Recently, I saw a perspective that evinced the response, “Of course!” And the fact made me wonder if God had implemented the wrong strategy...or maybe the wrong strategy was implemented by humans. The fact: most people spend 40+ hours at work. A small portion spend 1+ hours at church. Why is the church the main focus for discipleship and outreach? At some point, the modern church—and here I mean the institution past the 5th century AD—is a periodic advertisement for following Christ. At best, it’s a school to ‘equip the saints’. Most of the time, for the events that happen in a church service or mass, it’s an advertisement for God.
If the church is an advertisement, what should be the focus? What should happen on Sunday mornings, Wednesday evenings, and the occasional retreats?
The main marketing—outreach—thrust for Christ are the ‘service’ users and providers. And it’s mostly them that turn the others off. How do we ‘equip the saints for ministry’ the other 167 hours of the week—or 112 hrs if you allow people to sleep?
If God wants to reach the world—and He does—why do we think He’s using the church as the main thrust? My guess: He’s working through other means and we, who are invested in churches, haven’t caught on yet.
No comments:
Post a Comment