Saturday, June 21, 2008

The New Church

I've been thinking more seminary and church and the people and how it all relates. People have been asking me when I am going to go back to school (when I pay down or off my student loans). People ask when I will become a pastor again (when God leads me there). I know we will never go back to the Methodist church.
I've been Methodist most all my Christian life. I had never really experienced anything different. When people ask me why I was Methodist over another denomination or non-denomination, I would give them the analogy of Albertson's Grocery. Albertson's makes almost all there stores look exactly the same. The reason is no matter where you are in the country, you can go into any Albertsons and know exactly where everything is. I've always been Methodist because the church has over 100 years of history I can look back on and know what they believe and why they believe it.
I think in some ways that history has hurt the Methodist church also. Many in the church are so stuck on honoring/keeping the past, they can't see themselves letting the church go into the future. In our last church, the organ player's mom taught him how to play so "there will always be an organ player at the church". Raise your hand if you listen to organ music outside the church. Is it on top 40 radio? Even Jadon Lavik who recorded a bunch of old hymns like Come thou Fount did it with modern instruments.
A good friend of mine has said that I should start a church. He is all for jumping in with me. We have a name for it and everything. I've thought about starting a new church....maybe even one online. Everytime I think about starting a B&M church, I think about people from That Church. The church would be great if people didn't screw it up so much :o). Every move we have made in the past 2 years has been a good move. From Sardis (great biblical name for a church), to Crossroads Bible (good church), to now Hillside Community. When I was a pastor, I was the pastor I've always wanted. Now Pete is definitely the pastor I want.
But what about starting a new church. What would it look like? If we are all priest, why shouldn't we all preach? Have you ever sat in church and thought "I could definately preach. Most people have. I have said more than once, most people have 1 good sermon in them. Unfortunately most don't stop at that 1 :o).
But seriously, I could start my online church. On the front page a top 10 list (thanks to Letterman) of what we believe and why we believe it. 1. Lost people matter to God. 2. Christians should grow. 3. The only way to God is faith in Jesus Christ. 4. We teach from the bible ....etc, etc.
Send me a video of your teaching and a transcript of it. I will upload it to youtube or one of the other sites, tag it, post it on the church site with the transcript (because I HATE sites with video and no transcript expecially news sites). We will have new postings up front, but just like any web 2.0 site the community will Amen the sermons that are the best and those will float to the top (think of Digg.com). the site will have a little overhead for the hosting and such, but with no B&M cost, these will be minimum.
Donations after cost will be sent to missionaries, non-profit groups, etc. The site has a large enough congregation, people can post needing help in a specific area (porch building, house painting, electricity paying, etc), people in that area can help out. Don't know a good church in North Dallas? another visitor does. Wondering how to get involved with the homeless in Memphis? Another visitor in California has been doing it for years and will tell you what to do to get started.
Now church has stopped being one-way communication of the pastor preaching, to the community worshiping. Did you ever want to respond to the pastor after a sermon. You can do that at this church as long as you do it with gentleness and respect.
When I was preaching, I taught transformation and movement. The Word of God will transform your life. If you are not transformed you are not growing. and movement in that you need to get off your butt and go out into the world. We are not in the world but of the world. That is, your home is in another place. Your heart is yearning for that place. But God has you hear right now to do his work and will. You can't lock yourselves behind church doors and tell everyone they have to come to you.
Last week the preacher asked how many of those flyers for churches have you gotten saying "come visit us, we are nice. we are a family church". How many did you visit? But if you see a church DOING for others (not just their own) then would you go visit them and see what they are all about?
What do you think? Should we (the web community) start a church?? I'll let you wear whatever you want to church.