Made To Walk: Biblical Crisis Communication MADE TO WALK

We can begin to bridge the gap between facts and fears. We must be realistic with our expectations and the Church must be willing to listen and adapt. The key to this is clear communication. We want to remove any fog or confusion from the situation. Remember, you are the expert of your child. Sometimes people need some clear guidance to provide key resources.

What defines an A Typical child?
A child who may be experiencing ADD, ADHD, Mental Disorders including Bipolar, Autism, Emotional Disorders, etc.

An A Typical child is more than twice as likely to never step foot into a church as a neurotypical child.

In one study, more than half of special needs parents reported that their child with a disability had been excluded from church

Almost 1/3 (32.3%) of special needs families said they had left at least one church because their child was not included or welcomed.

Nearly 50% (46.6%) of special needs parents said they refrained from participating in a religious activity because their child was not included or welcomed.

More than half of special needs parents reported that they had kept their child from participating in a religious activity because support was not provided (55.8%) or had been expected to stay with their child at a religious activity so their child could participate (55.3%).

Here are some resourceful tips for churches to include A Typical children and/or special needs children.

Analyzing scriptures can at times feel like an undertaking. What does this mean? How do I interpret this? What is even happening in this story?

These are all common questions that bog people down from knowing scripture deeply and fully. 
Here I am going to show you how I analyze scripture to identify crisis and communication to get results that I can use in everyday life. 

Pre-mortem thinking is something I speak about all the time. But what is it exactly? A pre-mortem, or premortem, is a managerial strategy in which a project team imagines that a project or organization has failed, and then works backward to determine what potentially could lead to the failure of the project or organization. I use this same strategy in analyzing scripture. 

The formula I use is:
Acquire all information
Assess where the source came from
Communicate your actions fully
Look at all premortem thinking solutions
We want to understand a BASELINE. A baseline is how someone on average acts, speaks, responds, or their common behaviors. Then we acquire all the current information:
-where are we in a timeline
-what was the antecedent 
-analyze communication
-asses actions already taken

We then look at the source in which we are receiving the information.
-who is speaking
-what is their background
-what is their worldview
-how did they come about this information

From here, we can see where someone in the story (timeline) was and is currently. We can then ask specific questions to design a plan that communicates clearly.
-what are the communication barrier possibilities 
-what is the best response
-what line of questioning will result in the least confrontational route (minimal risk)
-what goal are we working to achieve
-prepare hypotheticals 

When we use these steps in looking at scripture it will look like this example I use in my podcast on EVE. (Gen 3:1-5)
Where are they (the garden)
What tactic in communication did the serpent use (ego elicitation)
What was Eve revealing (she wanted to seem knowledgeable)
What was he soliciting (knowledge)
What tactic did he use to acquire engagement (third-party perspective)
What could Eve have done differently in that moment (premortem hypothetical possibilities)
How would this have potentially changed her trajectory (hypothetical solves)

In this way we can see these types of motives revealing themselves in our daily lives, how do we respond, how can we see the enemy moving in on us, how can we equip ourselves for those moments?

This is how we prepare ourselves for spiritual and mental battles.

Knowing how the enemy moves prepares us to be on offense instead of defensively reacting. We can become experts on how to respond simply by analyzing the scriptures. 

We are embarking on yet another political cycle. However, the stakes are higher than they have ever been. The stage in the Middle East along with the trajectory of our future, is heavy on all Christian's minds. So how do we know if Christians should engage in the political conversation?

The Bible is packed with examples of the importance of Political Engagement that changes the trajectory of a nation of people. We are each called to go into the world with our gifts.

Maybe we don't know how? Where do we start?

Let's scrape the surface in an approachable conversation about why, how and when to engage.

Running a church can at times feel like running around chasing a chicken with no head. There is always a runner and a chaser. 
Someone avoiding the confrontation 
Someone looking for explanations
Someone busy but never get things done 
Someone excited but has no direction 

What happens when communication breaks?

Some moments feel like everyone is sitting around doing nothing. Some moments make us feel like there are not enough hours in a day to get all we need to done. You just want things to get done promptly but also correct. Am I right?

As a communications director for politics, consulting, and media I know a thing or two about the power of timely communication and the downfall of failure to communicate.

Let's look at some of my best practices

"What are you spending the money on anyways?"

This is not an uncommon question or concern raised within the church today. People are more skeptical and less trusting of their government, leadership, and yes even churches. Non-profits do so many things from one day to the next that it is hard to even pinpoint every dollar needed in comparison to every dollar received. 

Speaking on tithing doesn't always hit the nerve or core of individuals. I know that doesn't help you much when your Children's Ministry could use some new ceiling tiles and the women's restrooms need new stall doors. So how do we emphasize the need for intentional contributions?

Let's look at the top successful ways to communicate about money