Thursday, January 15, 2009

What if...

Curious question that hit me.
What if you took the electric personalities out of the Rock Church leadership, how long would the church last?

Please answer in the comments.

These responses are from FaceBook, the last names are removed for their personal security however when and where appropriate

I have included a tile for the ethos of their message.
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Robin (a pastor) at 8:20am January 14
for many churches, they would croak! Consumeristic culture has dictated the dna of local churches in that they build themselves around consumable commodities (eg personalities and Christian celebrity)...consumers are fickle! If one leaves, they will go to another "church" to find another celebrity.
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Nersha (a Rock Church Member) at 9:02am January 14
I think if the Rock has a strong enough foundation, it will still stand...... it maybe the people in the church that make the church a church however....God is Good, and he's the reason there's a church :) hehee From my personal experience : How many times have I left in the years to pass, along with so many others ...... But for some reason ( God.....) I keep getting pulled back; though the core of the church have come and gone. Good question B I think about that a lot!!
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Denise (a former student under Robin) at 11:26am January 14
I don't know how long the church, itself, would last, but I know I'd be happier if I could find a church that didn't have all that stuff! I go to worship, not be entertained...and I would rather not have the whole projector thing. It's part of the reason I really miss the congregation we were part of in PA: just a small, regular ELCA church like we all grew up in. No glitz, no frills, just humble origins that remain.

(In other words: Robin said it well)
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Travis (a pastor & former student under Robin) at 12:11pm January 14
Food for thought...None of the congregations that we read about in the Bible are still around, but the Church itself has never ceased. I think both good and bad congregations die, and if they don't die they certainly change drastically. As for the Rock, who knows what it's founded on, but I find that it's too easy to throw stones. Denise if you ever move to North Carolina, my church is pretty simple ELCA, and you'd be welcome here! :)
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Dale (a fromer student under Robin) at 1:31pm January 14
Our church is going through a self-examination that falls along these lines in some regards. I think we're at a turning point and it is so exciting to be in on the ground floor with changes like this. For example, our 8am service is made up of people who have been attending it for decades. As you can imagine, the numbers are slowly decreasing; however, families attending seem to be increasing! Lots and lots to think about! -We're currently reading "Your First Two Years in Youth Ministry" by Doug Fields and it is transformative reading!
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Vivian (a missionary) at 2:01pm January 14
Just started reading "life after church" by Brian Sanders. Friends who are passionate about Jesus but can't find their nich [sic]in "church" as we know it now...I'm not far enough to form an opinion yet, but it resonates with my ponderings [sic] at Christmastime of if there is anything authentic about Christmas services. I've attended probably more than 150 Christmas services, heard at least that many christmas [sic] sermons and am left wondering if there is anything I've not already heard before. Same as the churches who continue to only teach basics and nothing more leaving those passioinate [sic] disciples of JEsus [sic]hard put to find a place to be nurtured. As I said I'm not far in the book, but it seems one solution is a home church style.

The antithesis of the mega church that seems to be the trend at present. Interesting ponderings [sic]!
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Tony (a deacon at the Rock) at 10:39pm January 14
First off, your question isn’t by means looking for an end, but a question of the foundation, what kind of Christians have been built by these electric personalities. Are they true Christians or Cultural Christians? If we take leadership out, like we have seen in the past, nothing really changes. That is because we are not the authority to appoint leaders, only God is.

So to answer your question, the result would come down to who true followers of Christ really are, are they going to die to their flesh, pick up their cross and follow Jesus? Are they going to believe the best about their leaders? Or are they going to find fault and any excuse to leave the church? The question is not about the leadership, but the people who call themselves Christians in the church and how they respond to trials

Tony (continues) at 10:55pm January 14
Vivian I am intrigued by your response...

Same as the churches who continue to only teach basics and nothing more leaving those passioinate [sic] disciples of JEsus [sic] hard put to find a place to be nurtured. As I said I'm not far in the book, but it seems one solution is a home church style. The antithesis of the mega church that seems to be the trend at present.

Do you think that it is a Christians responsibility to want to be feed by someone else like an infant or learn to feed themselves like a grown adult? I have heard the Gospel preached from stage over 1000 times, I have seen many salivations. I don't see spiritual growth by going to church, I see it when people decide that living for Christ is not just words but a life style change. Home churches are great and I am a part of one, I also attend a church that has about 300 people. The growth I have seen are the people who take it upon themselves to learn.

Tony (concludes) at 10:56pm January 14
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. - Hebrews 5:11-14
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