"I was driving the other day and heard an announcer on a national radio station say, “Remember, all Christians should he in church this Sunday?" When I heard it, I found myself bristling with anger. As I pondered my reaction I realized that we still think that’s the end game for people. That is, if we just get people to church, everything else will take care of itself. Why did they have to challenge people to go? Why did I rarely want to go as I was growing up? It’s an easy answer. The problem with church has been that we communicate that God is up in heaven, monitoring his cosmic seating chart, and he really wants our church buildings full.
That’s just not true.
Church gatherings were never the intended goal they were the natural result of people finding others who were living their alternative Kingdom story. The goal of our missional life is not to grow churches. The goal of the church is to grow missionaries. The goal of the Gospel is not to get to church. The result of the gospel is that people will find each other and gather because of the deep meaning of a common experience."
(Tangible Kingdom. Hugh Halter, pg 167-168 2008, Jossey-Bass)
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Stop Focusing on Church Growth! Start Raising Members to Be Missional!
Really, which comes first? If people actually lived like missionaries to their community, culture, friends, country, church growth could not be stopped. Most pew sitters have been in spectator church for so long they think that is all they are called to. They don't even know they are suppose to approach the world like "missionaries". Would shock them too!
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