I think it is safe to say that I am burned out and disillusioned by the church as I know it. I could tell you many personal experiences that led me to this point, but I won't. What I will say, and this is strictly my personal opinion, politics prevail within the church walls. The Gospel of Jesus Christ has become man's agenda for glorification rather than God's agenda to make His Son famous among the nations. We are building altars to ourselves, rather than altars to the Father. We are ministering to the Baby Boomers with money who want to be comfortable with the status quo rather than seeking ways to minister to the X, Y, Z generations that will someday lead the church. I've heard leaders say that we are only two generations from losing the church. My response to this...if you are not seeking new ways to minister to the younger generations (youth, young adults/professionals, young married with/out families), you will lose the church. It is that simple. I'm not saying change the message. Never change or compromise the message.....but do change the method.. Sorry folks, the X, Y, Z generations were not raised in the perfect 1950's (the rose colored glasses years) where their future looks bright and social security was secure. They are living in uncertain economic times being bombarded by propaganda from evolution to socialism. It is not the same world!
Bill Hybels, senior pastor at Willow Creek Community Church in Illinois, has written a book called Holy Discontent. What is Holy Discontent?
"What is the one aspect of this broken world that, when you see it, touch it, get near it, you just can't stand? Very likely, that firestorm of frustration reflects your holy discontent, a reality so troubling that you are thrust off the couch and into the game. It's during these defining times when your eyes open to the needs surrounding you and your heart hungers to respond that you hear God say, I feel the same way about this problem. Now, let's go solve it together! There are a lot of Christ-followers who haven't taken the time to figure out what their holy discontent is, and so they're doing a gradual slide into apathy and complacency and that is unconscionable in a broken and lost world."
To find more information about Holy Discontent here is a great web-site: Holy Discontent. For those who are not prone to search web-sites, here is a quick video.
What is your Holy Discontent?
To be continued...
2 comments:
Preach on Dana!
Have you always been "Baptist"? Not implying at all that this is just a Baptist issue. I know it is prevalent in all denominations. It's just that having been an active member of many very different churches, I can see how traditions that used to mean something become meaningless to the new generation. If the churches were meeting needs, people would come. That's why they followed Jesus around. He has something they needed. He still does. It's just that the folks that need Him can't find Him in church as we know it, most of the time.
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