How would you change the church?
On Keith Drury's site Read the article here he asked his students "What is the most important change you want to make in the church when you get on staff?"
The top answers were: (1) Lead the church to GREATER SPIRITUAL DEPTH; (2) Get the church to DO MORE SERVING; (3) Lead the church to GREATER UNITY; (4) Help Christians develop ACCEPTANCE AND TOLERANCE; and (5) Teach Christians BETTER THEOLOGY.
So what about you? If you could change one thing about the church, which would you choose first?
I like the GREATER SPIRITUAL DEPTH, but I think I would prefer a "simpler" spiritual depth. Something on the order of helping one another learn more about what it means to love God and love others. That's kind of spiritual depth and service combined maybe.
Anybody else up for change in your church???
posted by dan at 11:45 PM
7 Comments:
Howabout stop navel gazing and start looking out towards how we can start transforming the world? :)
Before moving to specifics -
Help people see that "change" is more consistent with scripture than the status quo.
Desegregate the church -
All too often we see churches with a very narrow strata of society. Or the body of the church is broader, but the leadership is very narrow.
I would suggest that it is offensive to God that we separate ourselves into White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, middle class, upper class, lower class, married with children, married without children, singles, older, middle aged, younger as the "demographic of the group" we reach.
How many of your churches are like this? Currently, the two churches I belong to are. One is mainly twenty somethings (admittedly Via Christus is brand new and we are starting with that core group, we have had two older couples come). Lifespring is mainly married with kids, middle class.
Admittedly, the demographic of an area has a lot to do with the congregation, but doesn't it seem odd though that it is that narrow?
Although many people seee theology as "merely academic", it is theology (our study of God) that transforms us. God brings about change and if we study God, He will show us how to change. Better theology will lead to greater spiritual depth, better theology will inspire and equip people to serve, better theology will promote greater unity, better theology will give us God's view of acceptance and tolerance. If we focus on studying God and His word, and applying what He teaches us, then all of these goals may be accomplished.
Just a quick comment. I would rather acceptance and love rather than acceptance and tolerance. I heard a message from A. Stanley once and he was pointing out how crappy tolerance can be. Are we to just get to the point where we simply tolerate each other? Sounds like alot of marrriages I've seen but one I'm glad I'm not a part of. He suggested that our ethic should be love rather than tolerance and in a way that makes some sense.
Regarding the question: "What is the most important change you want to make in the church?"
I just finished McLaren's THE LAST WORD AND THE WORD AFTER THAT, and several things struck me. On p. 142 one of the fictional characters says, "The success of a church isn't measured by the numbers who attend but by the formation of people as agents of the kingdom of God..."
Yes, I want want to be a part of a group transforming people into agents of the kingdom.
On p. 197 McLaren says: "One feature of what is sometimes called the 'emerging church' is a turn from doctrines to practices; unity is built less around a list of things one professes to believe and more around how one pursues truth and puts beliefs into action through practices. In this way, churches and other similar organizations see themselves as COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE."
Again, yes... I want to be a part of a 'community of practice' instead of a doctrinal community of belief.
But to bring it all together, on p. 170, another fictional character said:
"I am an irrelevant Christian desperate to be relevant to a world that is desperate for good news."
THAT, my friends, is my prayer today (and I hope everyday). I am no longer a student dreaming about how I want to change a church. As a leader in the church, on most days, the most important change I need to make is with ME! "I" need greater spiritual depth, etc. "I" need to be more loving. "I" need...
And I wonder... maybe it's just true of me, I don't know (I'm not making a comment about anyone else)... but is the change I most want to see in others reflective of the change I most need in myself? Like, if I think others are not very loving, is it because that's how I see myself; if I see others as self-centered, is it because that's what I struggle with, etc.? Just a thought.
Okay, sorry for the long comment. Just thinking out loud.
Dan,
If we all had the attitude of starting with "me", the church would be a better place.
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