Off the Shelf

unchristian by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons
Who Stole My Church? by Gordon McDonald

From the May 2008 Philogian

Friends, I don’t have to tell you that we live in a world that is changing so rapidly that many of us can’t keep up anymore.  Just when you think you are becoming technologically savvy, then a new program arrives that is better and faster than your older one.  Don’t you feel there are times when you just want to sit down and cry out, “Stop the world!  Let me get caught up!”  I know I have said that more than once.  Yet the world continues at a faster pace.  But there has been a place where change has been slowed.  Yes, I am speaking of the Church.  I believe this slowness is both a blessing and a curse.  Let me introduce you to a couple of books that will help you with change.

In the November 2007 issue of the Philogian I introduced you to a book titled, Simple Church, written by Thom S. Rainer and Eric Geiger.  You might remember that this book was a call to the local church to rediscover the beauty of being simple.  It was a call to experience change.  Many would say that it was a paradigm shift. 

Now, I am the first to admit that change does not come easily.  I was interested to learn that the word “change” has a long derivation, coming to us from the Latin word cambire meaning “to exchange, barter” and originally from the Breton word kamm meaning “crooked, to bend.”  So we could say that change is bending some idea to make it fit; or it is replacing one idea with another.  But either way it does not come without difficulty.

After reading Rainer and Geiger’s book, I became more aware of the need for the local church, and even para-church organizations like Village Schools, to be open to change.

Just before Christmas I was visiting with a friend of mine who operates a Christian bookstore.  He said, “Max, you have to read this book.  Then tell me what you think.”  The book had a simple title unchristian (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2007), but that was about as simple as the book was.  The authors, David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, studied the local church across America for three years.  They sought to understand why the younger generation – those 18 to 29 years of age – had abandoned the church.  The book is filled with statistics that bear out the reality of their hypothesis.  And the writers came to some conclusions from their thousands of hours of interviews and testimonies.  Those conclusions can best be summarized by the following statement: We (that is the Church) have become famous for what we oppose, rather than who we are for (pg. 26).  I have to be honest that many of their conclusions troubled me, even making me angry at times, yet I persevered through the book. 

The authors believe that the Church needs to change to accommodate the needs of this younger generation.  Yet, unless those changes are presented to a congregation in a gracious manner, a church-war of epic proportions could be inevitable.  Since reading the book, I have dialogued with several local church leaders and asked them the hard question that troubles my spirit: Do we change the dynamics of the local church, risking alienating many within the church, to reach a generation who has a solid track record of not committing to anything or to anyone except themselves? 

God led me to another book titled, Who Stole My Church? (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007).  This book is written by a favorite author of mine – Gordon MacDonald.  You might remember reading his classic Ordering Your Private World.  This is MacDonald’s first venture into writing fiction and I think he has done a wonderful job.

The book is a story of a New England church that is in need of change if they are to reach a new generation for Christ.  It is an old church whose roots go back a century and a half.  It is steeped in traditionalism; yet it has desire to be relevant to its community in the 21st century.  How does one implement change?  Is it even possible? 

The pastor assembles a group which came to be known as the Tuesday Night Discovery Group to discuss how to answer the question one parishioner had raised: Who stole my church?  Or, why should I let you change everything I love about my church?  (Note: you might remember that these were my personal questions after reading unchristian.)  Through a series of weekly meetings, the pastor led the group to see the validity in change.  He presented the argument of change within the history of the Church.  He shared how musical tastes had changed over the centuries of the Church.  He even invited members of the younger generation to sit and dialogue with this group about how they all viewed the ministries of the local church.  Slowly the group began to change.  Oh it did not come without heartaches or without people leaving, some in a huff.  But change did occur and the church survived. 

I was glad for the privilege of reading both books back-to-back.  As one brought me frustration, the other brought me hope.  As one saw only the problems, the other offered a realistic solution.  I would strongly recommend that those of us in our 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, and older should read Gordon MacDonald’s book.  The message we have to share with our community and our world is changeless but, perhaps, it is time that we change the methodology.  Even Jesus took the Old Testament truths and presented them in new ways so that a new generation could hear what God had to say.  My friends, let me challenge you to present a copy of Who Stole My Church? to your pastor.  And then tell him you would like to form a “Discovery Group” to discuss how to successfully implement change in your own church. 

Over the summer months I trust you will find some time to relax on that deck, sip a cool glass of lemonade, observe with joy God’s summer paintings all around you, and then become immersed in a book of your choice.  Ah! Those are the good old days of summer!
Happy reading!

 

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