New Church

Posted under Church, Culture, How to Live, Jesus, conventional church, conversation, future church, influence, love, missional, orbiting the church, revolution, unchurched

I was a shepherd in the traditional/conventional church. I also served as a deacon, a preacher, and a missionary. Today I believe more in the church of Bob Evans every Sunday afternoon, the church at Starbucks on Friday evenings and then there is my new institutional church at a University Hospital. (FYI—degrees in Nuclear Medicine and Bible; chose to make my living from the medical side)

For employees who have excessive absenteeism or a history of tardiness there is a policy that places them in a process with the end result being dismissal (verbal warning, written warning, etc) I choose not to do that. Instead I invite them into my office and use the wisdom that comes with sixty years of life and the spiritual wisdom God has blessed me with nudging them closer to success and Jesus (this is my policy and the process I choose). I really believe if I died tomorrow the employees of this institution would carry signs to my funeral expressing their love for me.

And then there are the folks at New Wineskins who encourage me in my wacky writings and the conversations I have with the many I talk with in Christian circles.

I am blessed!

Revolution

Posted under George Barna, emergent, house church, libertarian, revolution

This gathering conversation; emergent(s), house churches, new church plants—what Barna called Revolution. I can’t help but believe that among these growing numbers are a ton of libertarians and former young church leaders who have reacted to the personal pain of having their ideas, philosophy, etc., dismissed by the current crop of (boomer) church leaders.

But there’s some history that might reflect on the above paragraph.

Through the 1980s the baby boomers were the ones pushing for change. Many today are not old enough to remember and the ones who could remember may have forgotten the rabid resistance by a generation of World War II leaders against the change being lead by the next generation of leaders–young, upstart baby boomers. There were other transitional movements at the time, it just so happens the following come to mind for me. There was strong resistance over the push to allow reading from the NIV and NKJV in the public assembly along with (their)KJV. Another issue was the right to attend the assembly in informal attire. No more ties and dress shoes, or at the minimum the option not to wear them. It all seems silly now but at the time it was serious, so much so that many churches divided over such issues, especially the version controversy.

Paradoxically, the boomers (who are the current crop of church leaders) now practice their own version of resistance. And then on another rung there are the ultra conservatives somethings making statements like, “I’ve never changed my view on anything,” thinking faithfulness is found in a statement like that.  Jesus is right…humanity, in all it’s varied colors, needs him.