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The Need For New
Sigmund Freud wrote: “The church socializes its youth to ask only those questions the church is able to answer.” Can this be true? If so, it would explain why the church struggles to be relevant in today’s society.
Now, I’m not preaching chaos, but I do believe the church needs newness. We need bold, creative, and imaginative thinking that will take us beyond our institutional parameters. It starts by asking questions that challenge us to look at things in new ways. Of course, not all new ideas and actions are the right ones, but let’s not squash them before considering them.
I’ve worked with many youth and young adults in my ministry, and they are full of ideas and questions. Every time I come away from a meeting where the program led the young people into a free flowing discussion, I feel renewed with hope. I’ve also had the privilege of meeting and working with many pastors. Some are very excited about the possibilities of taking the church into the future. Others are tired and discouraged, feeling they’ve done everything, with nothing new to try.
The good news is that as long as there is God and the teachings of Christ, there is always incredible potential for the local church to alter the spiritual landscape of it’s community.
So keep probing – keep pushing – keep pulling – keep reshaping – keep rethinking – keep renewing.
Agape,
Kimball, S.E.
Could I Hang With Jesus?
There comes a time in every person’s life when he or she is faced with the choice to go with the crowd or stand against it. The “crowd” can represent money, status, acceptance, career success, conformity, popularity or just plain coolness.
Sometimes the crowd is in our churches saying we ought to say and sing the name Jesus, but not always do what Jesus would do. The crowd doesn’t always like the radical ways of Christ. They disrupt comfortable routines. They confront, challenge, and call for change.
Honestly, I sometimes wonder if I could have hung with Jesus. I really would like to have walked and talked with him and learned from him. But after being the lead singer in the band, the lead on the team, the lead preacher, could I be a follower too? Has the popularity and acceptance made me so comfortable that I have lost the courage of the prophetic spirit? Am I willing to live out the teachings of Jesus to the point of losing my crowd pleasing status?
Eugene Peterson writes:
Every time we retrieve a part of our life from the crowd and respond to God’s Call to us, we are that much more ourselves, more human. Every time we reject the habits of the crowd and practice the disciplines of faith, we become a little more alive.
To answer the questions posed above, well, let me say it like this. I do want to be liked. But I’ve learned that when it comes to the crowd leading the church in being a comfortable social club, I must stand and speak out. When I see the church gaining the crowd but losing her life, it’s time to give up popularity for the prophetic spirit.
Help us, Lord ~ give us the strength and courage to hang with You.
-Kimball, S.E.
Rethink Church
“Called to be the Church, yesterday and today”
The United Methodist Church is in a campaign to “Rethink Church.” I like it. It’s catchy and hopefully will cause people to see church in a new light. For seekers it’ll help them to see a church that is open to doing things differently.
Rethinking deeply, profoundly and prayerfully is a demanding spiritual exercise. It means putting our imagination and creativity to work. Rethinking church means preaching the Good News in ways that excite people and calls them to action. It means genuinely reaching out to people because we care about their souls. It means being bold enough to challenge and change the reality of our decadent society. It means being innovative in worship. There is no one style of worship that fits all. True worship is warm, moving and uplifting. It should be indigenous to the people.
Rethinking church is thinking again how Jesus taught us to live our lives for one another and in community. It’s a “re” word that is part of the family of renew, revive and reformation. To do this:
We need to look around today
We need to speak to every age
We need to go beyond the walls
We need to witness and live so all can see
GOD’S ALIVE!
If you’re thinking, “Kimball is on the verge of writing a song,” you’re right. In fact, I’ve already written and recorded it. I hope you will download it, enjoy it, and share it.
Agape,
Kimball, S.E.
Kimball Boyd Coburn 