All the effort to fix the church misses the point

This post is from the defunct blog "Dying Church"

Fallout is not limited to the clergy... The faithful...wonder when they are going to experience the changed life they've been promised and expected to experience at church. In North America, these people have been led to believe that their Christian life is all about the church, so this failure of the church not only creates doubt about the church, it also leads them to all kinds of doubt about God and their relationship with Him. Many congregations and leaders.. adopt a refuge mentality. This is the perspective that withdraws from the culture, builds the walls thicker and higher, hunkers down to wait for the storm to blow over. Those with a refuge mentality view the world outside the church as the enemy [and] live within the bubble of Christian subculture.. Refuge churches evidence enormous self-preoccupation. They deceive themselves into believing they are a potent force. Some churches go to the opposite extreme. Instead of choosing refuge, their response to the collapse of the church culture is to sell out. [In one congregation] the only music sung was the soft-rock tune, "I can see clearly now the rain has gone." Not one word about resurrection .. on Easter Sunday! The point is.. all the effort to fix the church misses the point. You can build the perfect church--and they still won't come. People are not looking for a great church... The age in which institutional religion holds appeal is passing away. Church leaders seem unable to grasp this simple implication of the new world--people outside the church think church is for church people, not for them. (Reggie McNeal, The Present Future)

Found through Jordon, who found it through Bob Carlton, and so on. Great book if you haven't read it yet.

Comments

[George]

"Church leaders seem unable to grasp this simple implication of the new world--people outside the church think church is for church people, not for them. (Reggie McNeal, The Present Future)" Tell that to someone like Jim Cymbala of the Brooklyn Tabernacle. His church is doing just fine in the conversion department. Many people coming to his church and coming to Christ there. People you think you would never see coming to church. They are coming and they are getting saved there. I wonder why that is? I wonder why it happens at his church? Why is it that God seems to be so at work in that place and not at other churches? Why Darryl?

[Mike]

New look - same George! : ) (No offense, George) Love the look, Darryl.

[George]

Yea I know Mike, maybe I should go read blogs of the more conservative types whose opinions for the most part I share. But that wouldn't be as much fun or stimulating.

[Toni]

Brush, tar, with and all. But I'm sure that there are many churches that don't fit the stereotype described. There may even be some in North America. I can see what the original author is trying to get at, but in this limited context I think they're missing their own point.

[Darryl]

I like what Reggie says. George, I'm surprised you don't agree. The church doesn't exist to be marketed to those outside the church, which many of us and our churches have done for years. Frankly, they're not interested in better programs, slicker advertising, etc. But show them a church where lives are changed (like Brooklyn Tab) and watch out.

[jared]

Love the new look Darryl. I wonder if BT has positions open in their conversion department?