The church is in danger of becoming lost in a post modern desert. There is so much talk about thriving that it has over looked the initial steps of simply surviving. I’ve heard it said in the church so many times “We don’t want to just survive. We want to THRIVE!” Of course we do, but by skipping the steps of learning to be survivors, we end up simply working on our image and not our core. We create form, but no function. We have beauty, but no heart. I think it comes down to the fact that we equate, “survivor,” with, “beaten up mess,” and isn’t that just a breath away from, “loser?”
But here’s the thing; survivors have a different perspective of the world. For starters, they have had the opportunity to truly look into their core and see what’s there. They’ve had the chance to learn (often the hard way) and found who they really are and what really makes them tick. They don’t sugar coat how easy it is to become lost, and their vigil is to keep themselves found. But even more they can now see the beauty all around themselves.
They understand that they are not in a struggle to overcome the natural systems they find themselves in, but rather are part of that system. They are not a slave to it, but a participant in it. They have earned the right to see it like none others can. The blinders are off. It is from here that they can start growing. It is here when they can start building the form to go with the function and the heart to go with the growing beauty.
Faith tells us the church will survive because our God wills it and His will is supreme. But that doesn’t mean that individual churches will become a center of significance in their communities. Many times we see churches, ministries and even whole denominations start off strong and lose their way because they allowed themselves to lean on their own initial success and lull themselves into a false security. In many ways the same method of a hiker ge...