Have we arrived at a critical mass of information/commentary/ideas from the grassroots of the COG to affect real and substantial change in the COG? That has been suggested to me by multiple, diverse individuals, including denominational officials. It’s passed through my mind as well. I’ve also watched in how I’ve been perceived and treated by people and how that has changed. I would say that if we haven’t reached critical mass, I certainly believe we are on the verge of a grass roots information revolution.
BLOG REVOLUTION?
Yesterday, on my personal blog, I had 998 unique readers, a hair above the average of 30 daily I had three + years ago (mostly consisted of my wife, parents, and others who felt forced to read). Half way through today, MissionalCOG.com has just over 300 unique readers. It will probably end up around 700 unique readers today. More importantly COG bloggers are coming out of the woodwork, sharing their thoughts transparently (unpolished, uncorporate…is that a word?), and building social and intellectual capital. The flywheel is spinning. I don’t think anyone can stop it at this point if they wanted to.
There has been enough daily activity that I haven’t quite been able to keep up with the new additions to the blogroll and tweaks needed in design and hosting. As of this writing, even Jonathon Stone’s blog is not correctly pointing to the killer addition to the COG BLOG community (the link is correct here). You really should check it out. Jonathon is a sharp mind, a big heart, and familial capital that disarms his pointed ideas and shocking blog title.
PEOPLE MISSING FROM THE DISCUSSION
The striking observation apparent to me is who is missing from the conversation. I guess in the COG, it began with “Doyle’s website” as it is affectionately (or not so much…depending on who you are) referred to. I began posting on his site back in the Orchids and Onions days on www.newsnet.org. Some referred to it as the National Enquirer of the COG.
I love the place. I love Doyle and the contribution he’s made to the communication culture of the COG also. He’s the first one that ever provided a place for the COG everyman to have a voice. I write on Actscelerate pretty much everyday. I’ve been writing under my own name for about 3 years. Before that, I was the Old TIme Country Preacher! (just kidding, maybe).
When guys like Mike Chapman, Tom Sterbens, Marty Baker, and others began posting with their name, it became apparent to me that our denomination’s tight reins on what was being said and where it was being said and by whom it was being said was over.
COG DISCUSSION FORUM EXPERIMENT
Now, the Church of God took a stab at a discussion forum pre-General Assembly 2005. It was hosted by the Ministerial Development office. In addition to their regular forums which I participated in, They created forums for each member of the Executive Committee right around the time when the Tithe of Tithe cut was big news and a lot of pressure was being leveled on that issue. I figured that forum would be a good place to ask the General Overseer whether or not he wanted to see the TOT cut. My post was deleted 3 times and then that forum was shut down.
When I called the Ministerial Development office to find out what happened, I got a response that sounded like it was being read from a sheet of paper. When I pressed into find out what was up, the answer was, “I’m just doing what I was told to do.”
It became obvious to me that while our Globe was in the middle of an information revolution, corporate COG wanted little to do with it. It was too messy and out of control. Occasionally, reports of denominational leaders castigating the internet would pop up. I haven’t heard that in a while. In fact, if I heard it today, I would laugh out loud at the insecurity and write about how funny and uncharacteristic of our age that mentality is.
Anyway, that COG Discussion Forum experiment was quickly shelved and others would take the lead on facilitating conversation…novices like me.
Fast forward three years. Slowly and surely, blogs have begun to appear. They were authored by COG guys. Sometimes, they dealt with expressly COG topics. Other times and more frequently, they were blogumentary communities built and maintained by guys who happened to be COG. I tracked every blog I could using tools like Google Blog Search, Technorati, Feedburner, and Google Reader to see what was popping its head up as well as to track who was linking to my blogs as well.
EARLY COG BLOGGERS
Some of the guys that jumped on the blogwagon early besides myself that I know of were guys like Mike McMullin, Clay Noe, Darrell Garret, Pete Zefo (now open only to invited readers), Jonathon Stone, Tom Rosson, and Henry Haney. The list has grown and contracted with time. Their blog focuses have changed over time as well.
That list is actually quite large now, showing no signs of slowing. The traffic is plentiful. The response is significant. The bloggers are writing freely and openly, discharging their thoughts with candor and great insight. The contributors on the blogs are participating openly as well freely expressing counter-corporate sentiments.
