Saturday we were sitting around my brother's table......he's a senior minister in the Middlebury area in what I would call a modern denominational church.........and he asked the question, "so what would a new church, a real church, look like?"My reply was "the more interesting thing is that that question, and this conversation is happening in more and more places"
The hot term right now is "emergent church". I had to ask my brother exactly what that means, I thought I understood, but I didn't go to seminary-or preachin' school as I like to call it. Emergent church simply means the trends, the culture coming out of the universal church right now. To my knowledge, this has been happening for generations, but we never called it emergent.
My brother and I grew up in a large, charismatic church back when those were the edgy side of Christianity. Both of us have gravitated toward a more traditional, but still contemporary, church setting. We know what the mega-church can and can't do for the individual spiritual needs of a person. We both know the relational importance within the church and the doctrinal disconnect being experienced by many in and outside of the church today. But I think we're both stumped at where this is going....but we can see the winds of change a blowin'.
Blame my generation for this........or give us credit depending on what comes out the other side. I believe that while we need to embrace the importance and biblical mandate of the church, I think it's time the way we "do church" changes. I'm not referring to throwing out tradition, but rather that people within the church model Christ outside the four walls too. And it is time to accept doctrinal differences, but join arms together to end hunger and poverty.......and addictions and to walk with people in trouble.........to love our neighbor (gee, where have I heard that one?)
It's time to get back to the real roots of Christianity, not what many have contorted it to be. And I'm not just saying this because I like to wear sandals.
4 comments:
You know, that is something that I have been feeling about the church for a long time now. I look back to our days at the GBCS and how insulated the mindset was there. It should not come as a surprise that people sometimes mistrust and cast a wary glance at the "Christian" community. Too many people have been talking the talk, but not walking the walk for too long.
hey buddy,
I think it goes well beyond walking/talking. I think we've skipped the talking part too.
One of the key things I think that needs to happen is that the church divorces itself from politics wholly. As the church, we've accepted a republican philosophy of living that frankly doesn't line up with christ's message. We should start talking that on sunday mornings and see if folks start walking it.
and where is your brother turned lutheran preacher? I lost all contact after the wedding.
He and his wife are in Berkley, finishing up school. My mom, sister, and 3 of her kids came out over Easter and they drove up to spend the weekend with us. He seems to be doing alright. I don't hear from him very often either.
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