Tim Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian Church has a very unique and exciting ministry called the Center for Faith and Work.

I say unique because CFW seems be Keller’s twist on Neibuhr’s Christ and Culture model of transformation and change.  As with everything else Redeemer, the explicit focus on how Faith and Work intersect considers the urban environment of NYC in which Redemer members live/work.

It is exciting because this ministry is addressing the issues head-on for those that do see the disconnect in their workplace and spiritual sides of life.

Am I an MBA who happens to be Christian?  Or a Christian MBA that applies my Judeo-Christian values to work?  Or an MBA Christian that takes best-of-breed business models to apply against faith-based vocational opportunities?

What I’ve realized is that the way I choose to define myself makes a difference in everything else I do in daily living.   Redeemer’s Center for Faith and Work has even carved out a focus for entrepreneurs and SMB owners.

I have recently been invited to present at the Entrepreneurship Initiative’s fellowship group meeting (one of the various vertically-organized vocation groups within CFW).

So if you’re in the NYC area today, join us as I share some learnings from my tech + marketing experiences with the others in the group.

[CLARIFICATION: People have been asking about When is this?  How Long?  Here's the ANSWER: TODAY ONLY, MAY 15th]

Contemporary Christian Music [CCM] is a hit.

CCM is now the 2nd largest radio format in the United States.

Coldplay is one of the reasons why.  And this band understands how to communicate and relate to its fan base.

For example, while Ashton Kushter and CNN were dueling it out on Twitter, Coldplay has quietly gathered up almost three quarters of a million followers on Twitter as of May 2009.

And in a very smart marketing move, the band has decided (more…)

Turning off your cellphones during a sermon in church is so 90’s.

Nowadays, you still don’t want to take a call from the pews, but pulling out the iPhone is becoming ok with the pastor in the pupit.

In fact, he is doing the same thing!

Time Magazine covered two churches that recently broke out of the pack of forefront churches to embrace Twitter in the pews. Similar to Trinity Church’s recent Twitter Passion Play during Easter worship, these churches explicitly incorporated twittering as accepted and part of worship by the congregants.

I sense this is the overlap of three complementary desires:

• People are tired of the sit and soak model of taking in sermons.  The messages don’t sink in.
• People want to be actively involved in worship in some way.
• Similar to one of the core strengths I have found in online Church worship experiences, people continuously have questions while they take in a sermon and seek clarification of what they just heard.  If they wait till after Church is over, it is usually too late.

Are you ready to text about the text on Sundays?

I recently wrote about this historic and officially government-mandated day today.

And it’s finally here! The National Day of Prayer, set as the 1st Thursday every May, is today when the nation prays together.

Last year, approximately 2 million people gathered across the country to pray as a collective group.

President Obama signed an official proclamation for today.

. . .NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 7, 2009, as a National Day of Prayer. I call upon Americans to pray in thanksgiving for our freedoms and blessings and to ask for God’s continued guidance, grace, and protection for this land that we love.

Today, The National Day of Prayer Task Force actually criticized President Obama for (more…)

According to a 2004 Gallup Poll, of those surveyed in the U.S. 78% believe in angels.

But the devil has been more successful recently: belief in the devil and demons jumped from 55% in 1990 to 70% of the people believing in the devil and demons as of 2004.

But in the coming months, the real question is if the reality of Angels and Demons will make any difference.

The follow-up movie to The DaVinci code, Angels and Demons, debuted in Rome this month.

The Indian Catholic Church is already up in arms trying to ban the movie.

But the Vatican learned its lesson from the first go-round with The DaVinci Code and (more…)

I recently had a chance to catch-up with Paul Kind in the thick of graduate work in theology at Princeton Seminary.  Because PTS is known for how the theological musings of Barth is found percolating throughout its campus, I asked Paul for his take so far on the timeless theologian of 20th century times.

It’s noteworthy that Barth’s marquee work, Church Dogmatics has “CHURCH” in its title. For me, this quote rings true for how we are to elevate and yet connect theology to the work of the Church:

No single item of Christian doctrine is legitimately grounded, or rightly developed or expounded, unless it can of itself be understood and explained as part of the responsibility laid upon the hearing and teaching Church towards the self-revelation of God attested in Holy Scripture.
~ Karl Barth

Paul provides some great insights that whets the appetite for more Barth. Luckily for us all, there are literally millions of more words to consume if this suits your taste. . .

Many have said that Karl Barth was the foremost theologian of the 20th century. While holding academic posts in Germany and Switzerland, Barth published his fourteen volume Church Dogmatics over the course of about thirty years.

In his book, Disruptive Grace, Dr. George Hunsinger, describes the impact of this work in saying, (more…)

These days, we now know that the front door to any church isn’t located at the front of the building.

Another door to the church is located on the world wide web.

When people are first considering to visit a church, they’ll google the church name or generic searches for churches with town names, denominations, or other features they desire in a church.

Then there’s another entire group of web surfers that are not local to your church building and they might be looking for more information to help them on their own faith journey - weather they are seekers or already committed disciples of Christ. It is just as important for your site to be accessible and offer content which will encourage and move them further along on their own spiritual walk.

If your church website isn’t doing it’s best to be outward facing, it’s time to wake up and start paying attention.

Here are 55+ tips every church website should consider in being evangelistic on the web: (more…)

66 percent of young adults are searching for meaning and purpose in their lives.

And 62 percent considered themselves “spiritual” although almost  80 percent said they never attend church, or only attend once in a while.

The normal reaction would be to try and usher these young adults looking for meaning to the front door of their local church.

But United Methodist Church is doing the opposite.  They are promoting the back door into the church.

The UMC is launching a $20 million campaign this month to try and connect that desire for purpose and actual outlets to make a difference in a person’s circle of influence.

Through their PR, events and a television ad campaign, they are pushing the 18-34 year olds to the 10,000 doors website which is a portal for social gospel and other volunteer oppportunities worldwide (complete with a Google Maps mashup to visually find projects in your neighborhood). (more…)