Changing Times

Aubrey Malphurs in "a New Kind of Church" says that people,especially the young, are losing interest in the church model that we have favored for the past many years. They are leaving church but not God. What does this mean for us?

I like the comment in Shawna's Blog on "Who is the Church?" where she says...

These are very exciting times. We are heading toward a clearer understanding of the essence of the church - Not mystical, not superior, not faultless - just normal people.

This is where we have to move. Normal people doing life together in a manner that is pleasing to God. Learning how to handle the practical stuff of everyday life, loving the difficult to love, serving our communities, and seeking to be a force for good in our world; this is the stuff of the church. Buildings, programs, events, classes, and boring Sunday gatherings are all destined to lose their value. But people and truth remain of high value.

Maybe what we need today in these changing times is a fresh commitment to people and truth. And this probably needs to be made manageable by moving it back to homes and small groups of friends who include others rather than excluding them. What do you think?