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Starting this Sunday through Wednesday, I get the awesome opportunity to encourage students in Mercer and Boyle counties at the Fuel Student Ministry Event.  Four nights.  Over 400 students came last year.  Multiple churches participating in organizing the event.  To be held at the Mercer Co. 9 Grade Academy.

I am very humbled to be invited.  It has been a while since I had the chance to preach/teach direct to students.  They can be an intimating bunch.  But God is faithful.  His word reaches all generations.

Here are the titles of the messages I will be sharing each night:
Sunday Night  (Commissioning Service) – What Are You Afraid Of?
Monday – Is This It?
Tuesday – Do Hard Things.
Wednesday – The Secret Life of the American Teenager.

Think Again about Small Groups. Saturday, November 7. Great workshop for church leaders and those seeking to disciple more people for Christ.

If you would like to listen to the message I preached Sunday at Living Grace Church, it is available here.  Or on iTunes, keyword “Living Grace Church.”  The message is entitled The Sheep Herder taken from Psalm 23:3.

Models of Academic Governance and Institutional Power in Southern Baptist Related Liberal Arts Colleges and Universities.

Garrison – Michael Shane (pdf version)

This fall God has opened up some great ministry opportunities for me, Jennifer, and for Maple Trail Ministry Consultants, our little consulting firm.  If you want to check in on what we are up to go to www.mapletrail.org.

One of my students is David Lee (known as DLee).  He is a sports ministry major in the School of Theology.  He is a great young man, fully of life, charisma and southern charm.

His father, Tommy Lee of Monroesville, AL, was recently featured in a Western Recorder article for his ministry with Pilots for Christ.  Here is the link.

DLee comes from a great family and we are proud of what God is doing in his life and in his dad’s.

Not all of these are Gen. X-only inventions, but we have pushed and pushed for them to be fully embraced into the life of the 21st century American Evangelical mindset.  Some inventions are good.  Some, not so good.  Would you add any to my list?

1. Contemporary Christian Music in the Church (Tomlin, Redman, Dave Crowder)

2. Small Group Discipleship

3. Application-Driven Preaching

4. Preaching through Topical Series (i.e. family, marriage, finances, forgiveness)

5. Expanded Children’s Ministries & the Children’s Pastor

6. Sound & Lighting Technology in the Church

7. Modern Praise & Worship Movement (i.e. Praise Bands, no organ)

8. Ending of Revivalism and Evangelistic Crusades

9. Ending of Church Visitation Programs

10. New Church Names without Denominational Ties (i.e. The Bridge, Journey Church, LifeChurch, Mosaic)

11. The Missional Church Philosophy (being a missionary in your own neighborhood)

12. The Emergent Movement (postmodern approach to church life)

13. Re-embracing Calvinism & Reformed Theology (the opposite of the Emergent Movement)

14. Church Marketing & Branding (i.e. websites, ministry brands – Xtreme, 412 Student Ministry, Elevation)

15. Casual Dress on Sundays

16. Preaching with Movie Clips

17. No Pulpits

18. Pastors in Jeans and Sandals

19. Coffee House Ministry & Serving Coffee @ Church

20. Online Podcasts & Sermon Audio

21. Blogging Devotions & Commentary on Current Events

22. Creative Movement/Interpretative Dance

23. Ending of Denominational Loyalty (what fits my needs is what I seek)

24. Ending of Church Membership Loyalty (I can attend without being a member)

25. Words on the Screen (no hymnals in pews…wait, we don’t have pews either, we prefer stadium seating)

Generation X is leaving a major mark on the church.  The question is whether or not the mark is permanent or erasable.

I will be leading 2 workshops tomorrow for the KBC Super Saturday in Somerset.  This is my last Super Saturday for 2009.

I have been humbled by the faithfulness and integrity of these men (and a few women).  Having never been a deacon, it is hard for me to related directly to their position.  But I will tell you, the deacons at Main Street really are the ones that should be giving these talks.  Their life and ministry is the standard by which I train these conference participants.

What I learned there is what I am teaching now.  There was a little article in the Western Recorder (Sept. 1) about the Peacemaking session I led.

Watch or listen to “The 18 Years” from September 6, 2009 – Dr. Shane Garrison from Parkway Baptist Church on Vimeo.

CNE – This is for you.

My role as a college prof put me in direct contact with Millennials.  Millennials are the generation that falls between the ages 12-26.  I am from Generation X (Nirvana & Saved By the Bell rules).  We all know of the Baby Boomers.  My grandparents are the remaining Builders.

Millennials are tech-savvy, postmodern-thinkers who find themselves to be socially liberal, anti-demoninational, and somewhat skeptical of the church, organized religion or people who claim to be “Christian.”

Therefore teaching the Bible and the Christian faith to Millennials can be a challenge.  No topic is more difficult than sin.  Millennials do not like to be referred to as sinners.  They don’t want anyone calling them sinful and they will not judge others for their sin.  What is right/wrong for me has NOTHING to do with what is right/wrong for you.

This is postmodernity at it heights: fully tolerant, non-judgment, anti-absolute truth, and accepting of all moral codes (or lack thereof).

So how do you teach Genesis 3, the fall of Adam, and the beginning of sin in all humankind?  How do I tell them they are sinners stained by the curse of sin without telling them they are sinners stained by the curse of sin?

Here is my attempt (taken from class – Sept. 3, 2009)

Friends, I will never call you a sinner…but you can call me one.  Because I am a sinner.

I will never point my finger at the sin in your life, but you can point out my sin.  You can all me a low-down, dirty rotten sinner and you would be right… because that is what I am.

If you knew the thoughts in my head or the things in my heart, you would think they should never let me teach in a Christian school or preach a sermon in a church.  If you knew the battles I fight against the sin in my life, you might be shocked.

