “Heavenly Brew”) with their own “baristas” to keep parishioners from having to go to Starbucks or other coffee shops in the mornings.

One blog, Orthodixie, even listed a humorous list of ‘blends’ for such shops:

the St Thomas Cup … so good for ya you’d doubt it was Real.
The St Augustine Blend … it starts out a little bitter, but finishes good.
The St Nicholas Nip … guaranteed to make you love children and slap a heretic.
The St Maximos the Confessor Cup … so strong, you’ll be the last one standing.
Seven Sleepers of Ephesus … ahem, Decaf!
Sinner that I am, I’d, no doubt, stick with the ol’ standby: St Moses the Black.

Keep smiling, and have a blessed Holy Week!
Jim Elliott <><
Florida

April 4, 9:36 am | [comment link]
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