Author: Nate Edmondson

Just teach em the good book

/ Nate Edmondson / 14 Comments

I’ve been to a lot of youth groups. Like a million or something. The reason there are so many youth group stereotypes is because they’re all about the same.

Now, recently everybody has caught onto the whole “millennials are leaving the church” thing. A bunch of people are proposing a bunch of different reasons for why, and offering a bunch of different strategies to fix it.

I thought I’d share my opinion.

  • The problem: nobody knows the Bible anymore.
  • The solution: teach people the Bible.

“Nah, that won’t work.” Yea, because dodgeball, stupid intro games, stupid videos, and stupid stories from the youth pastor have been working so well.

Even the “serious” part of youth groups is pretty stupid these days. Here’s how a typical youth group message goes:

  • Stupid intro story about when the youth pastor was in high school
  • Reading of one verse
  • No explanation of the verse
  • Application of the verse: “Guys, God loves us… and we can change the world. We just need big faith that He can do it. Here, read this book Sun Stand Still.

(The Sun Stand Still thing is just a joke.)

Now, please hear me. I don’t mean to disrespect you if you’re a youth pastor. I especially don’t mean to belittle your desire to help students encounter God. But here’s the thing: the reason students are leaving the church when they get to college is because they don’t believe anything significant enough about Christianity to keep them once they get there.

Here are the core things we teach:

  • God and Jesus love you no matter what
  • You should be a good person
  • You should change the world

The problem is, all of that is sexy in the world right now without the church.

  • God and Jesus love you no matter what… because for God to refuse to accept someone would be intolerant… so of course God loves us no matter what
  • You should be a good person… exactly. We should all be nice so we can live peacefully and in harmony
  • You should change the world… totally! Look at Tom’s shoes, he’s really making a difference! Oh, and we should stop human trafficking!

Please hear me. People desperately need Jesus Christ. Jesus is only found one place. All the Scripture leads back to Him. So let’s just teach it. Let’s make our primary strategy to teach God’s Word. We have to help students see that the Bible addresses the issues they’re dealing with, and that it’s the voice they need to obey, because it’s the only voice that’s true 100% of the time.

As long as we boil Christianity down to a few core ethical principles, people won’t be sticking around. They get those everywhere.

The tension in planning the future

/ Nate Edmondson / 2 Comments

I spend a lot of time thinking about the future. What I want to do, where I want to do it, who I want to do it with. The more I think about this stuff, though, the more I’m confronted with a tension I don’t know how to manage. I think there are 2 major camps for approaching this tension.

Comfort Zone Camp

  • The best way to serve God is by stepping out of your comfort zone.

Find Your Gifts Camp

  • The best way to serve God is by doing what God has wired you to do.

So here’s the tension: Is the fact that I love something a clue as to how God wants to use me… or is the fact that I don’t enjoy something a clue as to how God wants to show His power in my weakness?

Here’s how this plays out:

  • If I love living in City A but hate living in City B, which one do I live in?
  • If I love doing gift A but hate doing gift B, which one do I do?

Obviously it’s not a black and white tension, and there is wisdom in both camps. I don’t think God expects me to know exactly what He wants me to do, so I’m not asking how to ‘know His will’ as much as I’m asking for guidance in making decisions that put me in the best position to serve Him and honor Him.

What do you think? How do you manage the tension? What camp do you tend to lean towards? How would you advise discerning when to go with what camp?

Nope, we aren’t there yet

/ Nate Edmondson / 2 Comments

Wednesdays are the day this summer I’m going to be writing specifically about what I’m learning at Seacoast Church, though most of my posts this summer are probably influenced in some way by my experiences here.

I have the privilege of going to some really important meetings with some really important people.  It can be humbling and make you feel like you don’t know very much, but it can also be an incredible opportunity to learn. Recently I was in one of these meetings with the executive team of the church when they began talking about realigning to the vision of the church. As they were talking, one of the guys in the room made a great statement.

A leader’s answer to the question, “Are we there yet?” should always be no.

