I have spent a good portion of my Christian life as a Church connoisseur (for those who only speak American…a critic of churches). I have observed the style, the music,the pastor, the people, the culture that is created, etc. I have seen churches all over the country, of many denominations and many theological backgrounds.

I have to admit that for the most part my attitude was “relate to me, give me something to hold on to” and not one of a servant who wanted to further God’s Kingdom. I was wrong to have that attitude and I have since come clean with God about that. I did observe much though and it did leave an impression on me. The biggest impression was this: the local church has lost touch with the goal of God and in doing that we have become ineffective in being agents of change in people’s lives.

This brings me to my notes from class today. I am in a class called WRSP 540 Current Issues in Worship and we get to learn about some great things (really not as much about Worship as it is about the Church and our role in it).

“Spiritual transformation is any significant and lasting transition in your life wherein you switch from one substantial perspective or practice to something wholly different that genuinely alters you at a very basic level. Transformation is seizing a new perspective or practice related to the seven passions of the Acts 2 church and never being the same again. Transformation defines who you are at a fundamental spiritual level, and your lifestyle is realigned according to that part of your being that was finally awakened to the things of God.”

Wow! sounds great right? Can it really happen? I hope so. This past year I have been involved in two such opportunities, one exists to be and give leadership to things like this and the other exists to be this. Since I have experienced this, my life has been completely altered and i seek God in a different way to find out how He wants me to live out the story that He is telling.

This past Sunday night a group of us obeyed God’s call to start a transformational community here where we live called conVerge, 112 people came. I pray that God shows them that He wants so much more from them than just coming to a service. I pray that lives are changed and because of those lives being changed other lives are changed and that the cycle just keeps flowing.

More on this later….

This past year I have been awakened and am now concerned about the direction of the church in North America, don’t get me wrong the Church of Jesus is still alive and thriving .

I want to include some excerpts from a book I’m currently reading called The Present Future by Reggie McNeal (not the football player):

“90 percent of kids active in high school youth groups do not attend church by the time they are sophomores in college. One-third of these will never return. They are not leaving because they have lost faith. They contend that the church no longer contributes to their spiritual development. In fact, they say, quite the opposite is true.”

I would have to agree with him on this one, i have traveled for 7 years on ministry teams and served for 1 year in local church ministry and it’s true for the most part.

“Many churches operate like giant machines , with church leaders serving as mechanics. God doesn’t have to show up to get done what’s being done. The culture does not want the powerless God of the modern church.”

Sadly, I have seen this too much as well. So what is the solution? The wrong question to ask would be “How do we do church better?”

“Church activity is a poor substitute for genuine spiritual vitality.”

I agree with Reggie on the solution.

“We need to recapture the mission of the church. In both Old and New Testaments we encounter a God who is on a redemptive mission in the world. In fact, we are astounded at the lengths to which God will go in pursuit of his mission to redeem the crowning achievement of his creation-people.”

Is this possible? Is this what people are looking to be a part of? Is this what Jesus intended his church to look like?