Friday, March 16, 2007

Is this real-ly relevant?



I read this article:
(http://www.relevantmagazine.com/pc_article.php?id=7353). It’s entitled “The Commercial Church.”
There are some assertions that the author makes which really resonate with me, like: “Many times, [in a church’s service time] we create spectators rather than participators.” I think that is a real danger when the emphasis on programming is high. I believe we’d better serve and honor both God and people by focusing more energy in creating an environment where people are invited to experience the LORD—not so much a “presentation.” I long for my time spent in a service to be a time and space where I can experience God—right where I’m at: physically, emotionally, and mentally. I wish that the elements of the service time where geared more towards that end then staying on schedule or the impartation of mere information. Do not tell me what to think about, teach me how to think—how to draw closer to Jesus. I’ll never remember three points, a snappy acrostic, and I’ll probably throw away whatever cheesy little reminder thing everyone gets from the ushers. I think people are hungry for “real” more than they are “relevant.” As Peterson [I think] wrote, “Real is always relevant.” Let’s focus on creating a safe place for people to get real with God and experience His love and grace. Let’s help people figure out how to do that versus trying to modify their behavior.
Another opinion with which I agree is the author’s observation that “The non-Christians are now called the ‘un-churched’ or in other words, the ‘un-institutionalized.’ Is that our goal, to ‘church’ people? And so we wonder why people are feeling dry and disconnected from God even though they are active in their church.” I’ve been guilty of this, too. My goal for me, my friends and family should be discipleship not church membership. Unfortunately, trying to find some “disciple-facilitators” amongst all these teachers and preachers can sometimes prove tricky . . .

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