What if you could change the way you "did" church?
Jan12Written by:
Thursday, January 12, 2012 
The big if. Well what if? Why can't you/we? I find myself staring this question in the face . But....why should I? Come on, I/we can easily go through life on cruise control, get in with the flow of things and be comfortable, right? Why rock the boat?
Because I can't sleep at night. I feel that something has been awakened in me, something that cries out. So here I put voice to thoughts, pen to paper.
For the last 4 yrs I have been able to step back from "church" enter it as an observer and watch it as if for the first time. There are enough critics out there that I don't need nor want to become another cynic. What if I've come to this "place" not to leave a mere critic but rather to rise up a different leader? One who has wrestled with God and now walks with a limp.
As I stood out side her walls I began to ask, is God here? No I mean here, outside the sanctuary? Does He sit in bars with the drunkard? Does He sleep alongside the homeless? Does He walk with the runaways? Does He hug the prostitute? Cry with the adulterer? What I saw was that God is alive and actively working vigorously in the lives of "lost" souls. What I didn't see was His bride. Where was/is she? Where was/am I?
As church leaders our efforts and the bulk of our energy is spent on the "Sunday worship experience". What if the primary purpose/focus was not how "good" our worship services are but rather how well are our people sent? Is Monday better because Christians gathered on Sunday? After all, the work of the pastor is to equip. Again I have not come to this place to leave a mere critic but a different leader. What if when our people walked out of the Sunday service they left with a mission? I know you're probably saying they do....Do they? What is the mission....to not embarrass God or the church...to talk favorably of God and the church....to be good....to come back next week, bring someone and give your money? I feel pastors have become trained to corral sheep but have not been well trained in leading them out to pasture (and I'm not referring to sermons). What if when our people walked out of Sunday service they left energized about their mission, understood what it was and how to execute it. What if you "ended" your service with a call to action rather than an altar call. Now don't get me wrong I love altars, but altars are a place where things die not where things live.
Let me break this down a little more. If what I have said bears no weight then why is there the 80/20 rule? 20% of the people doing 80% of the work? Is it because only 20% of the people are equipped or because only 20% of the people were already equipped and we have only entertained the 80%? Could we change this percentage if we were better equippers?
1 comment(s) so far...
Re: What if you could change the way you "did" church?
I agree that the 80/20 rule is a tragic reality. I know that our church leadership is involved in several community outreaches that are making a big difference. But like you asked, how do we get the congregation motivated to go beyond church on Sunday. We were talking at Men's bible study last Tuesday about Habakkuk, and how amazing I thought it was that so many Godly men like him, Moses and many others considered it normal to have a conversation back & forth with God. I realize that we now have the Holy Spirit, but I can't help to think that we live in a society where we are being bombarded by information & images at such a rate, that it is almost impossible to process all of it. If we don't put it on Facebook or on our phone calender, we will forget it. Our attention span has been severely diminished. Back in the "old days" it must have been so much quieter, no cars honking & screeching, no music blaring out of someones speakers, etc. I think that all this information & noise is blocking our ability to hear & focus on God. I think that some of us come to church on Sunday already thinking about the errands we need to do after church, or work on Monday. I also think that some people serve so much, that it has replaced their own personal relationship with God; If they don't stay connected to the source of life, they will get worn out! I agree that we must have a call to action, rather than so many calls to the altar, but unfortunately, there are those who have become too complacent & comfortable right where they are. We know what happened to the generation of Israelites that Moses led out of Egypt. I do know that when take action and we go out to minister, whether in the streets or at a shelter or wherever the need may be, it bonds that group in a personal way that few things can match. It usually opens their eyes to the reality of how much hurt & pain there is out there & it can begin to convict them and get excited about doing it again & again. Just like fasting is something that we should be doing on a regular basis, I also think that we should begin to think about getting people motivated to form small groups that are willing to give some of their time (start small & alternate so it doesn't always fall on the 20%) and organize them to go out put our love & faith into action.
Vinnie
By Vincent Riobo on
Friday, January 27, 2012
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