BLOGGING INFLUENCE
Without a doubt, blogging has a HUGE future in the denomination. I have believed this for some time. But, it was reinforced to me at a breakfast with Dennis McGuire about 5 weeks ago at the Sheraton Airport Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Without getting into particulars, the conversation that is taking place here and at Actscelerate and other blogs is absolutely shaping our future. Our denominational leaders are slowly learning what that means for our future, as are we.
One thing I do know is that the dam is leaking. Plugging the leak with a finger isn’t going to stem the tide of the force on the other side of the wall. We need to understand that the only way we will be able to shape the conversation is to participate by wading into the arena of ideas and having challenging dialogue. Ideas need to compete on an even playing field with the best ideas winning and the poorer ideas dying a quick death.
Ignoring what is happening, boycotting it, or thinking that blogging is for another generation will only diminish one’s leadership ability. At a recent Top 100Pastors meeting, someone publicly bragged about how they had never visited Actscelerate. The response was that that was no noble proclamation. We need to understand this culture’s communication means and participate, unless we continue to be dragged apart separated off into two totally different worlds.
OBSERVATIONS
- The bloggers are mostly pastors, teachers, staff pastors, and students. There is an occasional denominational administrator sharing their thoughts.
- While bloggers are doing their part to shape conversation, denominational leaders are absent. They certainly have been careful in their open participation on Actscelerate, they’ve also been tepid in their reception of the blogosphere. Smart leaders will change this and participate or be crowded out of the field of a rapidly changing communication culture.
- Bloggers are building circles of influence. The more honest, straight-forward, and challenging they are, the better received they are. Cautious and guarded comments are seen as disingenuous and social capital is lost.
- Absence from the blogosphere will be crippling to the impartation of ideas and the building of coalitions.
- The days of missives are over. We’ve entered a culture of permission marketing. If you don’t earn my attention, you won’t get it…regardless of the massive quantities of forests cut down to produce your stacks of denominational letters. They become yet another piece of noise in the chaos existing between the people I listen to and me.
So, the rules have changed. The communication game is the same. I have ideas I want to share. There is feedback, I’d like to hear. But, if you don’t know how to get the ideas to me and if you don’t know how to engage me with feedback, we’ll remain disconnected and the cultural earthquake will continue on with or without you or with or without me.
QUESTIONS
- Is there an Information Revolution afoot in the COG?
- Is there a COGblog revolution?
- Has critical mass needed for substantive change arrived?
- Are we on the verge of having enough people participating in the conversation about the future of the COG that real and substantial change can take place, beating back the forces of status quo?
- Or is the light at the end of the tunnel still invisible to the naked eye?
- Who would you most like to see enter the blogosphere? Name names.
- Who do you think is least likely to enter?
- What are the ramifications if they do/don’t?
- What do you hope the ramifications are?
- Is it possible for a few handfuls of idealistic cultural architects to reshape the denominational landscape leveraging the power of words spoken in the arena of ideas?
- If so or If not, what words of caution do you have?
- What words of hope/encouragement can you share?
- What COGbloggers do you know of that aren’t on our blogroll on the right? Let us know so we can get them on the COGblogwagon.
Filed under: COG Blog, Web/Tech, Weblogs, church of god, leadership, marketing, technology, trends
Hey Trav, you may want to check out and add Brett Seals (http://brettseals.com/) who is pastoring out in NY.
Travis, great, great stuff. Yes, I really believe that we have a info rev happening. It is about time!! These conversations used to be in the halls of the church or at camp meetings and/or GA. But pretty under the breath if you know what I mean?
I believe that there are many more bloggers on the horizon. I know that is an understatement on my part but it is what it is! Yes the critical mass has arrived and is much larger that we all may have expected.
Personally, I say let the any ramifications come. I am looking at both positive and a negative reaction to what is happening. This will only bring positive results to what is beginning to happen or should I say what has been happening for years and is now being addressed intellectually and affectively.
Nations have been changed by a few who were courageous enough to step up to the plate and “fight” for what should be. If we believe change can come then let’s get after bringing it!
