Frank Viola and George Barna have partnered up to write a book called Pagan Christianity (The title itself is a critque of church as we know it.)

When George Barna’s research causes him to question the very shape that the church has taken, questioning the need for buildings that get used for a few hours a week, questioning the programs and staffing arrangements that have become standard operating procedure, when the church growth movement, the rise of the mega church, contemporary worship, none of that has stemmed the steady decline in participation in church as we know it, that’s got to give us pause.

We’re in an exhilerating and frightening age when NOBODY really has a handle on what’s next for the church. We increasingly know that church as it has come to be practiced is pretty much uninteresting and unsustainable.

For some of what Viola and Barna have to say, here’s a gigantic quote from the book:

“WE ARE LIVING IN THE MIDST of a silent revolution of faith. Millions of Christians throughout the world are leaving the old, accepted ways of “doing church” for even older

approaches. Those older approaches are rooted in the Holy Scriptures and the eternal principles of the living God. Consequently, the motivation for this transition from the old to the older is not simply to get us in touch with our history or to reclaim our roots. It is borne out of a desire to return to our Lord with authenticity and fullness. It is a thrust to bond with Him through the Word of God, the Kingdom of God, and the Spirit of God.

The heart of the Revolutionaries is not in question. There is ample research to show that they are seeking more of God. They have a passion to be faithful to His Word and to be more in tune with His leading. They ardently want their relationship with the Lord to be their top priority in life. They are tired of the institutions, denominations, and routines getting in the way of a resonant connection with Him. They are worn out on the endless programs that fail to facilitate transformation.

They are weary of being sent off to complete assignments, memorize facts and passages, and engage in simplistic practices that do not draw them into God’s presence. These are people who have experienced the initial realities of a genuine connection with God. They can no longer endure the spiritual teasing offered by churches and other well-intentioned ministries.

God is waiting for them. They want Him. No more excuses. But this revolution of faith is challenged. Those involved know what they are shifting from—lifeless, institutional forms of faith to breakthrough. But what are they shifting to? House churches, marketplace ministries, cyberchurches, independent communitywide worship gatherings, intentional communities. These forms of church are all intriguing, but do they really represent a meaningful step toward God’s highest purpose? Or are they just the same stuff presented in a different setting? Are they developing the same roles, but attaching new titles adopted by different role players? Are we living in a culture that is so infatuated with change that we have forgotten that the church is about transformation, not mere change?

As we grapple with such issues, there is much to be learned from the history of God’s people. Followers of Christ appreciate the stories God has given us in His Word. We discover much about God, life, culture, and even ourselves by following the journey of God’s people in both the Old and New Testaments. Consider how much we learn from Moses and the Israelites’ pursuit of the Promised Land. Or the hard-won insights of David’s rise from lowly shepherd boy to king of Israel. Or the plight of Jesus’ disciples as they left their craft to follow the Lord before meeting with martyrdom. In the same way, much can be gleaned from the efforts of the earliest Christians—our physical and spiritual ancestors—as they sought to be the genuine church that Christ purchased with His blood.

But what do modern and postmodern Christians know about the history of the church that would help to shape present-day attempts at honoring God and being the church? Precious little, it turns out. And therein lies a significant problem. Historians have long held that if we do not remember the past, we are doomed to repeat it. There is ample evidence to support that warning. Yet we often persist in our well-intentioned but ignorant efforts to refine life.

The recent story of the Christian church in America is a great example of this. The major changes in spiritual practice over the past half century have been largely window dressings. Pick a trend—megachurches, seeker churches, satellite campuses, vacation Bible school, children’s church, affinity group ministries (e.g., ministries for singles, women, men, young marrieds), contemporary worship music, bigscreen projection systems, EFT giving, cell groups, downloadable sermons, sermon outlines in bulletins, Alpha groups. All of the above have simply been attempts to rely on marketing strategies to perform the same activities in different ways or places, or with particular segments of the aggregate population. Whatever difficulties were present in the larger institutional setting that spawned these efforts are invariably present in the smaller or divergent efforts as well.”

I guess they about covered all the bases. I’m interested in having a better understanding of how to move the church beyond what these guys clearly see as band-aid approaches (I’ve got a soft spot for Alpha especially). Guess I’ll have to buy the book …

I’ve been a bad blogger lately. I’m hoping to catch up next week. I’d like to do some reflecting on Alan Hirsch’s excellent book, The Forgotten Ways. I’ve read it once and I’m part way through again. Hirsch and Michael Frost collaborated on a book I haven’t read, The Shaping of Things to Come.

These guys are just saying things about the future of God’s mission in the world, in a way that I really connect with.

