Where are we going?

Erwin McManus wrote, “Churches rarely call pastors who are different from them.  Most often pastors are an unusually compatible match to the congregations that are calling them.  Churches rarely ask themselves the question, "Who can change us?"  The commission given to the pastoral church committee rarely centers around a prophetic ministry but around a pastoral ministry."

By this Erwin is pointing out that while God calls the church to be a movement toward Him - inspiring both those within and without our walls to change (a ministry of pointing to what CAN be and creating culture), we often make it into a monument (or at best a monastery) - a stationary place where we put up virtual walls to protect what already is - to insulate ourselves from the culture around us.  But God did not promise us comfort or convenience, He promised us Himself.   And let’s face it, our God (a consuming fire according to Deut 4:24) can be pretty scary.  He calls us to die to ourselves, He calls us to deny ourselves, He calls us to humble ourselves and to GO.  None of those are comfortable.

Yet still we have a mindset that church should be comfortable.  I imagine most would desire a church that is comfortable and predictable and consistent and safe.  Of course, most proudly also proclaim that they desire a ‘first century church’.  They neglect to realize that the apostolic church was not comfortable (Paul said he labored and toiled and often went without sleep or food).  That it was not predictable (with arrests, imprisonments, confrontations).  That it changed continually (it didn’t originally allow Gentiles in, and really only in the last ¼ of it’s life had translations and services in English).  And it wasn’t particularly safe (as the book of Acts and Foxes book of martyrs testify). 

The church should be a place of comfort – for those who are suffering. 

The church should be predictable – in reaching the lost. 

The church should be consistent - in it’s proclamation of Christ.

The church should be safe – for those who are persecuted. 

For the rest of us, it should be a place of change.  Relentless change toward Christlikeness.  Toward holiness.  Toward being all we were designed, destined and blessed to be.