Top 5 Most Urgent Sea-Changes

Someone checked out the blog the other day asked me what things need to change so badly in the Church. In other words, what's the Sea-Change all about? This post is a revised version of my quick answer. These are 5 of the most urgent needs in the Church as I see it.

1) Christianity out, Gospel hearts in.

Religion has to go, and churches full of hearts full of the Gospel must replace it. Jesus hated religion, so why would we focus on building one? The Church better soon begin to get this straight or we're going to be walking backwards another hundred years. When it comes to our faith: Jesus is everything. Religion is nothing. (read Philippians 3 if you don't believe me)

2) Global out, Local in.

The simplistic linear logic that has fueled modern missions is tragically misguided. Yes, a passion for global causes is a good thing. However, someone somewhere along the way forgot to think about how this emphasis on global missions might divert our attention from ministry in our own contexts. A better approach? Show people the power of the Gospel first hand in their own communities, and allow that glimpse to fuel a desire to see this power spread across the globe. Let’s quit having slide shows and ice cream socials to celebrate our missions offerings, and start changing our own cities.

3) Sissies out, masculinity in. (seriously)

If this offends you, I’m talking about you. It's time for us to realize that being mommy's good little boy is not the same as being a man. All best-sellers aside, men better figure out what it means to be men, and get to it (start with Genesis 1 and 2).
Jesus was the perfect image of masculinity--vulnerable as a child and a servant (lamb), and violent as a pharisee-smackin' whip-slingin' temple cleanser (lion). Don't be a sissy.

4) "Missions" out, church planting in.

This term, “missions” has taken on such a vague nuance and vanilla flavor among Christians that talking about it does more harm than good. There are many believers who have money they would like to direct toward Kingdom enterprises, if only they had an inspiring outlet. By redirecting this vanilla mission passion toward something as tangible as starting new congregations, we can reconnect the gift with the giver and good stewardship can become a matter of discernment rather than a matter of generosity only. Then pastors can stop whining about bad tithers and start showing people that their money is doing more than paying extravagantly high electricity bills. (by the way, we gotta quit being bad tithers!)

5) Seminaries out, churches in.

Easy, tiger. I know this is a touchy subject. If this weren’t a sound-byte culture, I would have said “out with seminaries and in with churches as the default institution for ministerial training.” Seminaries should still have their role. It will be up to the seminaries, however, to determine what their role should be. The role of the local church is more clear-cut--the local church must become a place where future ministers are trained academically and practically on a high level. This will require that local funds support an academic wing of the local church. It will require collaboration between the brightest minds and the boldest dreamers. It will require a rethinking of the way we do Church, not just the way we do church. Every church will have to become a strategy center for local, regional, national, and global kingdom advancement.

Maybe right now you are screaming amen (if you are actually yelling at a blog, seek psychiatric help). Let's talk. Or maybe you think I'm full of......it? Let's talk. Or maybe you have better ways to fix the same problems I mentioned. Let's talk. Or maybe you are going to steal all my ideas and do them first. I hope so. They're probably not my ideas anyway--originality is overrated.