Anyway, more on this later. And I’m sure we’ll cobble together another event some time in the near future!

This month at OVMC, we’ll be teasing out some of the stuff that Michael Frost was getting at in his talk that’s there for the viewing in the last post.

Here’s what we’ll be looking at more specifically:

January 6 Missio Dei — God is always on the move, specifically in our direction. God seeks us. He who created us and has loved us from the beginning, and has sent His Son to redeem us, continues to pursue us — and not just the churchy “us” we’re used to thinking about. God does some of His best work outside the church walls. 

January 13 Participatio Christi—Our role, then, is to participate in what He is doing, to make sure our best energies are engaged when and where the love of Jesus is at work. We neither determine our own agenda, nor merely imitate His, but rather participate in His, according to His call and guidance. 

January 20 Imago Dei—We recognize that each person — outside and inside the church body — is created in the image of God, and thus possess the inherent dignity and value that accompanies it. We recognize also that God has been, and continues to be, at work within them, leading them on a unique and sacred journey. 

January 27 Corpus Christi – The temple’s not on some mountain, or in Jerusalem, or on Memorial Highway in Oley. Our frail bodies are the temple, and collectively we are the Body of Christ, with Jesus himeslf as our head. There is an inherent interconnectedness, and interdependence. In participating with each other, the weak with the strong, the old with the young, the advanced with the beginners, we cooperate with Christ in what He is doing in our midst and beyond.

**some of this wording was taken from another web site. I’ll track down the author and give due credit.

The challenge in all this, illustrated so well by Blind Beggar in this post, is putting church into some kind of reverse osmosis process, where, instead of a once a week Sunday gathering being THE entry point, we become more and more a Corpus Christi that engages with the people and culture around us in meaningful ways, showing up where God has been already showing up, in the shopping malls, the bars, the coffee shops, the soccer fields, where people are just trying to figure out which end is up, not really caring what’s going on in that weird church building they pass on the way to work … anyway, you get the idea …

If the Mighty, Mighty Bosstones aren’t your thing, this is a well-spent 51 minutes and 47 seconds with Michael Frost. Thanks to Brian for posting this on his site, where I first found it.

Found THIS great site defining the term “missional”:

I was enjoying this song again, and just thought I’d share it. It has nothing to do with Christmas, but it sure is a lot of fun!

We had a really good gathering this past Sunday. Alicia from Max Cremas treated us really well. Thanks, Alicia!

I met a bunch of people whos names I promptly forgot. I got Casey’s contact info, so I can’t forget him! Had good conversation with Casey and with many others.

We focused on the waiting and the preparation aspects of Advent. We’re waiting for Jesus to return and complete the work of “making all things new.” I have a sheet of paper in my wallet listing some of the things I’m “waiting” for. But advent reminds us that the main thing we’re waiting for has already happened. In the Incarnation, God broke into history “in the cry of a tiny babe.” In some way all things are even now being made knew, thanks to God becoming flesh and moving into the neighborhood with us.

One of the cool things about eGp is that it represents the networked church in the region. We come from a variety of backgrounds. In creating an alternative space for seekers and for Christians from a variety of church backgrounds, we, hopefully, are spreading the DNA of Jesus’ ongoing incarnational mission.

Don’t miss the eGp gathering at Max Cremas this Sunday at 7:00 p.m. See Upcoming Events for details.

Here is a quote from Miller. It doesn’t give you a sense of Miller’s unique voice, but it’s theology I really resonate with. Miller is responding to a fundamentalism he has formerly embraced, which led him try to “be good” on his own steam:

“Rick [Miller's pastor who made a suicide attempt before he understood God's grace] says that I will love God because he first loved me. I will obey God because I love God. But if I canot accept God’s love, I cannot love him in return, and I cannot obey Him. Self-discipline will never make us feel righteous or clean; accepting God’s love will. The ability to accept God’s unconditional grace and ferocious love is all the fuel we need to obey him in return [not sure I totally buy that last sentence].

Accepting God’s kindness and free love is something the devil does not want us to do. If we hear, in our inner ear, a voice saying we are failures, we are losers, we will never amount to anything, this is the voice of Satan trying to convince the bride that the groom does not love her. This is not the voice of God. God woos us with kindness, He changes our character with the passion of his love.”

I’ve finally gotten around to reading some of Donald Miller’s stuff. I love great prose whatever the topic, but Miller writes great prose about being a follower of Jesus. He has a way of (to use some bad prose) “keeping it real.” He doesn’t sugar coat the difficult things — like our predilection as humans toward being pretty darn self-absorbed most of the time.

Blue Like Jazz is a good intro to Miller.