Words of caution: throw them to the wind. The only caution that may be addressed is that if the wrong people who have no idea what is really happening begin to cloud or clog the conduit that is being created here. How to stop that is another story.
This is how change begins and this is how it is brought about in its totality. Ideals and people partner and enormous wonderful and positive change comes. Again, bring it on people, all your designs and words of power. We can make this happen together.
I trust and hope, thoroughly, that we all together, will bring the change that is needed. Let us all be highly encouraged that our thoughts and concerns are being read, as you have so amply pointed out in your reflection of the amount of “visits” that are happening. They are being pondered and I will not be surprised if it does not somehow come up at the GA this year. Not as an agenda item of course, but the whispering will become open discussion among the people who desire this must needed discussion for change in our denomination. I will check my list of bloggers and let you know.
Thanks again for your willingness to share and take hold.
Travis. WOW! Every revolution reaches a recognizable genesis (though the true genesis reaches back where only God can see) at some definitive moment when a manifesto is declared (whether written, spoken, or lived out). I don’t know if there is a revolution coming or not. But I know that your post sounded a whole lot like a manifesto. So, it roused in me a spectrum of emotions, but certainly much excitement and resolve.
Your thoughts and your questions could take a whole forum to discuss. So, I will not even attempt to give a full response at this point. But I must start somewhere. So here are a few thoughts.
(1) The view from the top of a centralized government may view pastors, educators, and staff members as the grassroots, but we in fact do not represent the grassroots. From an organizational perspective we are more what you would call “key members/leaders.” Thus, I suggest that the bigger momentum push would not come from adding another layer from the top (i.e. state and departmental administrators), but rather by adding a layer from the bottom (i.e. members, students, and attendees). This would represent a grassroots movement capable of the type of force that we might call a revolution.
(2) We relocated from the mission field (Prague) to Cleveland, TN in August. I took a hiatus for from blogging for several months. About a month ago the Lord started in me a process that led to my new “No Future” blog (I’ll share that story another time). Once I launched the blog and made a few posts I went around to other blogs in order to rejoin the conversation. What I found was a marked difference from even 5 or 6 months ago. That led me to the same conclusion, that we may be approaching some sort of critical mass.
(3) This is globilization at work here, right out of Thomas Friedman’s bestseller, “The World is Flat.” But it is currently dominated by Americans (a certain type of Americans at that). Another level of momentum will happen when the dialogue becomes truly international. There is no reason that it cannot. And if the perception that it is now “safe to blog” continues then I see no reason why international pastors and members would not want to join the conversation.
(4) Globilization has both positives and negatives, as Friedman notes. But it’s here to stay. So, even if there are cautions we have no real choice but to move forward.
(5) I would not say I have much in terms of caution. But I will say this: I have a fear of the Lord about mocking that which is clearly, terminally ill. The church is the bride of my Lord. Since the Lord is my King that makes the church my Queen. And I want to address the Queen with the honor that is due her. However, I want to qualify that by saying I have not seen much, if any mocking.
(6) I want to pace myself. I do not want to get ahead of the Lord. Neither do I want to lag behind.
(7) I want to mobilize. I have visions of a mighty army marching. I would give my life to march in that army, marching for my Captain (my Lord). I will not break rank and will gladly expend my life to carry out the mission.
What I see is:
“They run like mighty men, They climb the wall like soldiers; And they each march in line, Nor do they deviate from their paths. They do not crowd each other, They march everyone in his path; When they burst through the defenses, They do not break ranks” (Joel 2:7-8).
Wow Travis! Where do you find the time to write so much?
I would like to comment on everything but I will resist the temptation…
I agree that we are at a critical juncture in the history of our denomination. The COG began as a movement among people in humble circumstances; dispossessed and not highly esteemed. It seems right that God would initiate this hopeful time of crisis through young people (60 and under) who lack political power yet are passionate and powerful in the Lord.
These people have found in the blogosphere a place to be heard and a place to expose the things that had been hidden and denied. Like Brian Hunter’s testimony at Engage 21, we can hear the good and the bad and give glory to God for both.
One GIANT potential benefit I see is a way to hold each other accountable, from the least to the greatest. Knowing what is done and said will be discussed openly on the internet by people who fearlessly identify themselves has the potential to be of great benefit to the COG.
