ARE WE A PEOPLE AT HALF TIME? - Leadership Network

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and the buster generation is making the same attempt in the late 1990’s. Are not youth usually the source of cultural innovation If we take the long view of religious history, worship forms are always changing in response to cultural change, and the groups that are growing are those that appropriate the symbols of the new culture in communicating their truth. NEXT...Is it too simplistic to say that “new paradigm” churches have found a way to make the message culturally appropriate and mainline churches have not MILLER...It is not just the packaging that is important. The question is whether the people, including the clergy, are having life-transforming experiences in worship. Are these churches, and their clergy, mediating deeply moving experiences of the sacred NEXT...You write that ritual churches will grow if the sacred is encountered. Do you see evidence of that happening in the more liturgical churches MILLER...Yes. My own local Episcopal church is currently exploding with growth and I credit this to a dynamic and innovative worship. Also, liturgy, when done well, can provide the space for people to experience the transcendent—even in moments of silence. NEXT...You suggest that these three movements plus the independent churches and seeker-sensitive churches combine to make this a post-denominational era. Yet, are these “new paradigm” churches not creating new denominations MILLER...The inevitable sociological trend is that sects become denominations, or, stated differently, that charisma becomes routinized. And so it is not surprising that the Vineyard has declared itself a denomination. Nevertheless, I think we are learning that innovation is often most explosive in decentralized organizations, whether it be a corporation or a church. NEXT...You write that the primitive model inevitably evolves toward denominationalism. Do you believe this will happen with the new paradigm churches in a postmodern world where the organizational structures and culture are very different than the modern world MILLER...You make a good point. I think we are learning a lot about the deficits of hierarchical, pyramid styles of layered bureaucracies. It is very possible that “networks” may be the organizational structure of the future. NEXT...You characterize new paradigm pastors as restless, individualistic and entrepreneurial. What other observations would you make of these senior pastors MILLER...They are voracious learners and they seek information from a variety of sources. Also, they do not use traditional ways of getting information. They read books but also will hire a consultant to come in and teach them something. They are very culturally savvy. They read the culture intuitively, not through a text book, and understand it backwards and forwards. Also, their internal drive comes from the fact that their lives have been transformed and currently are in process of change. Therefore, they have something to share. NEXT...Len Sweet (historian/theologian/author) recently remarked that this is the only spiritual awakening in American history that is being led more by the culture than the church. Do you agree and what is the role of the new paradigm churches in this awakening Or are they merely reflective of it MILLER...I don’t think one can so neatly separate the church from culture. On the other hand, I don’t see this awakening as being a new message-as was true in the Reformation-but rather a change in the medium through which the message is addressed. The message is not innovative but it is more in the medium of how it is expressed. It is both the medium and the messenger in the form of these new pastors. There is no single route to second half significance, no formula that always works for every person. Instead, there are multiple pathways that could be a part of your overall journey. Here are eight ways to pursue significance in the second half of your life. EIGHT P<strong>AT</strong>HS TO SECOND <strong>HALF</strong> INVOLVEMENT Volunteer Donate substantial time and energy to a cause you deem significant. Be a donor Contribute financial resources to a cause you deem significant. Use your business as a ministry Use your enterprise to accomplish Kingdom work even as you pursue your core business. Become a board member Provide leadership and expertise to a nonprofit organization that has a mission you deem significant. Partner Team up with someone involved full time in a cause you deem significant, acting as a silent partner to provide resources to that individual in whatever ways are needed to accomplish meaningful results. Establish a parallel career Take on executive responsibility for a cause you deem significant, even as you continue to carry out your vocational commitments. Become an organizational leader Make a fundamental career change by becoming the executive of an established organization that has a mission you deem significant. Become a social entrepreneur Use your entrepreneurial expertise and experience to start and build a nonprofit initiative designed to meet a societal need in an innovative way. 4
W ith the 1995 publication of his book, Half Time, Bob Buford introduced a new way of thinking about the second half of one’s life and the idea of moving from success to significance. The response to the book resulted in people agreeing with the idea of second half but asking the question, “How do I do that, how do I move from success to significance” The answer is to have a plan, a game plan if you will, for the second half. Game Plan, released in the spring of 1997, provides a map to help you navigate your journey into this remarkable, untapped season of growth. In a recent interview with the editor of NEXT, Buford reflected on the two books and especially the response to Game Plan. NEXT... What did you learn from writing the two books BUFORD... Half Time has 90,000 plus copies in print with very little marketing, which tells me that we hit a nerve. There is an enormous, unprecedented movement into middle age. I believe the most significant demographic fact of the next ten years will be baby boomers entering half time. People realize they are in half time and vaguely realize they would like to make the shift but they simply don’t know how. I had not intended to write a second book but everybody said. “ Give us the steps of how to make the journey...it’s easier said than done.” That’s why I wrote Game Plan. NEXT... How do you take the first step in developing a game plan BUFORD... Realize that you have a long and vital second half. In 1900, the life expectancy was 50. Currently, people will have the opportunity to live vital lives well into their 70’s and 80’s. We will most likely be given the gift of a whole second adulthood and I think it is a new American frontier. NEXT... And the succeeding steps BUFORD... The second step is to then ask yourself, “ What do I want to do with the gift of this extra time Do I continue to invest in doing what I am doing now or something else perhaps of more significance” The third step is to find your spiritual center so that you have a place from which to push off. You begin with the end in mind, “What do you want your life to amount to” I believe each of us will have a final accounting before God that revolves around two questions: “What did you do about Jesus” and “What did you do with what I gave you to work with” Just as we have physical