A leader knows that you never arrive.  A leader knows that you never accomplish everything there is to accomplish. A leader is driven by pursuing what’s unattainable.

Think about that. A church leader’s journey has no earthly destination.

  • “Well… we finally planted enough churches.”
  • “Well… we finally reached as many as we can reach.”
  • “Well… everybody’s finally fully devoted.”

We know we’ll never make any of those statements. The temptation, though, is to lead like we will.

  • “If we could ever just hit x-number of people.”
  • “If we could just get 75% in small groups.”
  • “If we could ever just launch ________.”
  • “When we get a building…”

Attainable goals are great. But goals aren’t destinations. Goals are tools to help you move forward. And the ultimate goal is to always be moving forward. Why? Because you’re never ‘there yet.’

Determining the ideal world

/ Nate Edmondson / Leave a comment

Recently I was having lunch with a good friend. During one of our conversations, I began to explain some dreams I have about what the church could look like someday. Before I got too far, he said, “Yea, the problem is… practically I don’t know how that could ever work.”

Now, practicality is a great thing. ‘Head in the cloud’ conversations have the potential to really annoy me if they last too long. While this is true, I also think we need to be wise about where practicality fits. Here’s why:

Failure to identify the ideal world results in mediocrity and obscurity in the real world.

If you are going to lead a church that has a clear vision on how to best make disciples, you have to take time to think ideally before you think practically.

  • Thinking ideally says: “Here’s what this would look like in a perfect world.”
  • Thinking practically says: “In light of what we would do in a perfect world, here’s what we’ll do in the real world.”

If you don’t take the time to imagine what everything would look like in a perfect world, you’re not going to be clear on where you’re going in the real world. If I don’t know what all my structures would be like if everything were perfect, how can I begin to make strategies and structures that are as close to perfect as possible?

You can’t evaluate something when perfection hasn’t been defined.

In order to pursue excellence and clarity, you have to determine the ideal world before you plan the real world. Don’t discredit the ideal world just because it isn’t very practical. It’s not supposed to be. It’s a different step in the process.

So, in a perfect world, what would your ministry look like? If you don’t know, chances are good that you’re not very close to it.

Teaching an eternal perspective: song review

/ Nate Edmondson / Leave a comment

This summer one of the songs that I’ve heard continually on Christian radio stations is the song “He Said” by Group 1 Crew. It’s a catchy song, and I personally like poppy type stuff, so I enjoy the song for the most part.

While I think the song sounds OK, I can’t help but get frustrated every time I hear it.

Here are some of the lyrics, and then I’ll explain what frustrates me.

So your life feels like it don’t make sense
And you think to yourself, ‘I’m a good person’
So why do these things keep happening?
Why you gotta deal with them?

You may be knocked down now
but don’t forget what He said, He said

I won’t give you more, more then you can take
and I might let you bend, but I won’t let you break
and No-o-o-o-o, I’ll never ever let you go-o-o-o-o
Don’t you forget what He said

Now, here are my 2 basic problems with this song:

1. It assumes that if you’re a good person, you shouldn’t have to deal with any confusion or suffering in life. 

The first verse essentially affirms the idea that if I think “Hey, I’m a good person” then I have justification to never experience any pain, misunderstand my circumstances, or feel like God is silent. That’s simply not true, and frankly, whether or not I think I’m a good person is irrelevant. God is the judge of goodness.

2. God didn’t say most of the stuff they claim He said.

God never said, “I won’t give you more than you take.” Never. Here’s what He did say:

  • “You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.” John 16:33 HCSB
  • “Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” James 1:2-3 HCSB

The hope believers have in the midst of terrible circumstances is not that God will “let us bend but not let us break.” The hope we have is that God will ultimately get vengeance on evil and transform our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body.

Let’s do a better job of teaching an eternal perspective in our little Christian subculture. I don’t mean to be “that guy” who throws shots at people, but I feel like this is an important issue. I mean no disrespect to the artist. I do mean to critique their message.

How can you begin thinking eternally in your daily decisions? How can you lead your followers to do the same?