I'm still tracking the dechurching that is happening in our city, the city of Chicago. It gets me hot under the collar to see a closed church building. The other day I gave my daughter a laugh with all my spitting and sputtering about it as we were driving home from her dance class. I believe its important to raise awareness on what is happening silently and invisibly to the spiritual landscape of the city.
But...
I'm not a fan of "problem raising" without solution-proposing. People who see problems and don't suggest solutions are as common as potholes in March in Chicago. Its commonly called whining. I've been a whiner before. I've repented. I've been whined at before (too often). It's nails on chalkboard.
And the reality is that problems, all by themselves, don't raise faith. Vision raises faith. Problems focus vision and give it its punching power. But vision is what moves people to attack problems and build something good in their place.
Dechurchification is simply an opportunity for Rechurchification. Our city needs to be reintroduced to Jesus. He's the Jesus that most people never knew. The Jesus they think they know is impotent and irrelevant--he dwells in empty church buildings with a few gray heads muttering prayers.
Rechurchification is a movement that reinhabits communities with spiritual life.
It swims against the stream of materialism, individualism, addiction and technologically-induced loneliness to bring Jesus into your living room, your cubicle, your bedroom, your car, your Starbucks, your home office, your bank account, your pleasure, your park, your backyard barbecue, your school and your mailbox and all your other yours.
When I see a community dechurched, I see a community that is primed for being rechurched. Community, meet the Jesus you never knew. (Thanks, Phil Yancey.)
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