Just Shut Up!

It seems that people from all points of the compass have some bashing they feel they need to get out. Come on, it's not a contest to see who's best. It's about giving EVERYONE the choice to accept Jesus into their life. Everyone with an opinion, run with it. Share it. Ask for help when needed. But remember, the people you tick off on the way up won't be there to catch you on the way down.

I'm well aware of the new buzz words for churches now; emerging, missional, incarnational etc, etc. It's true I've been reading some great things, especially "The Forgotten Ways" by Alan Hirsch, and I'm getting psyched by the groundswell I'm feeling and the potential for a worldwide movement to be started in the US. It's true their are more sub-cultures now than ever. It's worse than a high school cafeteria and all these groups need to be reached by brave disciples immersing themselves into their culture. The traditional "Constantinian" model will not work anymore for the population at large. We don't need to fix what we have, we need to (re)create how we do things.

Now let's rewind.... The existing institutions still have their place, at least for now. The apostolic church may not have had "Churches" but each setting was uniquely based on the local population. Synagogues, homes, businesses, mountaintops, etc. Megachurches have their spot in line as do the coffee shops, movie theaters, ymca's, county parks and wherever else new plants are meeting. There are people that may only go to a pretty building with good parking, and yes they may be the comfortable middle class, but who are we to say they're not living out the true missional life. I personally don't like the seeker-sensitive model either, but if that's what it takes to get someone in, have the kindling gathered and finally the Holy Spirit to ignite them so be it!