But I will never, ever call you a sinner…but you can call me one.  And you would be exactly right.

Watch or listen to the sermon “The 18 Fallen” preached August 30, 2009 – Dr. Shane Garrison from Parkway Baptist Church on Vimeo.

Now officially a Garrison family tradition.  We took our boys to the KY state fair two weekends ago.  They love the excitement, the rides, and the animals.

Isaac and Ethan had visitors for a couple days last week.  We named the two kittens Cookie and Cinnamon Toast.  Cookie was Isaac’s toy for a day.  We are glad to announce they went back to their home.

Cinnamon Toast was too quick to photo.  Cookie liked the camera.

Got the doctoral regalia last week.  Expensive, but rewarding.

Sorry I couldn’t get the pic to turn around.

Part 4 of 5-part series on the Purpose Driven Church

In the past 12 years, the term “fellowship” has become outdated.  The new word is “community.”  Community groups.  Building community.  Community life.  Community churches.

No one uses the term “inreach” anymore to describe the local body of believers serving and loving one another.  At  one time fellowSHIP fit right alongside worSHIP and discipleSHIP, but that ship has sailed. In 2009, we seek to build community or a “common union” among our people.

For me, growing up in SBC-style fellowship meant one thing: eating together.  Great big pot luck meals.  Huge feasts were necessary to celebrate every major holiday and some not-so-major.  Years and years of this kind of fellowship resulted in many Baptists being known more for their waist size than their commitment to community “growth.”  Gluttony and fellowship were not intended to be partners (see 1 Corinthians: 11).

In recent days, the emergent church movement has opened many eyes to the need for real community in our churches.  With technology, people are becoming more connected digitally, but more isolated socially and relationally.  Faceless community is more valuable than face to face.  A group of believers who focus on building strong community looks very strange in our digital age.  Almost Utopian.

Finally, fellowship often made people think of membership in an elite country club.  Community is far different.  Community is about being known in a small group and getting to know others intimately.  Nothing fake or superficial.  Very transparent, very authentic, very real relationships formed over extend periods of time together.

Sounds a bit like Jesus and his disciples.  Not a bad example to intimate.

Part 5 – Purpose Driven: Evangelism, the most different purpose since 1997 is coming soon.

For those who tweet on Twitter, I am tweeting @shanegarrison.

Part 3 of a 5 part series.

1997, 12 years ago, ministry meant programs.  Programs for outreach.  Programs for visitation.  Programs for missions.  Programs for inreach.  In 2009, ministry is missional. 

When I read the Purpose Driven Church, I remember thinking “he is talking about purposes of the church, not programs of the church.”  I actually have a page dog-eared in my copy from 1997, where I wrote those exact words.  This was a major shift in my young mind.

I was brought up in the youth program.  My faith was developed in the Sunday school and Church Training programs.  Our church had a visitation program for senior adults and home-bound members.  I sang in the youth choir, which was part of the…music program.  In the past 12 years, ministry has shifted from programmatic to strategic; from structured to missional; from committee-led to team-based.  Ministry is much more flexible, mobile, even temporary.

In 12 years, we have seen the rise of a ministry philosophy called ”missional.”  Missional ministry attempts to discover what needs are present in a community and then encourage the church to fill those needs OUT IN THE community beyond the walls of the church.

Like a new missionary arriving on foreign soil, missional Christians first attempt to learn as much about the people, culture, and customs of their community.  Then they slowly begin to form key relationships, sharing the Gospel as they walk alongside new friends.  All the while, they are connecting with the community at-large and providing services and expressions of love to foster deeper trust and relationship.

Missional ministry is far different from ministry programs.  People and relationships far outweigh the structure of programmatic ministry.  Missional Christians DO ministry at gas stations, in coffee shops, in their business.  They reach neighborhood children next door and make connections with folks in their apartment complexes. 

Being a missionary in your own home town.  Sounds a bit like the Great Commission to me. 

But ministry is still not the biblical purpose that has undergone the most change in 12 years.  That is still to come.

Campbellsville University, my alma mater and employer, has recently released a new school logo.

I am personally impressed and excited about the new design and branding.  CU is taking a bold step to publicly identify herself as a Christ-centered, Christian university.  Religious colleges and universities are plentiful in America.  There are over 500 universities with some level of religious affiliation.

However, a Christ-centered university is different.  A Christ-centered university attempts to offer students more than just a Christian environment that is safe.  It seeks to foster spiritual development by teaching a Christian worldview.  It seeks to produce Christian servant-leaders in all academic disciplines which love their field of study and love the Lord.

The steeple is the newest addition to the logo and represents a significant statement about our identity as a university.  The image is taken from the Ransdell Chapel, a centerpiece of our campus.  The Ransdell Chapel was completed in 2006, the first time CU has had a chapel on her campus.

Much like Solomon’s temple in the Old Testament, the chapel has centralized God’s leadership and presence at CU.  The chapel provides students with a place for weekly worship and prayer.  It is a place to  where students can hear and be challenged by biblical preaching.   It is a place where every Freshman is trained in Christian leadership, character and stewardship.  The chapel is more than a auditorium to hold graduation commencement and recitals.  It is a place where God is glorified, Christ is exalted and the Gospel is regularly heard.

This new logo says a lot to me.  It says CU is seeking to honor God in all our ways and to ignite a passion in our student’s hearts, minds, AND SOULS.

Since February, I have been serving alongside and leading a small group of volunteers from two churches, Campbellsville Bapt. (our home church) & First Bapt. Church Campbellsville in a collection of backpacks and supplies called the Backpack Blessing.

Main Street folks will recognize the name.  I stole it from Pastor Bob.

We collected 231 stuffed backpacks and delivered them to two schools in our community to be given to needy children.

Here is an article in our local newspaper about the event.