Free to Worship: Part 4

This particular post is more so to church leaders and staff:

I’m not an expert… and neither are any of you reading this. We can all learn from one another. So don’t get all defensive. But here is my question to church leaders and staff…

1. What happens when an unbeliever visits your church… will they get a clear and authentic understanding of “Jesus Christ”, “God”, and the “Bible” or will they get your style of church and your perspective of “Jesus Christ”, “God”, and the “Bible”?

2. What happens when you’ve taught the same crowd of church members for 5-10 years and they still seem to not be getting it?

3. What happens when the youth of your church continually show little to no interest and eventually drift away?

My point is this… if you don’t take anything else from this blog, hear my heart when I say this… We – as the Church – have got to stop defending what we are so used to and accustomed to, and be open to being challenged and charged enough to stop doing what is comfortable and familiar – but isn’t working, and start asking God, seeking help from others, and figuring out what to do that will work.

Listen… the Church – as a whole – is losing momentum and relevance in America and we all have a role in not allowing the Church to become just another hobby for people to add to their lives. America can one day become just like Europe… Post-Christian… if we aren’t challenging each other and making every effort to make sure people know who Jesus Christ really is, what He is really about, and who we really are in Him.

What I am finding is that some churches are ill-equipped to deal with or properly engage this society – the youth, the agnostic, the atheist, the homosexual, the skeptic, etc. with the Gospel. I think part of the reason is that we have gotten more accustomed to our flavor or style of church and how we view God rather than creating an environment where people can get the truth without our twists on it (I could be wrong, but that’s my take on it). Eventually, outsiders stay outside while the rest of the world ignores us all together. Sorry that that’s not your pretty Christian picture or happy ending.

…to be continued.