Building Bridges: 5 Ways the Church needs to Reconnect with Culture
If you’re reading this, thank you! Thank you for giving me five minutes of your time to explain my thoughts.
First and foremost, this isn’t a post to bash the Church OR Culture. It’s about building bridges, understanding each other, and getting back to the divine purpose(s) of what the Church is meant to be. In light of the trending conversations over socials and Evangelicalism, below are some ways to reconnect.
Second, if you’re reading this and not a follower of Jesus, then let me apologize to you! Sorry for not getting it right at times. Sorry for the assumed judgement or hypocrisy. Sorry for not caring.
With that said, here are 5 ways the Church can reconnect TO Culture so that the Church can build bridges WITH Culture:
Sorry for making the Church about politics rather than having a personal relationship with GOD. Pretty simple on this one…
Sorry for making the Church more about programs than people. Now, programs are good when it SERVES people. But programming happening for the sake of programming is not the purpose. Good programming builds disciples.
Sorry for making the Church about a performance rather than experiencing the presence of God. Performance church does happen and yet God still speaks and changes lives. God is gracious with us! Performance isn’t bad WHEN the Church is reminded to put their focus on experiencing God MORE than a performance.
Sorry for the Church judging culture. Jesus NEVER did this. Jesus came for culture. He came to show love. He came to REDEEM culture. Sorry for showing judgment more than redemption.
Last, sorry for the Church making power plays. What I mean by this is when the Church uses their influence on themselves (preference, comfort, other) MORE than for culture (for ALL people, to encounter God, to reveal and redeem, to build disciples). The Church was never called to protectionism. The Church is given - by God - to bring hope, love, and redemption to culture. Sorry for the power plays.
In closing, the Church is a great family! This happens WHEN the Church experiences God, transformation, serves ALL types people, builds community, and reveals Jesus to others. There is NOTHING like the Church. Nothing on earth could even come close to what the Church represents when she works right. I agree, the Church not perfect, but who is? And yet, it is the Perfect One who designed the Church to bring hope, love, redemption, and purpose to Culture.
AND if you’re looking for a community like this, feel free to reach out to me. I would love to connect you to a church.
All Gods best in 2020!