REINVENTING CHURCH, part 3.
We have been hearing about how we need to REINVENT the Church in the community we live today.
The first reinventing principle is this: We will no longer be a “Come and get it” Church but a “Go and get ‘em” Church! WE GO OUTSIDE THE CHURCH TO THEM!
The second reinventing principle is this: We will no longer be a “Silent” Church, but a “Story” Church! WE SPEAK FROM OUR HEARTS ABOUT CHRIST!
The third reinventing principle is this: We will no longer be a “Shrink-wrapped” Church, but a, “Connected” Church.
“LOVE” IS OUR MOTTO = BEING in right relationship with God and others!
Listen, things are vastly different that the way they used to be!
The world we live in today is not the same as it used to be. It is super-connected in the world we live in today. No matter where you go, “Access” is the key word and what people are searching for. Where can I get access to the internet? Where can I get access to an ATM machine? Where can I get access to information I need?
This new world presents problems for the church-bubbled people. For those who have been busy about being a part of the Church-club, the world outside these walls has changed!
By no longer being a “shrink-wrapped” church I mean, that the church is no longer going to take into itself, but rather be a sending and serving force in the community within which we live.
No longer will be a “sponge” trying to suck out of people their energies to make the church survive, and then state they re not commitment if they don’t.
Instead, the church will become the sending out force it needs to be and provide people with they need to have a vision of how God can use them right where they are!
God put the desires you have in your heart to want to do what you do. So since that is true, then God wants to use you here you are already! You don’t need to add one more activity to your already busy life. Instead, see the life you live from a missionary’s perspective! Consider how a missionary would respond if they lived where you lived; if they worked where you worked; if they had available all you have available.
Then GO and do likewise!
But while we consider this challenge of rethinking our lives as missionaries, we need to become more aware of the community within which we live.
It will be helpful for us to break out of any church-bubble we might be in, taking a broad look at the different people in our community and in our church today.
To simplify this looking, I want to use ‘generational’ language to describe these different groups and sub-groups of people.
But as I do, I want you to look at YOURself and ask questions…celebrate the positives…take warnings when it comes to the dangers…even repent where we see areas you have compromised = given in, and where we look more like the world and less like Jesus Christ.
I believe you will look at your children differently and your grandchildren differently because you understand them more after looking at this generational information.
Paul encourages us to LOVE one another deeply from the heart.
He also encourages us to GET TO NO EACH OTHER by depth of insight.
Take a look at the ONE CHURCH, FOUR GENERATIONS handout in your bulletin. Let me explain this to you as well as offer some closing remarks in summary as to how we are to look at the information we have today and the future of our ministry here at Alto as we seek to reinvent the Church. So let me introduce you to 4B Community!
BUILDERS
BOOMERS
BUSTERS
BRIDGERS
What does this message say about God today? Let’s make this an interactive time…what does what you’ve just heard have to say about God?
What does it tell you about you?
What does it tell us about Jesus Christ?
What does it say about our church today?
I want you to take a look at a new scorecard I have put together for our church. With Charge Conference in my sites, I want to report about our church and celebrate differently.
In an attempt at reinventing the Church, I am looking beyond our UM church and to The United Methodist Church Matrix. I want our report at Charge Conference to be a statement that we are looking at doing church differently (reinventing church) and we keep score differently and want to encourage them to do the same.
The Scorecard is for you as you seek to apply what you are hearing in our messages these past few weeks, because we don’t want to be just hearers of the word only (as the Bible says not to be) be DOERS also! Let’s get our FAITH IN ACTION! You can look at the scorecard each week and hold yourself accountable as we put before you the checks of how you are to be living your life!
YOUR NEW WEEKLY SCORECARD
1. How many ministries do we at Alto UMC have outside our walls? _______ ministries
2. How many hours do you spend this week involved (helping, participating, providing for, etc.) at one of these ministries? _______hrs.
3. How many conversations did you have with pre-Christian people this week? _______ conversations.
4. How many community people/groups outside our church used our property this week? _____ groups/people/etc.
5. How many activities are we at Alto UMC doing that target people who are not here yet?
6. How many hours did you spend in ministry where you:
a. Work? _______ hrs.
b. Go to school? _______hrs
c. Participate (club, shop, walk, etc.)? _______hrs
7. What have you discovered about yourself this week you need to learn:
