Get back to basics

This post is from the defunct blog "Dying Church"

From Christian Week:

"To use Jesus' metaphor of the wine and wineskins, people still have a taste for the wine. But we have problems with our containers," said Glenn Gibson, director of church revitalization ministries for Outreach Canada, which hosted the three-day gathering at First Baptist Church. "We've got to discover new wineskins. Some churches are going to need to undergo a radical change-if that's possible." Eddie Gibbs, professor of church growth at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, echoed that theme. In a keynote address, he said the church needs to rediscover the simple "reproducible" model of the first and second centuries. "We need to travel light," he said. "Movements move. We've got to learn to move today." Gibbs says God is already "doing a new thing" not only within existing church traditions, but outside them as well through the "emerging church." Evidence of this phenomenon, he says, is to be found in his native England, where the movement "is increasingly mainstream, because the structures are beginning to crumble."... "The mega-churches are like Wal-Mart. They are doing very, very well. The emerging churches are like Mary Kay or Tupperware-doing well in homes. The mainline churches are like the mom and pop stores. They are in the middle and they are collapsing."

Comments

[George]

If that's true, that the mainline churches are in the middle and are collapsing, why is that do you think? What is it that the emerging church can do that just a regular old Bible beleiving church can't?

[Darryl]

Take a look at the Dec. 27 post, George. Al Creech says it much better than I could.

[Steve]

My favorite quote: "We need to travel light," he said. "Movements move. We've got to learn to move today." Movement. Journey. Caravan. Travel. Move. Fluid. Motion. These are words which capture the vision of intentional mission to me. Thanks for the post. -Steve

[bill bean]

I was struck by the same thing as Steve. "Regular old church" has to answer this question, George. If you or the church is satisfied with what is happening then ok. If you aren't satisfied with what you are seeing in your own situation then start asking questions. For me, as I started poking and prodding, and asking questions, I discovered that radical change was a good option.