Is It Just "Boomers?"

As I talk to friends, former classmates, and people who have long-ago disengaged from their inherited church, I hear some of the same things... Across all age groups!

• "Church doesn't seem to have a purpose."
• "It's an inwardly focused agenda. 'How can we build up our franchise,' not what can we do to share Christ."
• "They don't seem to need me, or my ideas, just my money."
• "It's all about disengaging from my culture and getting in tune with some retro-culture that I can't relate to."
• "My friends would be bored at best and more likely freaked-out by our services. I could never bring them."

From some of my friends in progressive "Seeker-Targeted Churches" I hear...

• "We use elements of our current culture but we still don't have much time for the people IN the culture."
• "We engage our culture through music and the arts, we talk about God, but we never ENGAGE or encounter God."
• "It's kind of like a 'Preacher's Kid Variety Show" where we see how close to the culture we can get without sinning"
• "We get fresh new ideas in programming, but the mission get's fuzzy. What are we suppose to be DOING?"
• "It's all programmed and ready to go. We're in, we're out, next service is starting... What about community."
• "We've dropped the ball on 'making a difference' we're putting all our effort into 'The Show' each week."

Do you resonate with any of those statements? What could a "NextChurch" do to fix what seems to be broken?

Let's just start with some "What If's..." Totally in dream mode...

Let me paint a picture of a new future that's beginning to form in my heart.

What about "church" as a group of people who gather together and worship God in authentic ways., Who look to Him, through the Spirit and the Word, to find... not some over-arching answer for a global ministry cabal, but the light on their path for that day or that week.

What about a congregation that was built on community (doing life together), and focused on their community (those still far from God.).

What if we built a congregation on values instead of policies?

What if we didn't wait to have all our "ducks in a row" but viewed the whole thing as a journey. When we fail, we fail forward... When we're wrong we change and ask forgiveness... When God speaks to one of us, we trust that He's speaking and listen.

What if we could realize that God speaks to all of us at our point of need and accept the part of conviction that points to our weakness or strength and not make each impression a church policy.

What if we didn't build the church to last forever, but empowered and encouraged the people to live for today and to hunger for the eternal.

What if every new church partnered with another church, new or established, in another part of the world. Members could be encouraged to make friends via email and instant messaging. Teams from one church could visit the other for special outreach projects or church events. Resources, mentoring and prayer for one another could widen our perceived world and give us "new Ways" to view ministry, community, service, and worship.

Pick those ideas apart... What resonates with you? Do any of those ideas get your creative juices flowing?

I really believe that if we can hammer out the WHAT of a NextChurch philosophy, then the how is just going to happen one step at a time. They may be big steps and then hard fought inches, but progress is measured best in light of a goal!

Dream with me,
Allan

Here are a few more resources that have inspired my thoughts...

Stories of Emergence: Moving from Absolute to Authentic Edited by Mike Yaconelli

Uprising - A Revolution of the Soul by Erwin McManus

Emerging Churches - Creating Christian Community in Postmodern Cultures by Eddie Gibbs and Ryan K. Bolger