WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT RACISM
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT RACISM

As I announced in this space two weeks ago, we talked about racism at church Sunday. People who haven’t been in church for awhile came to see what we would say, and more than one of them told me afterwards, “A church like this is the church I want to be a part of.”

Longtime members said the same. “Thanks for today. I want to be part of a church that addresses issues like this one.”

It was a stake-in-the-ground day not only for Christ’s Church, but for THE church. Too many congregations are looking away or accepting the status quo, staying silent about the problem of racism.


Read More
Trevor DeVageComment
FOUR BARRIERS WE MUST REMOVE TO EXPERIENCE CHURCH GROWTH
FOUR BARRIERS WE MUST REMOVE TO EXPERIENCE CHURCH GROWTH

Summertime is the favorite time for visiting the amusement park you love. But you likely do NOT love one thing about the experience: the lines at the attractions.

You see the giant sign over the entrance to the coaster you want to ride. The thrill seems only a few feet away. And then you walk into the holding area and discover the winding maze of shuffling patrons sluggishly zig-zagging through a long path toward the fun you paid good money to enjoy. You know it’ll be awhile before you get there. The well-run parks post signs telling you how long it will be: “One hour from this point in the line.” They’ve become expert at rigging nylon barriers to keep the masses orderly for a lingering, lengthy wait.

Read More
Trevor DeVageComment
FOUR WAYS YOUR CHURCH CAN EXPERIENCE DIVERSITY
FOUR WAYS YOUR CHURCH CAN EXPERIENCE DIVERSITY

I remember the first time a biracial couple visited the small church where I grew up. Everybody there that day noticed, in a “you don’t belong here” sort of way. I felt uneasy for those two then. And today, many years later, I’m still troubled by the lack of diversity in many local churches.

I realized very quickly that I was growing up in a church bubble. The people in my church looked like me, thought like me, dressed like me, shared the same values and preferences. We were comfortable inside our white, middle-class boundary.

But today I’m not comfortable.

Read More
Church, LeadershipTrevor DeVagechurch, leadership, diversity, unityComment
WHY "CRASH AND BURN" IS A GOOD THING
WHY "CRASH AND BURN" IS A GOOD THING

Not long ago the website for our online campus crashed. Our team worked for 25 minutes to get it back up and running. And for that whole time 250 people hung with us and didn’t log off.

We were frustrated about the crash and anxious to solve the problem.

We were grateful—amazed, actually—that all those people refused to give up on us.

The whole experience got me thinking about how common “crash and burn” happens in life and in the life of the local church. The church is made up of humans who fail. Sometimes things don’t go as planned. When “crash and burn” happens in a high capacity church, it’s OK. People like to know we’re about something more than a perfect, polished production.


Read More
Trevor DeVageComment