Americans are mostly sick of church. Fact. But they are fascinated and
hungering for God-encounter. The odd thing is that many of the churches are
scared of God-encounter. I helped to edit a simple resource for daily
reading through the Book of Acts entitled Catch Fire in 50 Days! The
cover featured a lit match. One of the pastors I coached suggested this
resource to some of his congregation's leaders. One particular woman
revolted, "There is no way - I didn't join this church to read
Fundamentalist stuff." And the fact was all the contributors to the
daily readings in the book were progressive laity and clergy, most from
the San Francisco bay area.
Any other options out there? Is there any church anywhere really
thriving without spiritual passion burning a bit out of control? If you
know of such a place, please tell us about it - because so far as I
can tell, it doesn't exit.
So here is my question: why do many church folks have such aversion to
God-encounter? And here is my second question: if we know that this is
the foundational strategy of any real improvement in the overall
vitality of a congregation, why would we be intimidated by persons like
the aforementioned woman?
Interesting questions, Paul! I wonder if people have this aversion simply because of what they think they may have to change in themselves in order to be the kind of person that we think we have to be? Many people have their own perceptions of what an encounter with God might look like - and it probably isn't the kind of loving, accepting experience that we have had, not because of who we are, but because of who God is!
Why are Unitarians growing when most orthodox Christian groups are declining in the USA? I was in a Unitarian church up the street from my church in DC a couple years back. Curious why they were adding more new members than we were. 200 that year. What I found was an amazing culture of prayer and an openness to encounter with the divine through mystical experience. Not Pentecostal, but quiet. Growing movements speak to spiritual connection between people and the Ultimate Reality. Declining movements focus on fellowship, and the poltitics of various tribes and ideological camps.
Interesting questions, Paul! I wonder if people have this aversion simply because of what they think they may have to change in themselves in order to be the kind of person that we think we have to be? Many people have their own perceptions of what an encounter with God might look like - and it probably isn't the kind of loving, accepting experience that we have had, not because of who we are, but because of who God is!
ReplyDeleteWhy are Unitarians growing when most orthodox Christian groups are declining in the USA? I was in a Unitarian church up the street from my church in DC a couple years back. Curious why they were adding more new members than we were. 200 that year. What I found was an amazing culture of prayer and an openness to encounter with the divine through mystical experience. Not Pentecostal, but quiet. Growing movements speak to spiritual connection between people and the Ultimate Reality. Declining movements focus on fellowship, and the poltitics of various tribes and ideological camps.
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