How to Shrink Your Church

[Jetavan]

Sentimentality and pragmatism are the one-two punch which has the American Church on the ropes, while a generation of church leaders acquiesces to the demands of our consumer culture. The demands are simple: tell me something that will make me feel better (sentimentality for the churchgoer), and tell me something that will work (pragmatism for the church leader). Yet it is not clear how either one of those are part of what it means to be the church.
....
The fundamental problem with the one-two punch of sentimentality and pragmatism is, of course, the church's job is not to affirm people's lives, but to allow the gospel to continually call our lives into question. The church's job is not to grow -- not even to survive. The church's job is to die -- continually -- on behalf of the world, believing that with every death there is a resurrection. God's part is to grow whatever God wishes to grow. Growing a church isn't hard ... being faithful as the church, that's a different story.

[Volnutt]

This is a very important article.

[Ortho_cat]

sounds like he might be orthodox at heart.

[Gamliel]

Time to call in the scientists from Fantastic Voyage.

[username!]

I'm gathering the only way to grow a prayer community in the usa is to have some overpaid minister with bleached teeth write books and sell them, have a coffee shop in the building, have praise banners, etc..  the next thing; the prayer ball, like the inflated balls they use at sporting events.

[Ortho_cat]

I'm gathering the only way to grow a prayer community in the usa is to have some overpaid minister with bleached teeth write books and sell them, have a coffee shop in the building, have praise banners, etc..  the next thing; the prayer ball, like the inflated balls they use at sporting events.

i'm intrigued. how does the prayer ball work?

[biro]

I'm gathering the only way to grow a prayer community in the usa is to have some overpaid minister with bleached teeth write books and sell them, have a coffee shop in the building, have praise banners, etc..  the next thing; the prayer ball, like the inflated balls they use at sporting events.

There are giant megachurches in my area which look exactly like that.

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