Reforming Church: Introduction

Today I come to you like a reluctant prophet. Remember how I told you I was in the belly of a whale – well, this is the beginning of the message I didn’t want to tell. Part of the waiting was in the how of the telling, and I believe I have it now, so ready or not, here I go. I am starting a new series on trends in the church.

This series will be very different than most of what I have written here. It feels risky and perhaps it will get me in trouble somewhere. You may decide to unsubscribe. But it feels like the most real thing I’ve ever written. Some of you may love what I share and some of you may hate it, but mostly I share to get the conversation started. You may think I haven’t considered how it will be perceived. The truth is I am writing to the ones who’ve left, and I am writing to the ones who’ve stayed, and to the ones making the decisions. This series is not so much meant for the person unaffiliated with church – it is a discussion about the body of Christ. I am writing for those who’ve been afraid to use their voice in the American church.

Last year as I was talking to a friend about my heart for Uganda, she said that instead of being a missionary there, I was a missionary here. I mulled it over in my mind and chewed on it for a while. She meant that I call people to something different than what is around me, but the truth is I look more like the world than I call it to change. This is unfortunate but true. However, in a very real way, I think if I had been a missionary straight out of college, I would have been doing it for my glory not His. Now, this series perhaps is an attempt in what she meant – being a change agent – to wake up and take note, though an American missionary I am not. Recently, I’ve been given a glimpse of how people who do missions trip often see and tell stories of those they go to minister to in an “us” versus “them” mentality. In this discussion I am beginning, there is no “us” or “them,” only the body of Christ – “we.” We are in this together. I’m gonna be real and honest and brave, and I am gonna need you to do the same. I need you. I need you to speak truth alongside me.

I have to give a disclaimer first. Here in my neck of the woods, there has been talk of not speaking ill of the church. I know how in the internet world and blogosphere, we talk about anything. I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that part of my reluctance on speaking on this subject is that one may see it as a criticism of the church. Perhaps it is, but with all sincerity, I do not intend any of these words to be criticism. I do however believe that there is a time to build and a time to tear down, and when it is time to repent, there is a time to tear down and begin again. I would not share any of what I am about to share if I did not have a fire in my belly welling up and begging to be spilt and spread unto revival. It is wholeheartedly because I love the body of Christ and His holy church that I write, and may these words always be unto Him. So too, as much as this is a message given me by the Lord, it is also glaringly personal.

photo credit: Nick in exsilio via photopin cc