The Hole in Seminary Curriculums

Seminarys do a good job in teaching the many academic disciplines needed to help prepare the next generation of church leaders. Things like history, languages, Biblical studies, homiletics, counseling and Christian education courses help shape the minds of future pastors and church staffers.

There is a missing piece of the puzzle. After some 25 years of pastoral ministry, I would suggest that what is lacking in preparation is some attention to the practical, creative skills that can come in handy in ministry. It seems to me that in the ideal world, a course that exposes future church leaders to creative Christian ministries is needed. Students need hands-on exprience in disciplines such as gospel magic, clowning, storytelling, puppetry, ventriloquism, balloon twisting, pantomime, or other tools to communicate the gospel in a unique and interesting manner. When you combine solid academic preparation with experiential learning and creative ministries, you have ministry that is effective and interesting.

Old Time Radio-- When Comedy was Clean!

Filth is not funny. Red Skelton insisted that humor was like medicine. When the comic uses filth, it pollutes the medicine and takes away its healing powers. He was right on track.

I have been listening to some old time radio programs and have been amazed at how funny these folks were without resorting to filthy material. Listen to folks like Abbott and Costello, Mel Blanc, Edgar Bergan and Charlie McCarthy, and others and you will see what I am talking about. You can listen for hours on end, laughing all the way, and not hear an off color joke. The best didn't stoop to the cheap and vulgar to get a laugh. It is sad some feel they must today.

Old time radio is a great source for ideas for skits, jokes, and fun. See how the masters did it way back when and learn from them. You can get all kinds of old time radio programs for next to nothing as much of it is in public domain now. I got several programs from a Canadian fellow (rschwarz9@shaw.ca) who collects them. You can get the entire collection of some old time radio shows on a single CD for under $5. They come in MP3 format, which means that you can play them on your computer, or, if you have an IPod or similar device, you can load them and take them with you. The amazing thing about this format is that you can fit 70 or more hours of programs on a single CD! That is a lot of laughs! Old time radio-- listen, laugh, and learn.

A Good Name is Preferred Above Rubies

The call me Flicker! 

People who use puppets have got to be some of the most creative and clever people around. I just finished looking at the puppets offered for sale on ebay and laughed out loud as I read the names of some of those little guys. For instance, you can bid on a black light puppet shaped like a lightbulb. Her name is GLOWria and she has a boyfriend named Bernie Bright(she is a lucky gal, many a boyfriend is not too bright!). My favorite name, however, was a black light candle puppet named Flicker!

If you are doing ventriloquism, puppetry, or other creative Christian ministry, give thought to the name of the character. Make it memorable. Make it fitting. Make it fun. As the Bible says, a good name is to be preferred above rubies.

Put your best hand forward! 

Talking With Your Hands-- Using Puppets in Ministry

Have you ever noticed how some people just can't seem to put a sentence together without using their hands? The faster some folks talk, the faster their hands seem to illustrate their ideas.

Let me suggest that some of the most effective ways to talk with your hands in minstry settings is by using puppets. There is something "dis-arming" (sorry non-pun lovers), about puppets. Seeing these creations of foam and felt, most people let down their guard a bit and allow new ideas to creep over the top of their defenses. Puppets can relieve anxiety, diffuse tension, and remind us all of a more gentle kind of life.

I visited the Smithsonian museum a few summers ago and saw a prominent display of a famous sweater with a zipper. That sweater belonged to a man who understood the power of puppets to encourage, inform, and uplift. In his own gentle way, Fred Rogers spoke volumes with his hands as he used puppets in ministry.

You might not be Mr. Rogers, but if you teach a Sunday School class, or lead children and youth, learing to talk with your hands will open all kinds of possibilities. Why not give it a try!

Puppet Resources: www.puppet-planet.com
www.maherstudios.com
www.onewaystreet.com

The Humorless Church

Wouldn't you agree that the image most people have of church is like that classic painting, American Gothic, with the sober, straight-faced farmer with a pitchfork and his wife. Many view church as a smile-free zone. How different this idea is from the image of Jesus in the New Testament who was so joyful that children wanted to be near him. I love the words of Jesus as he reminds us that he came "that our joy may be full." As someone once wrote, "Life is too short for long-faced religion."

Let me encourage you to just say no to the humorless church. Let the joy of the Lord be your strength!