Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Something to offer?

"I don't think the church believes that it has anything to offer that the unchurched world really needs."

Ouch. I participated tonight in the opening sessions of "Missional Education: Savvy with Substance," and I was profoundly grateful for the excellent breakout group of which I was assigned to be a part. But then a soft spoken and thoughtful member of our group hit us with the line that I quoted to open this post.

How you evaluate the truth of that statement will depend in large part on what you think "the church" means. Is it true of an individual congregation? Of our denomination? Of the broadly defined Christian church on earth?

Frightening thought.

1 comment:

Bethany said...

Sadly, I've found myself thinking that exact thought sometimes. I've looked at what a church (as an organization) is doing and thought what is their motivation? As much as I have a hard spot for Hybels, I think it was he who challenged, "If your church fell of the face of the earth tomorrow, would your neighbors care...would they even notice?" If the church and Christians really have something so great to offer, why are we not offering it to everything that lives and breathes that lies in our path??? Why are we staying cooped up in our steepled buildings, keeping this offering in a treasure chest for people to find?