Post-denominational

The world has changed. But has the Churched noticed? Culturally it is becoming more and more apparent that people are "post-denominational." By that I mean that people are less likely to choose to connect with a church community because of denominational affiliation than they've ever been before. Simply put - people just don't care alot about this anymore. In many ways, I think this is refreshing. Instead of a focus on institutional moorings, people are interested in God and community and being missional. But this new post-denominational culture is rocking the Church world/culture. In so many ways we don't know how to respond because we have attached ourselves so closely to things that culture just isn't interested in (at least anymore). The Church of the 21st century is faced with a challenge - understanding and moving toward a post-denominational mindset, or risk losing our voice with present and many future generations.

Personally, I'm excited about the challenge and the opportunities. Denominations don't have to die in this wake, but have the opportunity to be re-born. God help us, we pray.

Churches don't compete

Just put a billboard up in our city. The idea behind it is that so often churches and Christians can be divided. The image we present to the world is fractured and broken because of our denominational and institutional disagreements. I'm not saying we shouldn't join a certain "tribe" or whatever (I'm connected to a denomination), but so often it becomes more important to us than relationships with each other and our common mission.

Love a quote from Charles Spurgeon on this (From "A Divided Heart," 1859):

When the differences are of such a character, that as people of God we can still love each other, and still unite in the common battle against the cause of evil and in the common end of building up the church, then there is but little that is faulty. When when our doctrinal divisions grow to so great a head that we cease to co-operate; when our opinions upon mere ordinances becomes so acid towards each other, that we can no longer extend the right hand of fellowship to those who differ from us, then indeed is the church of God found faulty.

Stuff we don't talk about @ church

We're in a series at our church where we've been discussing issues the Church doesn't like to face/talk about. The series has been based on a couple new books that research perceptions people outside the Church have about Christians/the Church (UnChristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons and They Like Jesus But Not the Church by Dan Kimball). We've been inviting questions and dialogue during the message/teaching time - which has really been incredible. The series has been very challenging as we've been looking at the following perceptions: 1) Christians are hypocrites, 2) Christians are homophobic, 3) Christians are sheltered, and 4) Christians are divided.

You can check out the series on our website's "watch/listen" page.