Track Two
This post is from the defunct blog “Dying Church”
The first track of disillusionment with modern approaches to church disillusioned me. There's a second track that gives me hope.
- It's the track of rediscovering the Gospel as more than just a decision. It's about sin, but it's about so much more.
- It's about rediscovering the mandate in the Bible to bless the world. It goes all the way back to Abraham (blessed to be a blessing) and continues right up to today.
- It's about discovering that many people at Richview were way ahead of me in sensing that the programmatic church model doesn't work, and they were already longing for something more.
- It's about thinking about the church as a community of apprentices of Jesus Christ, trying to learn together what it means to follow him.
This list tells you a lot about me – when was the church anything but concerned with these things? – but the thought of being part of a community of people trying to figure out how to follow Jesus, bless the world, and live the Gospel – that excites me. It's like the life that comes on the other side of dying.
Track One: Moving Away From | Track Two: Moving Toward |
Gospel as a decision | Gospel as a way of life |
Focus: managing church | Focus: blessing the community |
Being alone | Being with others |
Church as a provider of programs and services | Church as a community of apprentices |