Finally, I would like to see a blog from each of our executive committee members, similar to Ed Stetzers Blog. They could tell us what they are doing, experiences they have had and hopes for the future. This would also make them accessible to COG members and ministers around the world.
I hope the COG is at a critical mass for change.. My biggest concern is that a fearful leader could “squash this little blog rebellion.”
Messages are more widely and clearly heard from the top of the ladder than from the grassroots. That’s why I agree that it is imperative that COG leaders begin to blog. But more importantly is WHAT they blog about. We don’t need to hear about how many phone calls they took, or about their most recent preaching engagement. They have to be brave enough to write about the hot topics and the nitty gritty that we’ve been blogging about.
I don’t think the COGblog revolution will be squashed by anyone. I think leadership will continue to ignore it until they cannot ingore it any longer. At some point, a leader will be brave enough to blog, but I hope it will be sooner rather than later.
Once a member of the Executive Committee comes out of the closet and reveals their pen name on actscelerate, then we’ll see change.
While reading this post I kept seeing a day a group of us could get together and have a conference of our own and open to all. We could call it something like The Missional Crossroad Conference. We could gather the needed information that would make the meeting a success by using the missionalcog blog and then formulate the top priorities to address at the meeting. Our goal could be a gathering that seeks the answers to the change needed in order for our body to rise again and fulfill the mission of God in our communities and throughout the world. I can’t help but think of how affective the Conference on Care has been in making churches aware of the need for compassion ministry to be rebirth throughout many of our churches. I can remember being part of the first one many years ago and speaking into the hearts of the hungry for change and watching them embrace the message and return to their home churches and activate their revived heart for compassion ministry. I believe it would be possible to have something similar for the missional mandate we feel God has birthed in our generation. It has been a message to talk about and a message to write about but now we may be getting closer to a crossroad conference to take our voices to the next level.
Thoughts?
Travis,
Thanks for the reference to my blog. FYI, my blog will be opening to the public again shortly. I relaunched in February and needed to “un”launch briefly for some personal reasons.
Even though I have left “the tribe,” the tribe is still a part of my Christian heritage. Thank you for including me on this blogroll.
wow…there’s a lot here. All of it good stuff so far.
I feel like a call has gone out for sons and daughters to return. May they find peace and healing in their journey home.
Jon,
Your comments regarding a “real grassroots” movement are interesting and insightful. Here are a few barriers:
1. I protect my people from too much COG political influence. The times we’ve opened up our church to participate in denominational activities have been borderline disastrous. My number 1 goal with our people is to develop them as followers of Christ not expose them to inner familial turmoil.
At the last S. FL Winter Camp Meeting, the speaker, who was otherwise good, blasted churches who serve lattes. It was stupid and unnecessary. I’m not going to subject my people to the brutality of poorly communicated words.
So, what do I do? I develop me people and find connection points for them away from abusive family members. I could go on with other examples which include ridiculously manipulative offerings, sensational and untrue stories coming from the pulpit, and others but, it isn’t necessary. You get the point.
2. I’m careful with what we focus on. I only build so much social capital with our people. I want to spend it in the right areas. Whenever I ask them for something big, it takes me a while to build up my capital to ask them to do something else big. I’m not going to ask them to expend themselves in a political fight that even I was hesitant to engage.
Now, with that said, my people are participating in a communication culture…most of our people are. We have bloggers:
http://travjohnson.wordpress.com/lpc-bloggers/
We are inundated with MySpace, FaceBook, Virb accounts. Our people are participating. I’m not going to redirect their attention to fighting political fights when they are engaged in relational battles and reaching their friends and families for Christ. Engaging in a Christian-politico knife fight would be detrimental to that aim.
So, perhaps we are the grassroots, the special members who are key to bringing change. I’m not going to sluff off and expect my people to do the dirty work and in the process, lose their opportunity to be salt and light.
[...] I read a post this morning from a group of Church of God ministers trying to influence the mission through a collective voice. The author of the post makes this observation: Ignoring what is happening, boycotting it, or thinking that blogging is for another generation will only diminish one’s leadership ability… .We need to understand this culture’s communication means and participate, unless we continue to be dragged apart separated off into two totally different worlds. [...]
