Tuesday
Jun242003
Common ground
Tuesday, June 24, 2003 at 4:48PM This post is from the defunct blog "Dying Church"
Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone so that I might bring them to Christ. I do all this to spread the Good News, and in doing so I enjoy its blessings. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23) Option one: Find common ground through culture. Wow them with a church service that's as good as a professional production. Give them a message that's interesting and relevant to their lives. Provide top-notch childcare and felt need programs. Buzzwords: vision, leadership, growth, health, market-driven, seeker sensitive Option two: Find common ground through our brokenness. Walk together as fellow travellers, worshipping and working as we go. Reach past cultural, social, and institutional boundaries. Keep it real. Remember it's about life, not institutions. Buzzwords: brokenness, authenticity, relationship, community, mission Am I off? Did I miss anything?
Reader Comments (1)
That pretty well sums up to two popular approaches to ministry theses. Though I lean toward the second approach, it can become just as programed and shallow as the first -- which itself needn't be, but too often is since the real focus is on self, not God. As in, how one is "feeling" God meeting their needs, in the music, the sermon (oops, message), etc. Of the two, the first is the one I trust least.