Does anyone know???
Does anyone know how to transition an established church in America from a "Come and See", "Programmed", and "Controlling" place to a Disciples making other disciples church? It seems at times that the American way of doing church is locked down to keep doing business as usual.
In my experience thus far it is so much easier to build the disciples making other disciples and mandate for all (from Christ) to do this in new churches (the Body not the building). Does anyone know how to get a church from "I come for me and my needs" to I am here on Sunday, but the main thing I do is out there (the world)?
Is there any hope to get the American church to see the supremacy of the Great Commission as the most important thing and worship or "Come & See" events are secondary? Does the church in America really care or not, if they reproduce or not?
If the fulfillment of the Great Co-Mission (God and All of Us) depends on believers today, how are we doing?
Does anyone have any thoughts? If you do, this could be one of our best discussions yet.
posted by Bob Carder @ 3:42 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
As I was preparing to enter the world of church planting my mentor wisely said, "It's easier to birth a baby than it is to raise the dead." I think that gets to the heart of church planting vs. church revitalization.
In my denominational region in Illinois they tried both efforts: planting new churches, and revitalizing existing churches. A ton of money was poured into both. The church plants continue on to this day, some of the revitalizatoin projects have since closed down and the remaining ones are really no different (except for a name change) than they were before the effort.
I have a pretty pessimistic outlook on church revitalization.
Bill -well spoken and not afraid to speak your heart. You have a prophetic voice for America.
It's like we have all these books and other stuff describing what our mission is. Where are the people who will are beginning to fulfill the mission? Where is all the passion to be the Church in action in the world? Or maybe they have a passion to sit in the pew and stay in the rut (where there is comfort and safety).
Churches are never revitalized until they become very desperate. But what happens when they are no longer desperate?
All this missional talk in America these days never provides a solution on getting the church off their butts to become the Church.
What is really sad has to do with what hapens to all the churches in America who are plateaued or declining?
Until American churches are willing to abandon certain behaviors - they will never truly transition from their established programs.
What will it take for leaders and believers in established churches to abandon...
- addiction to size as the measure of success?
- preoccupation with property and buildings?
- belief that the answer to what the church needs is found in conferences and seminars (instead of the New Testament)?
- pietistic avoidance of sinners?
- dependency on professional clergy?
- expectation that evangelism means inviting someone to church?
- separation of church and church?
- consumerism?
I believe that churches will not "transition" to truly missional, disciplemaking behaviors until they abandon these behaviors.
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