Travis,
You make some very helpful points. What I hear you saying is that the gap is so large between the administration of the church and the grassroots of the church that it is actually dangerous to try to bring them together at this point. I can relate to that, and have similar stories from working with international pastors and members. So, I hear what you’re saying.
Also, I think you’re probably right in your assessment. It currently would not work out too well. I would add the following suggestions in light of this:
(1) That we continue to explore possibilities for connecting the grassroots, but for now, connecting them with each other. For example, is there another church that has the same type of blogging community as does Life Pointe? And if so, what would it look like for these two communities to intersect in some way in the blogosphere? It may turn out to be impractical, or simply not an interest of the members of the grassroots. But the exploration might still yield some useful fruit in the coming iCOG age.
(2) While I don’t want to get bogged down (or blogged down) in semantics, I would still contend that local members and attendees represent the grassroots of the organization. And that Pastors, leaders, and staff members represent “key leaders/members” of the organization. I think it is helpful to keep this in mind, and the differences in the roles between these two groups.
Your response leads me to think of it this way: (a) The role of the organizational key leaders/members is to influence structure and change on a broad organizational level. (b) The role of the organizational grassroots (our peeps) is to carry out the mission of the church. This could potentially shift how we think about church even in OUR minds, not just the minds of the administration–and probably in the minds of the grassroots as well.
(3) Ultimately, to fulfill our calling and mission in the world we will need the collective force of our grassroots. In order, to empower the grassroots for that calling the key leaders have recognized that we currently need significant organizational change, that the current administration will need to be open to hearing and embracing those changes, that the grassroots will need to be empowered for the mission, and that we (the key leaders–which is the pastors) will need to bridge the gap between the two.
Until Engage21 I didn’t know you guys were doing this.
My only experiences with blogging had been with friends in other communities, and did not realize how far COG blogging had come.
It’s funny because I see names on here of people I haven’t seen since my WCCC days in California…It’s great to know they are still letting their voice be heard. (Keep speaking up Dennis!)
Travis, I was so impressed with you at Engage21, but that only scratches the surface after reading your heart in your blogs.
As for your questions, I don’t have all the answers, but I can’t wait to see how they develop. You (and those you’ve mentioned) have really done a tremendous job to push (or pull) the denom forward.
I’m personally going back and forth over starting my own blog. Most of my sphere of influence is in Interdenominational associations while pastoring COG…and this doesn’t set to well with some. Until I come to my own conclusion I figure I’ll just try to keep up with what everyone else is saying, and respond as I can.
This is an unstoppable forum and I believe the sky is the limit as to what God will do through it…even as I believe the sky is the limit in what God will do through each of those who are taking part.
Blessings,
Darrell B.
I’ll try to come back with a few other responses to what has been posted later, including a response to my own questions about who I’d most like to see start blogging.
I will respond quickly to Darrell. First, thank you for the kind words….appreciated more than you know.
Secondly, go ahead and blog. Your influence will build. My primary blog audience and much of my influence has been totally outside of the denomination. I’ve never once been invited to participate in any formal way on church planting within the COG. But, I’m frequently linked to on church planting websites all over the place outside the COG and have participated in several networks, coaching events, podcasts, leadership discussions, and gatherings on that subject.
I’m not going to wait for the denomination to give me an invite. I will create a place or participate in the creation of places within the denomination where I have a voice. Remember, leadership is earned. Very rarely is leadership conferred. Some of the people who carry leadership titles are the very last people I would look to for guidance. So, create your own path and jump into the conversation.
Hey Trav! Thanks for the reference. I had no idea I was among the pioneers of the COG blogosphere! I am humbled, honored, and now paranoid!! (just kidding about the paranoid part
It has been fun!
Being the “occasional denominational administrator” that Travis is referring to, I think that the COG blog “revolution” is a step forward.
My site has been around since August 1997. (It was my second site; my first was http://www.vulcanhammer.net. The “blog” part of the site dates from 2005, and I went to WordPress the following year. However, I deal with many issues beyond the Church of God, and will continue to do so. Having this and other COG blogs, however, makes it more rewarding to increase my focus on the issues facing this church.
And for those of you like Matt Boyd who are South Floridians, if you’re away from the “old country,” it’s my pleasure to induce a little homesickness!
