Are we seeing a real revolution in the church or is this merely a recycling of the under-churched - transfers from the congregation down the road? I want to believe that the Holy Spirit is truly at work; however, perhaps it's our American culture at work here, where if you get tired of something and move on.
I see real teaching taking place, the Word of God is read and the simplicity of the Gospel is explained at every experience but are the earplugs still in…what is the contentment curve on those who migrate; and they migrate denominations too…Methodist, Baptist, Presby, AG, and more...they all moonlight…no congregation is immune.
We thought our experience was different. Yet the more people we meet at our megachurch, the more we realize that many around us are simply from a one of the many surrounding denominations. More under-churched than un-churched.
This is real, right? I mean the coming together of so many different Christian backgrounds cannot be a fad…there had to be something missing in their prior congregations. Or is it just the same people, with the same mindset, with jeans and a t-shirt instead of tie?
For me, I see a shift from the stench of worthiness to the cries of downward mobility; it is caring and evangelism. I believe people are drawn to the message of loving the world and the people in it, and realizing praying for them is just not enough. If it were, Christ would have never walked among them.
So the next time you see the moonlighters, the under-churched, remember how many "Christians” they tripped over in the pews of their last church to get to where we are…to lead people into a moment-by-moment relationship with Christ.
Thoughts...
- Can fast growing, forward thinking megachurches sustain the momentum or will they eventually be replaced by the next big thing?
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