There are lots of genuine folks who are fine with the status quo, but there seems to be a growing hunger for something more authentic and more organic. I seem to be having more and more conversations around missional Christianity and discovering new shapes and expressions of the Body. It’s an interesting time to be alive!

Thanks again for your comment. Blessings! -dgj

Thanks for sharing. I thought I’d post the text of the passage you referenced for everyone’s benefit:

For the customs of the peoples are futile;
For one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
They decorate it with silver and gold;
They fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
They are upright, like a palm tree,
And they cannot speak;
They must be carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”
- Jeremiah 10:3-5 (NKJV)

You definitely have a point about picking battles. There’s also a tendency, as we allow ourselves to question that which is familiar, to throw the proverbial “baby” out with the “bathwater.” It can be difficulty to discern what’s “baby” and what’s “bathwater.”

The most intriguing questions I’m hearing, however, have to do with what “shape” the Church will take in the future. We cannot be committed to forms and functions, but must instead be committed to the true mission to which we have been called: discipling nations.

Lord help us!

Allen — with a sweep of his sword, Constantine declared the entire Roman Empire “Christian.” All the pagan priests still had jobs – just with a new boss: the Pope.

That might be a bit oversimplified, but it isn’t far from the truth.

Communion… experiencing God… learning how the Kingdom gets expressed in everyday life… actually training on (not just learning about) the disciplines of living as a spiritual being… becoming empowered to advance the Kingdom in every sphere…

This is where we must go.