Monday, March 24, 2008
Understatement Of The Century
MMI quotes an article about Erwin McManus. And here is the understatement to which the title of this post refers:
We are indeed self-indulgent, amazingly so, but I have always contended that the church was, in fact, the place where we go to be energized in order to be able to reach out.
I think the real issue is this - the church does not have a single ministry or purpose. We tend to want to organize it that way because when you have one someone in charge, an organization reflects their desires. But I think God has a more diverse organizational and management structure in mind when he designed the church.
Which is where the real self-indulgence comes into play. There is a great deal of self-indulgent vanity in declaring all those that simply want a Christian community in which they can be fed, held accountable, and nurtured. Now it is self-indulgent to do those things and only those things, but those things are necessary to making God's church capable of doing what it is called to do.
Is it self-indulgent for a soldier to want a meal? Of course not. Are those that provide that meal any less a part of the military than the soldier? Again, no. Do you see? To deny those things as a part of the greater calling of the church is to place one particular calling of one particular individual onto the greater whole. Isn't that definitionally self-indulgent?
Narrow-focusing helps to gather the strength of an organization, that is a fact or organizations, but doing that automatically does away with at least a portion of God's total vision for the church. The church has got to find new ways to harness its organizational energy - or maybe it has to let that energy run a bit uncontrolled.
Maybe the church is supposed to be a little out-of-control, just beyond our ability to harness and focus it. In such an instance we have little choice but to rely on the Holy Spirit to make it work.
Frankly, that sounds like the right formula to me.
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“My primary assessment would be because American Christians tend to be incredibly self-indulgent so they see the church as a place there for them to meet their needs and to express faith in a way that is meaningful for them,” said cultural architect Erwin McManus, lead pastor at Mosaic Church in Los Angeles, to The Christian Post on Monday.Boy that self-indulgent part is absolutely right-on, but I have some issue with the back up, and then again...
We are indeed self-indulgent, amazingly so, but I have always contended that the church was, in fact, the place where we go to be energized in order to be able to reach out.
I think the real issue is this - the church does not have a single ministry or purpose. We tend to want to organize it that way because when you have one someone in charge, an organization reflects their desires. But I think God has a more diverse organizational and management structure in mind when he designed the church.
Which is where the real self-indulgence comes into play. There is a great deal of self-indulgent vanity in declaring all those that simply want a Christian community in which they can be fed, held accountable, and nurtured. Now it is self-indulgent to do those things and only those things, but those things are necessary to making God's church capable of doing what it is called to do.
Is it self-indulgent for a soldier to want a meal? Of course not. Are those that provide that meal any less a part of the military than the soldier? Again, no. Do you see? To deny those things as a part of the greater calling of the church is to place one particular calling of one particular individual onto the greater whole. Isn't that definitionally self-indulgent?
Narrow-focusing helps to gather the strength of an organization, that is a fact or organizations, but doing that automatically does away with at least a portion of God's total vision for the church. The church has got to find new ways to harness its organizational energy - or maybe it has to let that energy run a bit uncontrolled.
Maybe the church is supposed to be a little out-of-control, just beyond our ability to harness and focus it. In such an instance we have little choice but to rely on the Holy Spirit to make it work.
Frankly, that sounds like the right formula to me.
Technorati Tags:church, organization, focus, self-indugence
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