Lots going on but little time to pause and reflect. I wanted to share a few links that I think are important:
Charles Lee is a new friend from LA, he recently pioneered a hybrid-conference called The Idea Camp. I wanted to attend but my current schedule did not allow it. But, there is good news as they’ve added a ton of video for us non-attenders to watch. Props to them for being a blessing to the church, open-source is the way to go. I’ve heard that close to 500 people attended the conference in-person but 1500 attended online. With our current economic crisis, this may be the conference model of the future.
I also wanted to spread the word a bit. This past Sunday, Matt Carter, Founder and Lead Pastor of the Austin Stone shared a message called: The decline of the American Church. I think this message is vital to the church. Matt touched on the reality that the church in N America is losing ground and most churches (even growing churches) are not connecting with those outside of our faith. I love that a pastor who’s church is growing by the multitudes can stand before the congregation and be real and deal with reality.
Let me say this, one of the tragedies of the North American Church is how much time and money we spend to reach ourselves, to shuffle the deck and trade sheep. We have the most resources in the world to do good and be a blessing, yet the majority of the churches resources are squandered in what seems to a vortex of Christianity that is simply not getting the job done. Missional leaders who will make a difference in the upcoming years will be the leaders who will be willing to admit that we have to refocus how we do church and how we spend resources. The bottom billion lack the basics of life, while the church continues to throw money at the wind and not get the ROI we all need. I include myself in that conversation, and I need to repent and seek God for a better way to live out the gospel and make a deeper impact!
Thanks for the great post. You're right, we have become fat and happy as a Body in this country. Because we have had nothing testing us we have become lazy in our faith. As Matt Carter said Sunday, in other parts of the world Believers consider it their duty to let others know the good news and are willing to lay down their lives for this great Truth that is now inside them. For the most part, we have become content with the idea that someday we'll get to Heaven and take very littler personal stake in what God is doing now and wants to do through us.
I've just started a series on tithing at http://www.kingdomcallingadvisors.com and it's gotten me to thinking all over again that if the US Church would simply tithe (I think we check in at 2% as a Body) we could totally transform the world in no time. The irony of it is that if we trusted God in this way, He would bless us so that we have even more going forward (Not less as the voice in our head tells us to fear). And thus, thus the velocity through which God uses us to transform the world into HIs image would increase! Thanks again, wes