Ordained clergy seeking federal bail-out?
If George Barna's predictions are true, many professional ministers may find themselves unemployed within the next ten to fifteen years as their congregations literally disappear into thin air. Research indicates that significant numbers of committed Christians are leaving institutional churches (IC) in favor of a less structured faith journey. Barna calls it a Revolution in his 2005 book by the same title; in fact, he describes it as "the biggest Revolution of our time." Obviously, the title of this article is a spoof reflecting on the dire consequences facing professional clergy; however, the current religious industry seems to be completely oblivious, ...
A typical week “outside the box” of organized religion
When one's life has been so focused within institutional Christianity (whatever you choose to call it), there is a predictable pattern or routine that recycles every seven days: Sunday worship services followed by an optional menu of mid-week events, such as prayer meetings, Bible study, choir rehearsal, men's & women's ministry meetings, church-based sporting events, children/youth activities, and small group meetings. Your spiritual commitment is measured by how many or how few of these events you can fit into your schedule; and church leaders never fail to push people into more and more activities, especially when they have a captive ...
“Free Range” Christians
Wayne Jacobsen shares an interesting experience from his recent trip to Pennsylvania: Someone was talking about a wine list they saw at a restaurant that was offering “free-range wine.” They were asking me what that was, knowing I’d grown up on a vineyard. The term really tickled me. According to Wikipedia “Free range is a method of farming husbandry where the animals are permitted to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. The principle is to allow the animals as much freedom as possible, to live out their instinctual behaviors in a reasonably natural way…” I don’t know how ...
Life Outside the Box
Do we have realistic expectations for others?When I began the journey toward a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and freedom...
Living in our communities, sharing God’s story
Here’s an excellent video clip by Alan Roxburgh regarding “A Tale of...
They don’t go to church because…
Common misconceptions and clichés and false assumptions abound when such terms as...
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FAQ
Don’t we need pastors to equip the saints?As a former pastor, I viewed my preaching ministry through the lens of Ephesians...
What about house churches?
When my friends and family discover that I have opted out of organized religion—not...
Do I Have to Go to Church?
Let’s assume for a minute that you no longer attend weekly church services,...
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Post-Congregational
Frank Viola’s unfortunate assumptions regarding “postchurch” viewsHas anyone read Frank Viola’s broadbrush generalizations of the “postchurch” mindset? He claims that much of our doctrine is based on Matthew 18:20 passage (”where two or three are gathered together”). Then he says, “Because this is the primary passage the postchurch viewpoint is founded on, I’m of the opinion... [Read more of this review]
Transition update
These past two Sundays have been my first experience outside the institutional church. Ever. Sure, I’ve skipped a few “services” (I’m beginning to loathe that term) in our lifetime, but otherwise we’ve been active, faithful members of a Southern Baptist church since birth. On the first Sunday, my wife and I slept a little... [Read more of this review]
My Last Easter Service
Yesterday, I attended the church where I have been on staff for several years. All of the church elders were out of town, so they had asked me to lead the service. When I agreed to the date a few weeks ago, I didn’t realize it was Easter Sunday. A slight oversight on my part, but it didn’t kill me. Sometimes you just have to make the most... [Read more of this review]
Preparing to make the leap
The time is quickly approaching for my departure from professional ministry after devoting thirty-five years of my life inside the institutional church (IC). Several of my friends have tried leaving; in fact, a dear friend of mine broke the news today that he’s accepted a part-time pastoral position at a small Southern Baptist church. Another... [Read more of this review]
Do we have realistic expectations for others?
When I began the journey toward a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and freedom from the tyranny of “religious performance and religious obligation” (to borrow a phrase from Wayne Jacobsen), I felt a strong compulsion to defend my decision and, more than that, to convince others to do the same thing. It was an instinctive response, so... [Read more of this review]
Feeling guilty for not going to church?
Someone asked me yesterday, “What would it look like to walk with Jesus outside the box of institutional Christianity?” This person is very connected with other Christians, meeting up for prayer, chats over coffee, a home-based Bible study, and lots of one-on-one meetings with Christians and non-Christians. I simply said, “Subtract... [Read more of this review]
Leaving Organized Religion :: One Woman’s Story
Here’s a great blog series by a young woman, Heidi, of Live With Desire: Part 1: A Child Following Hard After Father Part 2: From Legalism to Grace Part 3: Broken Hearts and Broken Promises Part 4: Leaving and Coming Part 5: Deconstructions and Constructions While living in Germany for a brief period of time, God brought a fellow American into... [Read more of this review]
Living in our communities, sharing God’s story
Here’s an excellent video clip by Alan Roxburgh regarding “A Tale of Three Churches & A New Age Mall in Toronto.” Based on one of his earlier books, Reaching A New Generation. At the end of this brief clip, Roxburgh says, I keep meeting all kinds of people who are tired of the “go to church” and “do the church... [Read more of this review]
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