Q: Why would a church consider Congregational Sabbath?
Statistics suggest that for all of our strategic thinking and hard work, our strategies have been largely ineffective at transforming individuals and the culture, even when there is numerical growth in our churches. For example:
1. Only 10% of all Christians possess a "biblical worldview that informs their thinking and behavior." (George Barna, The Habits of Highly Effective Churches. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1999, pg 131)
2. Of the 38% of Americans that attend worship, only 22% of them engage in any additional education (William H. Willimon, The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002, 213)
We shouldn't be too surprised. Too often Jesus presides over our multi-tasks as an honored guest but not as the Good Shepherd leading us and calling us by name. Too often, we do good works and we wonder why we have to work so hard. And when increased activity is our answer to flagging attendance and rampant church ignorance, we must ask, “Is renewal happening or are we simply running faster on the wheel?”
Perhaps the need is to stop working for renewal and begin to be renewed. Perhaps what the church needs is not more, but less. Perhaps the church should be less busy and more joyful; less bound to tradition and more free to express God’s love in creative ways; less isolated from and more open to our community. Perhaps a better model for renewal is not being driven, but being led. Do we truly trust the Good Shepherd when He bids us, "Follow me!”?
1. Only 10% of all Christians possess a "biblical worldview that informs their thinking and behavior." (George Barna, The Habits of Highly Effective Churches. Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1999, pg 131)
2. Of the 38% of Americans that attend worship, only 22% of them engage in any additional education (William H. Willimon, The Theology and Practice of Ordained Ministry. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002, 213)
We shouldn't be too surprised. Too often Jesus presides over our multi-tasks as an honored guest but not as the Good Shepherd leading us and calling us by name. Too often, we do good works and we wonder why we have to work so hard. And when increased activity is our answer to flagging attendance and rampant church ignorance, we must ask, “Is renewal happening or are we simply running faster on the wheel?”
Perhaps the need is to stop working for renewal and begin to be renewed. Perhaps what the church needs is not more, but less. Perhaps the church should be less busy and more joyful; less bound to tradition and more free to express God’s love in creative ways; less isolated from and more open to our community. Perhaps a better model for renewal is not being driven, but being led. Do we truly trust the Good Shepherd when He bids us, "Follow me!”?
I do not doubt that God is moving in many of our churches. Praise the Lord! But our churches will remain invisible to the world as long as we conduct ourselves exactly like the world. In our corybantic culture, stopping is something of a miracle in itself. And miracles always draw a crowd! The Sabbath promise is not only that God will breathe new life into our souls, but that our collective dependence on God will be noticed by a world that is desperately searching for something they don't know and have never seen.
"And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking
bread from house to house, they were taking
their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,
praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." (Acts 2:46-47)
Maybe, it is time, to stop working so hard at the things that bring superficial success and let God lead us to the place where real change can take place.
Congregational Sabbath. Less doing. More being.
Photo from www.sxc.hu 866816
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