Hospital for sinners

"Church is a hospital for sinners, not a country club for saints."


Ever had that statement before? The truth is that in the church, everyone has a common problem, it’s a sin problem. It’s not just that we sin, the real problem is that we were born with a sinful nature, which means whether or not we are committing acts of transgression against God’s law, we are still sinners.
Unfortunately, many pretend they don't have a problem. In many churches stories are told about people who used to sin, and that’s OK as long as those people give testimonies that have happy endings, “I used to have a problem, but then I met God, and now I'm doing much better.”

Imagine seeing a counselor and saying, "I only want to talk about problems I used to have. Don't ask me to acknowledge having any current problems, okay? I mean, it's embarrassing. I'm afraid you might reject me." Why would anybody go to a counselor to try to convince him/her that they don't need a counselor?

Church is a place to come with your struggles, addictions, dysfunctions, doubts, fears, and victory over sin through Christ. The church needs to be the place of greatest safety and healing. The church needs to be a place where we enter into relationships that will encourage us and hold us accountable. The church should be a place where we can have conversations with other sinners, conversations that lead us to repentance, forgiveness, growth, healing, and change

So, let us do our best to remember that the church is a hospital for sinners. And, let’s extend God’s mercy, love, and forgiveness to all that come through those doors.

Church

This last Sunday, I had three phone calls from people asking me if I had seen the front page of the local paper, The Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Since I don't get the paper, I decided to check it out online (On Monday, I had two copies of the paper left on my desk, just in case...).

As I read the article,(http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100206/ARTICLES/100209609)

I found it interesting that this was the lead article, on the front page...clearly indicating to me that the issue of faith, particularly relevant faith, is of upmost interest to people in our community (and around the country). The article talks about the aging churches in Sonoma County (again, this is no different than anywhere else in the country)and how today's generation will not repond to the way we have always done church. The article is about one church that was on the brink of closing. It had 78 members and was dying fast, until the pastor changed the way they did church, changed the name, and started focusing on loving people above anything else. This church has grown to 1000 members in seven years.

I invite you to read the article and to share your thoughts on it...

The changing church?

Our church organization and churches are in an interesting place. The average age of an Adventist in North America is 59, which means that in 20 years, we will barely exist, unless something changes. But, change comes slow, if at all. The median age in our country is between 37-38 years of age, but most local churches are led by those who are 60 and above. It’s no wonder change is not happening. See, you attract who you are.

These days there is a lot of discussion about who different generations think: the “retirees” think differently than the boomers, who think differently than Generation X, who think differently than Generation Y…and what out for the Millenial generation. They are growing up fast!

I am not sure we have thought much about this generational divide that exist. It's in just about every church. Most Adventist churches do not contextualized their message or approach to reach people in different segments of culture influenced by media, music, entertainment and technology. For most, multi-generational church ministry is uncharted territory.