imprint in our DNA, each of us has what I call a spiritual DNA, a specifically unique and highly personal work prepared for us by God. NEXT... Why is it so hard for people to move into a second half centered on significance BUFORD... The hardest part is the lift off—the beginning. The pull of gravity is so severe and so strong. Most of us are on a plateau or autopilot. We establish a routine in order to be effective and there is a point of diminishing returns around half time. The difficult part of the journey is the leaving—the exodus—leaving the security of the known. And then there is a wilderness period when the known landmarks are not present. We are pioneering our way into a new life and it is frightening for most people. NEXT... Is this journey into second half one that you make alone BUFORD... No, you need to find your second half team. People don’t do things by themselves any more—we act in the context of a team. You need a mentor—someone who is well ahead of you on the journey. You need people with complimentary skills to yours, who believe in what you are doing and are encouragers in the discouraging moments. You also need accountability, people with whom you can check in with every now and then. NEXT... Moving into a significant second half requires time, does it not BUFORD... Yes. It cannot be done overnight. For most people, the transition takes several years because you have to re-negotiate your existing arrangements. Each of us lives as part of an ecology that includes other people. If we change our role, we change life for others as well. Secondly, there is an amateur period to the journey. It gets worse before it gets better. There is a wilderness time. Why would we expect to have an eight year learning curve in secular work and a two week curve in significance work That’s why it is very important not to do it alone. Yet many people embark on their significance career utterly alone and as a result diminish their effectiveness. NEXT... What about the connection between half time and the opportunity for people to do Kingdom work BUFORD...There is an enormous capacity for people to be involved in Kingdom work— for people who want significance in their lives and want to be put to use according to how God has equipped them. I really believe one person can make a difference and the second half is the time to do it.” Single copies of Game Plan are available through your local bookstore or by calling Zondervan at 800-727-3480. Multiple copies may be purchased at a discounted price of $10.00 by calling (719) 473-1698. 5
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V O L U M E 1 , N U M B E R 1 M A Y
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world that wishes to assert that th
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good aspects of following Christ. T
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Repacking Your Bags, Lighten Your L
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F R O M L E A D E R S H I P N E T W
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Leadership Network Recommends Execu
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THE FIRST THING TO UNDERSTAND about
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uilds trust.” 9. Leadership devel
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GENERATION X SUB-CULTURES NOT ALL X
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With this issue of NEXT, we are int
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L EADERSHIP N ETWORK R ECOMMENDS Ex
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■ Back Issues of NETFAX are avail
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Recommends LEADERSHIP NETWORK The C
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From coast to coast, something is h
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NEXT: What a powerful image of reco
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Recommends LEADERSHIP NETWORK Out o
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From our beginning, Leadership Netw
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changing anything, and the danger t
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I’ve just returned from the Young
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Recommends LEADERSHIP NETWORK Diffu
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Post-denominational churches. The n
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Multiplying Ministers Organizations
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Silicon Valley Learning Adventure n
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Recommends LEADERSHIP NETWORK Encou
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1999 Large ChurchFORUMS Starting in
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September 26-29, 1999 Municipal Aud
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The New Edge Our world, in the mids
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The Reevaluation Forum brought toge
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What is Christian mysticism Author
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“The emerging new culture demands
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CREED INTERVIEW One of the hottest
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eclectic and great and they will as
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The days of the “Lone Ranger” l
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Ultimately, it was decided not to a
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Leading the Team- Based Church by G
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Recommends LEADERSHIP NETWORK Co-Le
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Personal thoughts from Doug Pagitt,
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September 26-29, 1999 Municipal Aud
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The creative arts ...p oetry, music
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NUCT: Why are we seeing changes in
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LEADERSHIP FEATURING author, The On
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Leadership is about being and doing
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Warren Bennis, well-known leadershi
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The Ascent of a Leader: How Ordinar
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Recommends AQUAchurch, Essential Le
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Young Leader Networks Should We Use
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VOLUME 6, WINTER JANUARY • FEBRUA
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RESOURCES R E X M I L L E R Rex Mil
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World View / Perspective Nature of
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“ The key to impacting the cultur
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Q: How can you improve upon an even
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in his words, “The trees move the
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The Corps of Discovery from GRACE C
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Events LARGE CHURCH NETWORK EVENTS
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ARE WE A PEOPLE AT HALF TIME? - Leadership Network

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