Fluency

Quote from John Ortberg

Those of us who are older tend to under-estimate the difference between generations. We think that what feels comfortable to us will not—or should not—be a barrier to those who are younger. Those of us who are younger tend to over-estimate the difference between generations. We feel as if those who are older are a different species and could never understand our experience. One of the most important concepts along these lines has to do with the notion of connection. Who feels “connected” at our church?

I used to think that connection had primarily to do with relationships. But it does not. Connectedness is a separate notion. It has to do with whether or not, when I enter a church, it feels like a place for “people like me.” How people dress, how they talk, what the music is like—many details create a sense of connection or disconnection.

If I feel connected, I am likely to overlook how disconnected people of another generation may feel. So we have to have constant conversations about the experience of people in our generation at our church. We will never be able to make all people feel totally connected at all services. But at least we have to be aware of the dynamics.

C.S. Lewis said, “there exists in every church something that sooner or later works against the very purpose for which it came into existence. So we must strive very hard, by the grace of God to keep the church focused on the mission that Christ originally gave it.”

Does it matter how many people are coming through the front door if the back door is wide open? We’ve often become so focused on reaching people that we’ve forgotten the importance of keeping people. ‐Larry Osborne

I wonder if that is true of all churches or do some churches just get comfortable doing what they do, that they (we) don’t see who has left?

The church is not an event but a relationship.  Not an event to attend, but relationships to cultivate–a relationship with God and a relationship with the people of God.

It is through relationship that we grow, it is through relationship we share, it is through relationship we endure.

I’m in the process of reading The Essential Church by Thom S. Rainer and Sam S. Rainer III.

The book deals with why Christian teens and young adults leave the church. While there are a number of factors, the factor that stood out most-strongly is parents.

Teens whose parents attend church and are authentic in their relationship with God–that is they do as they say, but also say as they do–are much less likely to leave the church.  Parents who have a vital relationship with God and positive relationship with church produce children who follow the Lord and remain connected to church.

So, to all of us who are parents–who pray that our children will remain faithful to the Lord–we play a huge role!

Pawning off the teaching and discipling of a child to the church without providing parental insight results in a greater chance of that child’s dropping out of church. The spread between dropouts and those that stay in the church is large when comparing students who received spiritual guidance from family members and those students who did not. Almost eight out of ten students who stayed in the church stated their parents or family members gave them direct spiritual guidance.  (p. 100)

Does our church reflect the culture or does it shape the culture?

If we want to shape the culture, we must: Keep the main thing the man thing.

What is the main thing–keeping God the focus by passionately teaching His Word in such a way that individuals feel/are motivated to change and compelled to reach out.

How do we do this?

We must teach the depth and breadth of God’s Word—Simple but not simplistically. That is, communicate clearly the incredible depth of absolute truth.

In an age of biblical illiteracy, we cannot afford to water down truth. But we cannot simply “tell” truth, we must show it. We must help people not only understand biblical truth, we must help them apply it—developing a biblically based, biblically formed world view that governs and directs every area of life.

We must teach the Word with application (practically) within relational contexts. People not only need to know—the what and why of truth, they must understand how. And the how, if often not only learned but practiced in a relational contexts. People don’t grow in isolation. People don’t become “spiritual” by themselves. To grow includes change and fruit bearing. And the most important fruit is loving God and loving others.

How well do we do this?

I tend to begin evaluating the “negative side” first. So let me start with the positive. I think we do a fairly good job of maintaining a focus on the majors. Holding firmly to the truths of Scripture. We have many opportunities for people to study the Bible.

But do we help people see the relevance of teaching, particularly theological truths to everyday life? Probably not as well as we would like.

Helping people understand the depth and breadth of theology (not doctrine) is not easy. While we try not to simply “indoctrinate,” I’m not sure we have provided as strong a foundation as we need to. Helping people understand theology requires more than telling people what to believe. It requires helping people learn how to think. How to read Scripture in a way that doesn’t miss the particulars of an individual passage while at the same time developing the larger framework of how Scripture supports, interacts, develops and interprets itself. This process of exegesis of individual passages leading to a comprehensive coherent system of theology (or belief system) should be self-critical. The exegesis of an individual passage must evaluate our system of theology and our system of theology must inform our exegesis. Both work together. We haven’t taught this well.

Then from teaching people how to think biblically, we must help people live biblically.  To live godly discerning lives.  So I ope we can be and develop discerning learners.  Being a discerning learning is not just about what we should avoid but more how to influence (see previous posts for more and here).