so you don’t want to go to church anymore?
What would happen if we looked up tomorrow and doors of ECF were closed? Closed for a Sunday, four Sundays, or just closed for good. Would we be able to continue to function as believers, use the gifts, and actually be “the church” out in the world today? Like many other Christian institutions, have we so attached ourselves to our physical location and way of doing things that we sometimes substitute those things for a deeper relationship with the Lord? I believe the answer to the last question can always “yes and no,” for even though we continue to move out of old mind sets and methods of how we do church and into a deeper faith-relationship with Jesus, the lure is always there to create new church systems that end up bringing us right back to where we began in the first place.
Fortunately, I don’t see this happening at Emmanuel now. I feel that we are getting more comfortable being uncomfortable; more certain about the reality of uncertainty. Faith demands this! If our primary focus is to hear God and obey, we have a better shot at not falling into the traps of relying on systems, programs, and habits. Instead, we get the opportunity to follow a “Living God” and be a “living dynamic church” that ministers to a world that exists out side the four walls of what we’ve come to know as church.
For a broader perspective on this topic, I encourage you to pick up a book that has been making the rounds. It is entitled So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore and per Mike, is a “must read” for us at ECF. Don’t let the title throw you off. The book actually has less to do with people not wanting to go to church, and more to do with changing how we view church, than anything else. Take a chance on it and see if it doesn’t further open your eyes. There are several copies floating around and it can be purchased at Mardel for around $12.00.
Paul
