TAKING THE JESUS CHALLENGE

Today, on two different coaching calls, the conversation focused on the process of individual spiritual development within a faith community context - both calls with new communities that exist within the framework of larger, long-existing ministries.

The first case is a house church network, where the DNA of small group accountability is much higher than in the larger congregational system.  In this setting, the attendance at the Sunday gathering is lagging behind the house church participation.  The other case is an online faith community, ready to take people into a deeper discovery and accountability, but looking for a word beyond 'discipleship.' Excellent work in the latter instance has occurred.  Their team has defined a set of specific, tangible faith behaviors that they seek to reinforce and celebrate in their people.  We began looking for fresh terminology that was more accessible to modern people than 'discipleship'.  One idea was 'taking the Jesus challenge.'  The words Jesus and Challenge are tangible - together, they invite us beyond mild spiritual self-help to a costly and grace-filled spiritual journey.

As large-gathering consumer-driven attractional church continues to ebb in the United States, there are signs that house churches, dinner churches and other intimate gatherings are thriving - and may serve to significantly change the paradigm of what 'church' is in North America. There is mounting evidence that rising generations find a rigorous spiritual challenge more engaging than an inspirational Christian show.  I hesitate to use the word 'show', since almost no church leaders want to reduce worship to this level.  But in reality, that is how many of the public relate to worship services in America, especially in the large venue settings with praise bands, entertaining preachers and minimalist liturgy.

Last Sunday I attended a worship service in southern California that broke half the rules we taught church leaders twenty years ago - and yet the place was full to overflowing. This is a church I coached back in their infancy, now all grown up.  The first ten minutes were an extended welcome and announcement time that explained the WHY of the place, along with opportunities for participation - shared by several different people.  Then as we entered the liturgy, there was little attention given to flow - no one lived in the illusion that it was a Broadway show - it was a real-time gathering of a community - for worship, for contemplation, for better understanding Scripture, for relationship and for great food.  Numerous people talked to us: before worship, during worship, after worship - sharing bits and pieces of their stories, as time allowed.  Even though we live in California a few weeks a year, we actually talked about signing up to host brunch as we drove home - AFTER ONE WEEK.

The Jesus Challenge is two-fold - first it is invitation into a community of shared value, shaped by Jesus' teachings of the Kingdom of God.  Second it is invitation into a personal journey of embracing life fully - no half way, no selling short - discovering the ways that one's life can be spent in blessing others and honoring God's vision of life on earth.

I am reminded of the Methodist congregation I visited in Berlin, Germany a couple years ago, where their basic purpose was to teach people to pray - and to gather people in diversity, so that 'if one was not bored or offended by some aspect of the worship service,' the church felt they were not adequately challenging that person to live in spiritual community with diverse others.  (That church was growing, by the way.  In Berlin.)

How is your church inviting people to move past nice church attendance and sweet inspiration, and to take the Jesus Challenge?

I invite you to ponder that question in these days of Lent!