Not Your Grandmother’s Church
I’ve always thought church was something that happened in a building on Sunday mornings. I mean, yeah, there are some variations that can happen – the type of worship music, the sermon, whether food is there or not, but ultimately it all revolved around what went down for those couple of hours on Sunday morning. Even being exposed to different views of church through my education, I still couldn’t break out of my “church has to be done this way” mentality.
It wasn’t until I began dreaming about starting a church that I was able to break free from some of those old paradigms of church. Just recently my whole view on church has begun to change, in a good way I hope. Now, this is scary I’m sure for all of us who like things “the same as they’ve always been”. Let’s face it – most of us hate change and are uncomfortable with it. But, honestly, stop and consider what most people outside of the church think about the church – irrelevant, hypocritical, and judgmental just to name a few. Church must look different if we hope to survive. Not just survive, but thrive!
Even as I write this, I get excited for the possibilities. The opportunity to be a part of something that connects people to God in a way that is relevant and meets them exactly where they are. Over the next few weeks, I will begin exploring my dream for the church. A church that allows for questions, doubt, and messiness. (I didn’t say it would be a comfortable church.) An environment where people can be themselves and see how God wants to meet them in the midst of their everyday lives and transform their lives into all they were created for. If that’s not the Gospel, I don’t know what is.
look forward to reading more and seeing this passion and ideas fleshed out
what would be some ways in which can can be done differently?
do you have any specifics ideas, concepts, thoughts??
Thanks Dan! Hoping to address your questions over the next few posts. I feel that we often make church too black and white. Church seems to have become a place where everyone is forced to conform to a certain set of standards. I think we need to create a space where people are ok with not having all the answers or not even having their entire life “put together”. I don’t think church was ever intended to be a place where people are a finished product, yet that’s the message portrayed by the church. Community is essential, and not just to come together for an hour on Sunday morning. I’ll begin to post some more concrete ideas and thoughts that I’ve been processing through.