The Church Guy

Amazed and Perplexed

Most everyone will remember through out the coming week exactly where they were and what they were doing ten years ago on the morning of 9/11/o1. The images of that day have been tattooed on our hearts and sealed in our spirit forever. Most people were amazed and perplexed by that day.

Centuries ago another group of people were amazed and perplexed for quite a different reason. It was when the early church and followers of Christ gathered on Pentecost and received the Holy Spirit. They shared whatever they had with each other and many joined their ranks and all were in awe of what God had done.

Immediately following 9-11, church attendance rose sharply in the US. People were perplexed. Many questions were asked. People looked for comfort and hope and something to fill that growing empty place in their souls.

Church attendance returned to pre 9-11 levels within six months. One could make the argument that the answers people sought and the hope they longed for wasn’t provided by the churches they gathered in.

For many, those same questions and the need for hope remained. What would happen if every church and group of believers scrapped all their well thought out mission statements, their rules and by-laws, and their ineffective programs and focused all they did on one simple goal- HOPE?  Would we perhaps be amazed and perplexed again?

On the Sidelines

There’s a group of folks called the Barna Research Group. For decades, they have studied church and the people that go and those that don’t. As you might expect, they’ve seen a lot of changes over the past 20 years. There are now more people than ever before that are “unchurched”, which Barna defines as people who haven’t attended a church in the past six months except for a wedding or funeral.

Their research also shows that the majority of adults in the US remain quite interested in and curious about connecting to God in some way. They just aren’t excited about doing it through a conventional church or established religious institution.

Many church leaders I’ve heard or spoken with seem perplexed about why they can’t attract new people. They seem caught in a loop of repackaging programs and people for some cause or objective they can’t quite define.

I think a question they might ask is, “When is the last time someone who attended your church left it more hopeful, more at peace, and more loved than when they walked through your door?”

For GOD’s Sake, Another Blog!

I’ve had the privilege (and at times the curse) to visit many churches across this country. I’ve seen them work well and not so well. For me, working well means the church is a living example of being the hands and feet of Christ. For the church that works well, it’s not about them or their buildings. It’s about the people that aren’t there yet. It’s about being the knot at the end of someone’s rope. It’s about feeding the poor, clothing the naked, and hanging out with those in prison. It’s about helping people discover the hope that comes through grace that finds you where you are but never leaves you there. Ever since I heard the phrase, “The local church is the hope of the world”, I bought into it. In a world where nothing is for sure, the local church can be a place to bring yourself, your family, your friends and find what’s missing in your life. You might just find a peace there that passes all understanding and new hope that gives you purpose.