Lost in America

Our bookshelves are full of Christian books. We have church buildings on every major street, more paid staff in church buildings than ever before, large sunday school departments, cell systems, mega and meta church growth seminars.

We have fish on cars and bumperstickers, political action groups, huge parachurch ministries and extensive social programs. We have built huge churches, ministries, universities, and homes... and in the midst of it all we have lost every major city in North America.

Our paid church staff and major Christian leaders say were doing great things for God and for people, yet the statistics do not lie, they tell us a different story... a story of people hurt and alone, many in that very position because of the "church". We have drawn our line in the sand and said all who are like us on this side and all who are not go over there on the other side.

Our ideology of bridge building to that other side of the line is a bridge marked by the word "change". It is a label placed their by the select on "our" side for those on the otherside to do in order to make it across.

I say it is a label for the very ones who placed it there, it is a call to change in the church, it is a call to walk out of your precious building, walk out of your precious church service and walk across that bridge that divides them and us and to begin to be real, and begin to have real relationships with people. After all that is what God planned, all of the Bible, every single bit of it revolves around this story about a God who sooooooo strongly desires to be in a relationship with people. And we have reduced that to those who have "arrived".

I, and my family are crossing this bridge, we are venturing forth into real relationships with normal everyday people, is there anyone else out there doing the same? Tell us about your journey