Nancy Kennedy wrote an article for her syndicated column that was published by several newspapers. It is always interesting to see what is being published by media. Here is an excerpt:
They like Jesus, but not the church. That’s the title of a book I’m reading and it’s also the sentiment of an entire generation.
According to a Gallup poll, each year 4,000 new churches start, but 7,000 close. One million people leave the traditional church each year, most of them young people right out of high school. Some return, but many, many don’t.
Dan Kimball, author of the book I’m reading, talked to scores of people who were not shy in telling him what they don’t like about church and church people. In a nutshell: Churches are like exclusive religious country clubs filled with right-wing, finger-pointing, judgmental, angry gay-haters.
Sadly, some are like that and I don’t blame people for not wanting to be a part.
In the Religion feature story today, I wrote about home churches, or “simple churches” as they’re called. People who gather together because they like Jesus, but not so much the institutional, traditional church.
Dave Shirkey, who used to pastor a traditional church, is now a part of a simple church that meets in his home.
He’s not the pastor, he said, but more like a coach. When they meet, they don’t have an agenda or follow a program and everyone has an equal say. No one teaches or preaches, but they share knowledge with each other as God teaches them individually.
They just all like Jesus and like each other and want to be the church rather than attend a church.
Kennedy goes on to describe her own fondness for her traditional church. But she also acknowledges that there is an increasing number of people who are frustrated by the organized church’s focus on attendance, buildings, and collections (the ABCs).
Her conclusion is: "Maybe house churches are the answer. Maybe the traditional church will change and care less about carpet color and more about people… After all, the church is God’s idea. Therefore, it will prevail. But it needs to change."
You can read the entire article here.
Comments
5 responses to “They Like Jesus but Not the Church”
Good post. Thanks for sharing
AMEN!! The journey toward knowing God is full of twists and turns along the journey. I am convinced that every form that is NOT attached to His voice will fail- house church or institutional church. BUT, wherever and whenever we focus on KNOWING HIM and allowing His Life to flow through us, we will not only meet our needs and those of others, but most importantly we will touch His heart!
This is an interesting article. I find myself wondering if the real reason why churches are closing and people are leaving the church is the consumer mentality. Typically the church is run and funded by a few key dedicated individuals and filled with people who take but don’t give. After so long the resources, both monetary and ability, are used up and there is nothing left to offer. Church needs to be less about sitting in a auditorium filled with strangers and more about loving the community to Christ.
I think we are living in a transitional era that many will find quite disturbing – because I think we are seeing the rise of house churches side by side with the fall or diminishing of what we might call “traditional church” systems. I am not going to bash “church” because I still believe there is a place for such gatherings – I just wonder about the effectiveness of this model. Certainly, it’s not as effective as it was, say, 50 years ago. People crave community that is real and intimate and you typically don’t get that within an organized church system. Thus, the rise of house churches. It’s an exciting time to be living, isn’t it?
While people leaving churches is a major concern and there are probably a few things that churches do that may be a little too strict, the fact is that Jesus instructed the church to the salt and light as well as the pillar and ground of the truth. The purpose of the church is to show the world how they are supposed to live. There are times when that is not popular. If history is anything to go by, most of the time it is not popular. As for where a church meets, I suppose they can meet wherever they choose to meet.
Timothy Fish – author of Searching for Mom