Get In, Buckle Up, and Hold On…
June 27th, 2007 | by Scott |Most of us who are involved in church work have some level of desire to reach out and share the gospel with others.
We might disagree as to what the true heart of the gospel is. We might not employ the same methods or techniques. But most of us are sincere in the desire.
Another area where we need to establish agreement is that a static methodology can not and will not work in this postmodern (for lack of a better term) society. If we are honest and our finger is anywhere near the erratic pulse of our culture then we have to feel slightly overwhelmed and not quite ready to be salt and light.
I read yesterday that 96% of teens use social networks at least once a week. The tenuous conclusion is that “(those) attempting to reach out to young people through social networks should meet them on their own terms.”
And the prospect of meeting those in this world on their terms, going to them with the good news of God’s infinite love and mercy is a daunting task. Where to go from here, how to anticipate the coming trends and the proper avenues to engage will consume us in the coming years.
Here is what we know:
–Centralized, attractional models are no longer working. They are not coming to us. It’s that simple. There might have been a slight uptick in the post 9/11 world but we weren’t prepared for that and the door is closed in that regard.
–Progress occurs at such a dizzying rate that anticipation of coming trends has become more difficult. Today’s Facebook is tomorrow’s Myspace. What replaces Twitter? What follows after the PowerPoint backlash?
–Truth is more complex and multi-faceted than we have traditionally understood. Those who cling solely to propositional truth might dismiss that as relativism but that is short-sighted.
–Truth means nothing without love. If we don’t care about them it doesn’t matter what we know. It is as simple as that.
So, what do we do? How do we proceed from here? Ultimately, if we are going to be anything more than a relic (talking about the institutional church, here) then we must ask some hard questions, grapple with some traditions and rethink the way we do things.
At the core we have to get up from here and go to there. I want us to begin to think, wrestle and dream in this space about what it means to be the church in the 21st century. What does it mean to be a Christ-Follower? And how does that relate to the world at large?
Let’s begin this discussion.
7 Responses to “Get In, Buckle Up, and Hold On…”
By Phil Wilson on Jun 27, 2007 | Reply
This discussion requires a complete redefinition of what it means to be a church, i.e. the body of Christ. And it will either rip it apart at the seams or unify it into a cohesive body.
Congregations are going to have to decide what their purpose is. Is it to make sure they stay in existence (a track that I’m firmly convinced will make them irrelevant) or to create disciples that will go out and change the world in Jesus’ name. Missional vs. Attractional, basically. And I know Missional has become this new buzzword, but it also encapsulates what it has come to for the Church.
By R-Liz on Jun 27, 2007 | Reply
“–Truth means nothing without love. If we don’t care about them it doesn’t matter what we know. It is as simple as that.”
I think that’s the heart of it right there. I believe we think (we being the Church) that we care, but we rarely challenge ourselves on that notion. We stick to our routines, use our work or our families (yes, I said that) or whatever else is a part of our routines as an excuse to not get our hands dirty.
We rationalize away any reason to truly get involved in the hurting world around us. And so it sits: alone, broken, and ultimately uncared for.
By Scott on Jun 27, 2007 | Reply
Great thoughts. Not only will we have to redefine what it means to be the church but how we are truly disciples. And that involves going beyond Acts 2 to seeing the larger pursuit.
And going beyond Acts 2 means that we do get dirty or we aren’t the church.
By Donna on Jun 27, 2007 | Reply
Fascinating. I look forward to all of the discussion on this. I believe that most of us know and accept that it is true…but we are so entrenched in our institutional..building..based church that we can’t break free of the stronghold. At least it is a real struggle for me.
By Kevin Bussey on Jun 27, 2007 | Reply
That’s how I got into all of this stuff. I was a Next Gen Pastor and I started blogging and getting on chat rooms, text messaging, etc… because thats how they communicate. Instead of criticizing (not saying anyone here is) we ought to embrace it and reach people where they are at.
JMHO
By Matthew on Jun 28, 2007 | Reply
Great Post and So True. Connection is changing, and so must we.
http://www.matthewsblog.waynesborochurchofchrist.org
By Scott on Jun 28, 2007 | Reply
Donna, it’s a struggle for me as well. The question of how to embrace it as Kevin and Matthew suggest is an interesting one to me.
Especially since I seem to be a step behind.