I am just reading a preview of a new book by Alan Roxburg on Missional Mapmaking. It is basically about developing the skills and wisdom to plan for church in a very rapidly changing culture that we often do no understand. (of even want to sometimes)
In the prelude, he talks about a large successful church had an equally busy front door and back door. It attracted people with its needs based program and they left when they found a program they preferred.
In assessing their church the leadership concluded that if they believed their own vision statement about the Kingdom of God, then they had missed the point because it had "shaped a church around meeting people's needs rather than forming them into a self -sacrificing disciples of the kingdom."
That is a pretty heavy self analysis! This is not about the style of the church but rather the inner beliefs and world view that drives our programs. We have swallowed the marketing jargon of every other business and tried to outdo each other in showing how Jesus, as particularly found within our church, is the key to a rich and satisfying life.
The life of following Jesus is uniquely satisfying; but not, I believe, because he meets our every need according to our agenda. The life of being His apprentice is far more rich that simply having our needs met - it gives us a destiny!
We do not have a product we are selling but a call to a life of learning how to live and love like Jesus. And to spend our lives following the one who gave up everything for us, is always going to lead us to giving of ourselves for others.
God's in Charge - Always, Part Deux
23 hours ago


