Comments on: Gabe Lyons – Learning from Those Unlike You http://theooze.tv/thinkfwd/gabe-lyons-learning-from-those-unlike-you The latest ideas, conversations, and media related to the emerging church. Check out TheOoze.com for more articles and discussions. Fri, 23 Jul 2010 19:33:21 -0700 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.1 hourly 1 By: Jim http://theooze.tv/thinkfwd/gabe-lyons-learning-from-those-unlike-you/comment-page-1#comment-245 Jim Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:47:47 +0000 http://theooze.tv/?p=464#comment-245 Thanks, Spencer, for a great interview on a critical subject. Several years ago when I was teaching in seminary, I taught a class on friendship and christian mission and ministry. Part of what drove the class was the question of why it was that people were not turning to the church (and this in a part of the country that might well be characterized as the Bible Black Belt!) So I assigned the students the task of going out and finding a non-believer and asking him (or her) about his life, what he believed, what drove his life, etc. and why he was not interested in the church. My only requirement was that the student simply listen and at the most facilitate the conversation with inviting questions. One student, who worked in a church as a youth minister in addition to working in the seminary, immediately replied: "I don't know any non-believers!" (Imagine that...a student in a seminary!) When the students came back after the assignment they were absolutely on fire. (I felt like saying: "I saw Satan falling like lightning!" :-) )As we discussed the experience a couple of things emerged: (1) to the student each one had a positive experience, (2) to the student each one reported that the interviewee responded in gratitude for engaging them in the conversation, & (3) to the student, it had never occurred to them that listening was itself a missional practice. I've been in ministry for almost 40 years and can tell you from years of experience: (1) there are people who are born, live a long life and die never having been listened to and (2) when folks believe that you really want to hear them, both in what they say and in what they do not say, they will beat a path to you and always look forward to seeing you. There is no ministry more powerful than the ministry of listening! Thanks again for the interview and the opportunity to share. Thanks, Spencer, for a great interview on a critical subject. Several years ago when I was teaching in seminary, I taught a class on friendship and christian mission and ministry. Part of what drove the class was the question of why it was that people were not turning to the church (and this in a part of the country that might well be characterized as the Bible Black Belt!)

So I assigned the students the task of going out and finding a non-believer and asking him (or her) about his life, what he believed, what drove his life, etc. and why he was not interested in the church.

My only requirement was that the student simply listen and at the most facilitate the conversation with inviting questions.

One student, who worked in a church as a youth minister in addition to working in the seminary, immediately replied: “I don’t know any non-believers!” (Imagine that…a student in a seminary!)

When the students came back after the assignment they were absolutely on fire. (I felt like saying: “I saw Satan falling like lightning!” :-) )As we discussed the experience a couple of things emerged: (1) to the student each one had a positive experience, (2) to the student each one reported that the interviewee responded in gratitude for engaging them in the conversation, & (3) to the student, it had never occurred to them that listening was itself a missional practice.

I’ve been in ministry for almost 40 years and can tell you from years of experience: (1) there are people who are born, live a long life and die never having been listened to and (2) when folks believe that you really want to hear them, both in what they say and in what they do not say, they will beat a path to you and always look forward to seeing you.

There is no ministry more powerful than the ministry of listening! Thanks again for the interview and the opportunity to share.

]]> By: Chris http://theooze.tv/thinkfwd/gabe-lyons-learning-from-those-unlike-you/comment-page-1#comment-244 Chris Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:05:59 +0000 http://theooze.tv/?p=464#comment-244 I believe that Gabe's advice encouraging people to learn how to listen to others not so like themselves is a crucial need of our time. In a culture where so many Christians (and other types of people, as this phenomenon pervades much more than just one religion but other realms of experience as well) think that they are the only ones that are "right," many are staying away from churches because those in different churches claim to have infallible knowledge of God. Many are even leaving churches as well, as they are finding it difficult to survive in places where they are expected to believe or become a certain way which doesn't seem to make a lot of sense to them. One seems to be very fortunate if they are a one-way kind of thinker in many churches these days. But if you are not, and people find out about it, then watch out. The consequences are very real and can present themselves in very harsh ways. If you can't already tell, I am speaking from actual experience. I believe that Gabe’s advice encouraging people to learn how to listen to others not so like themselves is a crucial need of our time. In a culture where so many Christians (and other types of people, as this phenomenon pervades much more than just one religion but other realms of experience as well) think that they are the only ones that are “right,” many are staying away from churches because those in different churches claim to have infallible knowledge of God. Many are even leaving churches as well, as they are finding it difficult to survive in places where they are expected to believe or become a certain way which doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to them. One seems to be very fortunate if they are a one-way kind of thinker in many churches these days. But if you are not, and people find out about it, then watch out. The consequences are very real and can present themselves in very harsh ways. If you can’t already tell, I am speaking from actual experience.

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