Wednesday, April 21, 2010

Do church programs help or hinder

I wanted to save this article for reading later. It comes from Christianity Today - "Do Programs Help or Hinder?"

This has been a big thing behind our de-emphasis of programs at our church. I am fond of quoting Reggie McNeal, "Jesus didn't come to give us church; he came to give us life." I don't particularly care how much "church stuff" we can do... what I want to know is - are our lives being transformed into the image of Christ, and are we being a blessing to others?

The article starts out...
We can put a man on the moon, but we can't cure the common cold. This complaint... has its church leadership variation...

We can organize more and more ministries - worship experiences, Bible classes, small-group fellowships, support groups, outreach opportunities, mission encounters - and yet, for all this, we still struggle with the most basic goal: fostering spiritual growth. The Willow Creek Association's recent Reveal study made it evident that church programs and activities do not necessarily lead to spiritual maturity. In fact, church activities sometimes get in the way of spiritual growth. How can church help and not hinder the Great Commission - the making of disciples of Jesus?

This is the question that my life seems to center around. Any ideas???

Peace out; and in.

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