Dear church... I DO love you!

One last thought before the semester ends and we all head off somewhere to celebrate the season's reason. I DO love the Church. It is God's chosen way of revealing His passionate love to people. It is His method of modelling the beauty of the relationship shared in the Trinity. It is His vehicle to gather a family who will someday join Him in a wonderfully prepared place. I love It! I DO wish that the Church was more like His original idea. I DO wish that we were more focused on deepening relationships than on expanding programs. I DO wish that a hurting world was being made curious by our unselfish love for each other... curious enough to want to know the reason for our love and hope and joy.... curious enough to want to run to the Jesus of the manger and fall humbly upon His free gift of grace. I DO wish!!!
Having spent these few weeks blogging together... trying to look inside the church and our own hearts... what do you wish for the church?
Thankyou for your participation... I am blessed! Doug

Orthodox AND Generous?

In his book "A Generous Orthodoxy", Brian McClaren relates his own struggle dealing with the difficult issues facing the church. How do we find a balance between remaining truly biblical in our belief system (orthodoxy) while at the same time showing the love and kindness of Christ (generosity) to people that are so vastly different from ourselves? How did Jesus relate to the adulterous woman, the tax-cheater up in a tree, the multi-relationship woman at the well, the demon-possessed man, the street children, and the religious but uncompassionate leaders? If a gay person, or a divorced person, or a young woman who has had an abortion was seeking spiritual reality would they feel that my church was a safe place to begin that pilgrimage? What is sin? Is there a heirarchy of sins from God's perspective or is that a man-made idea? What does God require of me... "To DO justice... To LOVE kindness... To WALK humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). Please tell me how you deal with this struggle...

Big church... Small church? Two wings... same bird?

If a sense of 'community' or 'family' is important in connecting with my local church (and I believe it is very important)... How can that be achieved when my main contact is Sunday morning, sitting in rows of pews, facing one direction, with a small number of people actually participating in the service? Can community take place in this setting? Should it take place there? If it doesn't, then what is the purpose of the larger group meeting? If I experience a true sense of community meeting with a small group in my living room... Is that 'real' church? How important is it for us to meet with a larger group from time to time? Is there a unique purpose for both 'big' and 'small' groups meeting in Jesus' Name? What do you think?

Gathering (community)... Scattering (mission)

I have worked with parachurch groups such as Youth With A Mission and The Agape Force. These organizations and many more like them came into existence because of a perceived lack in local church ministry. Whether their emphasis is door-to-door evangelism, feeding the hungry, reaching the world's lost youth or building orphanages in war-torn lands... they all exist as a clear reminder that the average church in western culture is focused primarily inward. It is obviously important to "gather" the saints for such things as edification, exhortation, community and equipping for service. But... where are the "scattered" saints? How can we have more meaningful ministry outside the walls of the sanctuary? Should our main concern be how to get people into the building? What do we do with the millions of seeking folks who are so disillusioned with the church that they will not come inside its walls? How will we reach our post-modern culture? What might the church be missing here? Talk to me....