PraiseNet.Org: PraiseNet At 200

An Utter Waste Of Time

BROTHER PRAISENET DOES A SOLO

FOREWORD

“But as the believers rapidly multiplied, there were rumblings of discontent. Those who spoke Greek complained against those who spoke Hebrew, saying that their widows were being discriminated against in the daily distribution of food. So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers.” We apostles should spend our time preaching and teaching the word of God, not administering a food program,” they said. “Now look around among yourselves, brothers, and select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will put them in charge of this business... These seven were presented to the apostles, who prayed for them as they laid their hands on them. God's message was preached in ever-widening circles. The number of believers greatly increased...” —The Acts of The Apostles 6:1-7 (New Living Translation)

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I don't like doing stories about the site.

First of all, most visitors here couldn't care less about how the site is produced. Most people assume the thing is magically put together by elves in a tree. Even talking among friends, there is absolutely no curiosity about the mechanics of how a weekly webzine is produced and maintained. And, in 200 weeks, I’ve never once been asked about it. So, even acknowledging the 200-week milestone is a bit spurious as, seriously, nobody cares. So, it’s likely this is more for my benefit than for anyone else’s.

Probably the most remarkable thing I can say about developing this ministry is, had I known then what I know now about the black church, particularly here in Colorado Springs, I’d have never built the thing. The project—begun as an online directory of local churches in Colorado Springs— was a complete and total waste of time, “…an enormous waste of your gifts,” as one of my former pastors told me. And, he was right. With rare exception, most black pastors here are concerned only about the square feet of land their churches sit upon. Most of these men are not intellectuals—which is not to suggest they lack intellect so much as they lack intellectual curiosity; inquisitiveness into intellectual matters. Here, there is a standard Baptist template most churches and pastors follow (along with a slightly more disciplined COGIC template), and most churches seem content to spin their wheels in routine status quo.

There is not, to my acquaintance, a black church here that embraces technology. Several have developed computer labs, but these labs are usually under-powered and under-used, dusty, neglected corporate cast-off machines existing mainly so the church can brag about having a computer lab. But these labs are rarely used for much more than kids scanning MySpace or playing games and the occasional adult checking email. There is no partnership with technology, no intranet of local churches such that Church A can pull up the schedule of Church B while on a live chat with Church C. No state or local district database of shared resources these labs are logged onto.

There is no incentive for local congregations to go online because the pastors are not online. This technology, now several decades old, is still relatively new to most black pastors. The technology frightens them because they are not masters of it. For many pastors, their absolute authority is undermined when they admit weakness or less than complete mastery of an area of ministry. To be humbled by Internet Explorer is simply unacceptable, and so many pastors simply do not pursue this new frontier because it does not speak to them personally. Which is a lot like a pastor not allowing their flock to drive cars because they themselves are more comfortable with the horse drawn carriage.

The Internet is not some far-flung idea of the future. It is not some exotic, next-level concept, nor is it the exclusive realm of fringe thinkers. The Internet is now. It is an inescapable part of our lives. It is as ubiquitous as the telephone, which it is poised to replace along with cable TV. Pastors who refuse to confront this reality are simply incompetent, placing their own insecurities above the well-being of their flock. Blacks, most especially, need to embrace this new frontier, as employment and educational opportunities for us are both sparse and highly competitive. The skill set needed to productively employ online technology is essential to our community. So essential, in fact, that pastors and churches who are not pushing the Internet—and pushing it hard—are guilty of criminal negligence. Pastors content to live cocooned within their safe, 70’s era pre-Internet zone are, at the end of the day, betraying their oath to God by wallowing in their own insecurities at the expense of their congregants’ future.

That this ministry could exist for nearly five years, for more than two hundred weeks, and the majority of black churches not even know we exist is a measure of how utterly backwards and time-lost most black ministries in this town are.

Most people here have never visited this web ministry. Last week I attended a revival where the minister announced me without knowing my name. Now, I’ve known this man for about six years, but he can’t ever seem to remember my name. So he called me, “Mr. Radio,” and then “Brother PraiseNet.” “PraiseNet’s gonna come up and do a solo!” We've been here 200 weeks, and this pastor seems to think the PraiseNet is a radio broadcast. He has no idea, none, what the PraiseNet is, or what my part of this ministry is. And, even sadder, no one under that roof could correct him because, 200 weeks later, not a single one of them had even seen the PraiseNet, a ministry that was begun specifically to serve them.

I’ve had people suggest this—my overall sunny disposition towards the black church here—is the reason those churches haven’t embraced the PraiseNet. That my remarks here have insulted people and turned them off.

I wish.

The fact is, the black church here simply has not embraced the Internet. Most black churches here are not online and have no Internet connection in their buildings. Most black pastors here have never seen this ministry. Of those who have come here, few have actually *read* anything here.

Beyond that, if someone speaking the truth offends you, it is not the speaker but the Originator of that truth you need to address. Don’t shoot the messenger: God’s word is what it is and says what it says.

It would be absurd of me to suggest these men are not spiritual simply because they do not come to this website. I am by no means suggesting that to be true. I am suggesting, however, that a pastor’s job is to do more than simply entertain. He is more than a circus ringleader or even an evangelist. A pastor should be encouraging us to grow—spiritually, intellectually, economically. A pastor should also be an educator. Should be an advocate of social change and social growth. Encouraging not only literacy but computer literacy—both are simply indispensable in today’s environment. A pastor who scoffs at innovation, who never reads nor encourages others to read, to learn, to inquire, to grow, is just a guy collecting a paycheck.

A pastor should have a vision. A pastor should dream beyond the corner his church is on. A pastor should know the names of the families living on the blocks surrounding his church. A pastor should be involved with that community—not just running in, hooping, and back in the Benz after service. A pastor should thirst for growth in all areas. A pastor should have an absolute passion for connecting people to Jesus Christ, whether they join his church or not. A pastor should absolutely have ambition: should want himself, his church, and his flock, to be everything they possibly can.

Very few black pastors here embody those qualities. Most are good men, to be sure, but there’s no dynamism. No thunder. No glimpse of God’s promise. The din of victory chants long silenced, here we are typically dealing with the pastor of the routine. The pastor of the status quo. Good guys, to be sure. But satisfied.

There is nothing more tragic than a satisfied pastor.

Had I known this in the fall of 2002, I’d never have begun this journey. And this is likely one of the reasons God veils us in ignorance sometimes, allowing us to find our way by bumping into things. God wanted this ministry online. He chose me as His vessel to build it. In my flesh, had I know what an utter waste of time it would be, I’d have done something else. Instead, here we are, 200 weeks later. With a thriving ministry bigger than I could ever have expected, while all but totally snubbed here in our home town.

I figure now would be a good time to reflect on that journey, on what we’ve learned, on how we’ve grown. This document represents a kind of White Paper, a summary of many of the thoughts and views expressed here over the years.

We thank you, our many new friends from Texas and Illinois and California. From Kentucky and North Carolina and Pennsylvania. Our brothers and sisters across the nation who have embraced this ministry, making it a leading voice in the African American church community. If you’re ever in Colorado Springs, maybe tap on a pastor’s shoulder and tell them we’re here.

Christopher J. Priest
17 June 2007
editor@praisenet.org
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