Lost About Church

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Wow! This is such an amazing concept, wait a minute haven't I seen this somewhere before?

Instead of copying and redoing what the world gets right why not try redoing what the world gets wrong? Guess what a church is never going to produce as high of quality entertainment as Hollywood so why try? Why not instead try to see something which the world does poorly and do it but with better quality?

Take Public School Transportation.....Imagine if a church sent out flyer's and release forms to parents, then the church used its buses and vans to go pick up students from the schools in the afternoons, take them home, in the buses the church can provide an afternoon snack for the students and have mentors sitting the buses with the students. A great way for the students to get to know adults in the church and to get comfortable with the church.

Or what if a church used its grounds as a public park during the week. Imagine if a church took the resources used to make these bumper videos so commonly used in churches today and instead began an online video blog of the needs of the community. Instead of going to the beach and making a cheesy version of Lost, why not go down to the inner city area of Tampa. Interview homeless people, interview people being kicked out and losing their homes, interview kids being raised on the streets. Why not have a social awareness aspect of every service, verses just filling 5 mins with cool bumper videos?

The church as whole in America feels that it needs to compete against the media of our day. It doesn't. People do not place church and MTV in the same category or expect the same thing from it. I have encountered more people turned off by this than on by it. I visit the local Buddhist whenever I need to meditate. If I went there and there were no shrines, no alters, no Buddha statues, no symbols of Buddhism I would turn around a leave. And this my friends is whats happening in the modern church. The pendulum has swung so far from the ritual side that it is now as much of a problem to have no rituals.

On Wednesday evening I attended a service that a new group of people are trying to get a Christian community going. It is a local group of gay men who are seeking a church that is welcoming to them. The pastor held the service in his garage. It is a more high church denomination so there were candles, the Lords Supper, read and response and hymns. Even with the mosquitoes and the lack of AC it was a refreshing service. An average church or pastor would never been seen holding a service in a half full garage but this group, with its lack of funds and few people, knew that this would work. The service was full of ritual yet the focus was still on God, there was no doubt why we were there.

At the end of the service an offering was taken and it was announced that a large part of this small offering will be given to a local charity that helps Aids victims find resources to pay for the medical and housing bills since many lose their housing due to the lack of being able to work during treatment.

Instead of filling church info guides with names of staff members why not take the last page and list local charities members can volunteer at?

I am wanting to see churchs live the missional mindset they claim to have, yet I rarely see it. I am amazed at the passage in Acts 2 where it says the first believers sold everything and gave as there was need, having everything in common with one another. I want to see that type of church. I was more drawn to the garage church tonight than the multi-million dollar campuses I have seen all across the world.

Instead of just hosting services in churches, why not host educational lectures in them during the week. Free classes, even if just one class at a time. Classes on anything from ancient history to biology to cool hunting.

I dream of being a part of church that finally gets it, a part of a community that has everything in common. A group that eats together not because they are trying to be the church but because they gave so much away its their only option. A group that gives to the homeless not because Jesus commanded us too but because its what we're supposed to do. Imagine a church that wherever you go in a city you see them, you tell them by the smiles on their faces. no matching t-shirts needed because the shine and joy coming from them sets them apart.

We can have the miracles that Jesus promised fill our cities, we can have the miracles and wonders, but instead we choose power point and plasmas.

I see churches that somewhat get it but its never quite right. See the first century Christians got together to seek after God, to serve each other, to serve their community. No big church services, no buildings, most didn't even have a set time to meet each week, because they didn't need it. They were living life together in such a way that these things weren't needed.

All this has been said before by thousands of others before me, what can I do though, how can I change the cycle. I can begin, however small, to live that life. you can begin to live that life. I am so screwed up, so far from this. But over the last few weeks God has been working on me.

I have come to realize that no matter how well we plan, how much we preach, how much we hope all churches eventually turn out the same. So now I have given up on church, given up on plans and programs. I am now in the process of trading plans for dreams, programs for visions. I am now trading in church for authentic community, trading it in one small slow step at a time.