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By Erwin McManus Submitted by Erick Spangler Date: 2004 Mar 27 Comment on this Work [[2004.03.27.12.11.6338]] |
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We have chosen standardization over uniqueness. We have chosen predictability over surprise. The church is influenced by the world around her and called to influence the world in which she exists. When relationships become stagnant and the community of Christ closes itself to the outside world, the result is an institution rather than a movement Over the past forty years, the communities around many churches have changed dramatically, yet the church has stayed the same. Somewhere in the community's transformation, the church disconnected. The church must acclimate to a changing world, or she will destine herself to irrelevance or even extinction. The more one focuses on one's own living, the less one is concerned about giving life to others. The church must always strive to be giving birth to the future. Once survival has become our supreme goal, we have lost our way. The purpose of the church cannot be to survive or even to thrive but to serve. The life of the church is the heart of God. The heart of God is to serve a broken world. When the church refuses to serve the world, she begins to waste away. The real tragedy is not the churches are dying but that churches have lost their reason to live. The reality was that pastors were being equipped to preserve the past rather that to create the future. Seminaries were producing pastors who were ready for the pulpits but not for the challenge. We spent million of dollars preserving our music and hymnals rather that creating worship that expresses the culture in which we live. The church began to realize that our home turf had become our mission field and very few were called to missions. The church became a fortress from the world rather that the hope of the world. The church at best, fell asleep. It might be fair to say that we lost the power to transform culture. The world changed, and we didn't. The world changed for the worse because we didn't change at all. People are rejecting Christ, because of the church! Our motto changed from "We are the church, here to serve a lost and broken world" to "what does the church have to offer me?" Are we too much about us getting fed and too little about us exercising our faith? If those who prepare for leadership are looking for the safe place, who will lead the church into dangerous places? The truth of the matter is that the center of God's will is not a safe place but the most dangerous place in the world! God fears nothing and no one! Institutions preserve culture, while movements create culture. (For more information on Erwin McManus and his church Mosaic, check out http://www.mosaic.org ) |