Who said this?
“I would guarantee an institional church full of people radically devoted to
Jesus will always be more impactful than a new expression where the Jesus factor
is dispassionate.”
That is so true. Ultimately the method by which we do church or do evangelism, is really not the point. The point is our relationship to God, and our relationship to people. This is what Jesus said, love me, love others. True love to others will be expressed by sharing our faith and lives with them.
Maybe this is why people who have obvious faults and problems have made great Pastors and leaders and evangelists. We can all see what they are doing wrong, but for whatever reason, God has used them in remarkable ways. I am not talking about those churches which pinch other churches members by putting on a better show. I am talking about those radical individuals who seem to upset a lot of people, yet somehow end up leading a stack of people to Christ.
Close to my home, was my dad. He upset a lot of people in the BU and surrounds. He spoke his mind and wrote his mind too! I would not necesarily endorse his methods. But I admire his passion and drive. The memory of all those people at his funeral who were Christians because of him, will drive me and stay with me forever.
Ultimatelty I don’t care what you do to reach people for Christ, just reach them!
Thats why I am getting a little tired of this whole emergent/established church thing.
Maybe Hirsch is right, “This means that efforts to fundamentally reorient the church around its mission fail because the foundational system, in this case the Christendom mode or understanding of church, cancels out what the ‘software’ is requiring. Leadership must go deeper and develop the assumptions and configurations on which a more missional expression of ecclesia can be built.” link
As a pastor who has transitioned a church to one which I truly believe is getting the line, “the church is not about us, we are the church, the church is about the unsaved”, Whats needed across all expressions of Christianity is more passion for the lost, This will cause us to rethink structures, cultures and philisophies. But this will be contextualised, and I personally dont subscribe to the methedologies Hirsch subscribes, but you probably know that. Having said that, I think, ‘more power to ya!” especially if people are starting to follow Christ.
Either way, I do reckon its time to adopt a more co-operative approach, work together somehow. Ultimately any new work needs to become self funding, and if it cant, then it has a problem. But I do personally want to find creative ways to work together.
Who said that? I reckon you can find that out for yourself.
