{"id":6074,"date":"2023-06-01T00:59:04","date_gmt":"2023-06-01T00:59:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/?p=6074"},"modified":"2023-06-01T12:53:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T12:53:08","slug":"disruption-repurposing-the-church-to-the-redeem-the-community-by-mark-deymaz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/disruption-repurposing-the-church-to-the-redeem-the-community-by-mark-deymaz\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Disruption: Repurposing the Church to the Redeem the Community by Mark DeYmaz"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[1]<em> Disruption<\/em> by Mark DeYmaz was a book written for me. The summary on the back of the volume says it all: \u201cWe must become disruptive.\u201d The author is talking about how we think about church. Amen.<\/p>\n<p>[2] In defining a disruptor, DeYmaz turns to an opinion piece by Mel Robbins, an expert on human behavior and motivation who described a disruptor in the business sector as a person or organization \u201cwhose entire \u2018brand\u2019 is\u2026to turn the way we do things on its head\u2026.and then hand us the new rules for how things work.\u201d (pg. xxviii)<\/p>\n<p>[3] This is about effecting systemic change and thinking differently. We are in a time when both are needed in our world and in the church. Not because we should change for the sake of change. Rather this is a time of transformation and societal and cultural shifts that require fresh thinking. It will either be a moment in which the church steps up to make creative and appropriate change, or it will be a time of missed opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>[4] Disruptors can see and sense \u201cwhat lies ahead, around the corner, long before others have even arrived at the intersection of present and future. Because they are out front and ahead of the curve, disruptors first define, then refine, and ultimately create new realities by changing the way we see things, think about things, and get things done. And once disruptors gain momentum, they don\u2019t merely envision the future; they create and establish it. They frame the questions, shape the narrative, and influence the conversation. In so doing, they challenge what is and inspire what is yet to come.\u201d (pg. xxviii).<\/p>\n<p>[5] DeYmaz thinks big.\u00a0 He makes a critical argument that I think is vital \u2013 Christ himself was a disruptor. And because he was the ultimate disruptor, \u201cwe will become disruptive by advancing the common good, influencing systemic change, and redeeming entire communities along spiritual, social, and financial fronts.\u201d (pg. xxix).<\/p>\n<p>[6] And that\u2019s what this book is about. Being a disruptor. Making the church disruptive \u2013 making it disruptive on multiple fronts. It\u2019s about listening. It\u2019s about innovation. It\u2019s about building community. It\u2019s about justice. It\u2019s about planning. It\u2019s about financial soundness. It\u2019s about being creative. It\u2019s about using resources. It\u2019s about seeing opportunities. It\u2019s about getting outside the walls of the church and seeing the church as more than just a worship service \u2013 but rather as something that drives us to go out and do and be something much more. It\u2019s about church creating shalom wholeness in community. And the only way to do that is by disrupting the status quo.<\/p>\n<p>[7] DeYmaz offers us a guide. He tells stories of how he did this in his own community. He shares ideas that worked in his context. They may not work in yours, but that\u2019s ok. This book isn\u2019t about \u201cFollow this exactly and you\u2019ll get the same results.\u201d Rather, the point is about innovation and thinking differently. It\u2019s about knowing your context. It\u2019s about listening to the Spirit and holy risk. It\u2019s about discernment and discipleship. It\u2019s about disrupting what we think we know about church simply because that\u2019s the way we\u2019ve always done it.\u00a0 It\u2019s about learning to let go of ideas that no longer serve, and embracing something we aren\u2019t as familiar with \u2013 faith. I\u2019m not talking about head knowledge about God and Jesus. I\u2019m talking about embracing the unknown and going forward anyway. That\u2019s scary. But there\u2019s a question \u2013 is this what God is calling us to? Faith doesn\u2019t give us anything certain. But it does give us hope. And we need that when we are venturing into the unknown. That\u2019s what the disciples needed. That\u2019s what the first followers of Jesus needed. And that\u2019s the gift we are given too.<\/p>\n<p>[8] There are some good ideas in this book and there are things with which I totally disagree. Yet overall, it\u2019s a great book that it does exactly what it says it will do \u2013 disrupt your thinking. The author never claims to have all the answers. He\u2019s got examples that have worked in some settings. What works for you in your setting will be different. At the core of it lies this \u2013 disruption, thinking differently, innovation, creativity. You can\u2019t get a different result by thinking about the situation the same way. And the church needs to think differently. Not to get more members, or to get more money. That\u2019s still thinking the same way and still thinking about the church in the same box. It\u2019s time to think outside the box when it comes to the church and what it is about. The church isn\u2019t about membership and money. It\u2019s about Jesus. I don\u2019t know too many people who get excited about membership and money. I don\u2019t. But Jesus and what he\u2019s about and what he offers \u2013 that\u2019s a different story. That\u2019s disruptive to what the world offers. Give me that and things change. Lives change. That\u2019s what the church needs to be about.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[1] Disruption by Mark DeYmaz was a book written for me. The summary on the back of the volume says it all: \u201cWe must become disruptive.\u201d The author is talking about how we think about church. Amen. [2] In defining a disruptor, DeYmaz turns to an opinion piece by Mel Robbins, an expert on human [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-review"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Book Review: Disruption: Repurposing the Church to the Redeem the Community by Mark DeYmaz - Journal of Lutheran Ethics<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/learn.elca.org\/jle\/disruption-repurposing-the-church-to-the-redeem-the-community-by-mark-deymaz\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Book Review: Disruption: Repurposing the Church to the Redeem the Community by Mark DeYmaz - Journal of Lutheran Ethics\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[1] Disruption by Mark DeYmaz was a book written for me. 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