Warrington,
You gotta love the south floridians!
Don,
Your too kind! I seem to assume the culture or state I find myself in… that is the missional way… the Pauline way… to reach the community the Air Force & the Lord sends me to.
So, today I am a New Mexican! Hola Gringos!
Lots of sand here but I’m still looking for the beach!
[...] Posts A COGblog Revolution?!Prophetic Message to the Church of GodThese Stats Are Eye Opening!The Greatest Church Planting [...]
ARE YOU READY FOR A REVOLUTION?
WOOP! WOOP!
Sorry! This post made me think of Kirk Franklin. Yes, there is a revolution going on in the COG. REvolution–not Rebellion. The word revolution can have three root meanings: rebellion, transformation, or rotation. The revolution we need in the COG is one of transformation, so in that context revolution means change, innovation, reform, or modernization.
The blogs are giving us a platform to speak our hearts. The internet gives us an audience. Our audience is those who want to see the COG take the 21st century by storm, and those who are of the belief that the methods that worked in the 20th century will not work in the 21st. We will not be silenced! Our voice will be heard! Our visions will be published.
God is using the internet and the blogs to communicate reality to a church that is losing its relevance! Thank God!
When I think of what a blogger does, I think of a few different kinds of bloggers:
CAT BLOGGERS – people who post pictures of their kids all the time (or their cats).
BOSS BLOGGERS – people who use their blogs to tell people what to do. They blog primarily to promote a corporate agenda.
VIRAL BLOGGERS – people who use their blogs to share ideas…ideas that are contagious, causes conversation, community, and makes me think.
Guys I would like to see with Viral Blogs are:
Raymond Culpepper
Tony Lane
Mike Chapman
Tom Sterbens (he’s already blogging here and has a blog in development…wish he’d hurry up and get it rockin’)
Marty Baker
David Griffis
David Ramirez (David is someone I’d like to know. He’s a visionary, has done some amazing ministry, and I’d like to hear from him.)
Mitch Maloney
I would like to receive newsnet.org
Thanks
Bro. Catoe,
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Monday, July 7, 2008 – “An IMPORTANT message about the COG General Assembly from MissionalCOG”
As I read through this old post, something comes to my mind…there are still many voices that are absent from the COGBlogosphere. I think just by the nature of the Blogging world still being very foreign to many of our pioneering and retired pastors who have so much to give, unless done by proxy, still so many of them can’t impart their wisdom and experience to the conversation that happens here within the COGBlogWorld. And that concerns me……
Now that I am evangelizing, I’ve been visiting many churches, some ours, some others. And when I visit a church that advertises itself as a “seeker sensitiver” or “emerging style” church, I see that unforunately balance is not a high priority for the leadership. They chosen to “find a market” and style their church to that market, and unfortunately large groups of society are missing. Instead of blending the music, and trying to incorporate all applicable genres and styles in the one service, they alienate someone who loves High Church hymns like myself for example. Or, they are so Technology Driven in their worship that it can be very overwhelming and even frightening to seniors who have never even touched a computer in their life. They haven’t done much planning to try to see their ministry from all sides and attempt to reach them all.
In the BlogWorld, we have so many people that have so much to add to the conversation that aren’t even able to join the party here. How many great retired ministers and ministers wives are in our church, that don’t even own a computer, but have great stories and wisdom to tell. That story of how to handle that “thorn in the side” church member without losing them to bitterness and division. Or how they made ends meet when they couldn’t even hardly keep the lights on at the church. The messages God gave them that changed their congregation and brought them over milestone obstacles.
And another group missing, are guys like me, and even more conservative. Are we still welcome in the denom? We welcome you “emerging church” and “post modern” have church down at the movie theater guys…..but when we post in forums like this one, and even much the more places like Actscelerate, because our view and opinion so contrasts with the common thread of the majority, it takes merely moments before we are talked down to, treated as an outcast, or even just ignored entirely.
We are still part of the family…..and I don’t think that it’s not that we are unwilling to join the conversation, and honestly we want to….but either by the nature of where it is occuring (the internet) or who is conducting it (the more contemporary guys), there are still very vital voices that are not part of the discussion.