In my previous post I introduced a review of George Barna’s book, Revolution. In this post, I consider Barna’s definition of the Revolution and what Revolutionaries ought to expect from the local church. Then I will share how my local church, New Life ChurchKelowna had just such a revolutionary impact on my life.

Barna makes his case for the Revolution that is reshaping American Spirituality in a short book of 144 pages. It begins with a description of the revolution from his perspective. According to Webster's dictionary, as quoted by Barna, a revolution is an “overthrow, repudiation of and thorough replacement of and established government or political system by the people governed… a radical and pervasive change in society and social structure.” Barna then goes on to say how “millions of devout followers of Jesus Christ are repudiating tepid systems and practices of the Christian faith and introducing a wholesale shift in how faith is understood, integrated and influencing the world. Because human beings become what they believe, and practicing what they believe is the swiftest and surest means of generating lasting change, this revolution of faith is the most significant transition you or I will experience during our lifetime.” (p. 11)

He estimates that approximately twenty million Christians who are growing and passionate about their faith have come to recognize that “the local church is not and need not be the epicenter of their spiritual adventure.” Barna believes this number is set to double over the next twenty years. 

He goes on to identify seven characteristics of what God expects of Christians based on his reading of the New Testament church which he considers as “God’s model” for the church. These characteristics are the core passions Revolutionary Christians are looking for in their walk with God. They are:

-         Intimate worship on a daily basis both in a private and public setting

-         Faith-Based conversations by which he means low key dialogue about truth and purpose in life with an invitation to find that in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. 

-         Intentional Spiritual growth based on a daily walk with God.

-         Servanthood as the best means for demonstrating the transformation Jesus had made with them. “Like Christ they lived to serve rather than be served.”

-         Resource investment for the benefit of all believers.

-         Spiritual Friendships. Loving relationships were a cornerstone of the early Christian community.

-         Family Faith. Christian families taught the ways of God in their homes every day.

These seven passions are according to Barna what defines Revolutionaries. He encourages these Christians to pursue these passions at all cost even if it means going outside th local church to find them.

In my twenty five years of Christian life I have only attended three local churches. The first was Granville Chapel, the Second was New Life Church Kelowna and the third was Ndola Christian Fellowship in Zambia where we lived as missionaries for two years.

Each of these experiences profoundly shaped my Christian life. Unlike the typical Christian that Barna finds unaffected by the local church, I was significantly impacted by the ministry of these bodies of believers. I found those seven passions at work in varying degrees in each of the local congregations I was a part of. Today, I believe my passion for God is a result of the impact of these three congregations. I don’t think I could have found it anywhere else.

My family and I relocated from Vancouver to Kelowna, BC in 1988. I accepted a position as Executive Director of the Central Okanagan United Way. When we arrived in Kelowna, we met some friends from our past, Steve & Cathy Clark who were from Vancouver. They were attending a new church called New Life Fellowship Baptist. Wesley Campbell was co leading the church with David Ruis. They encouraged us to attend New Life because they felt God was really moving there. I replied that lively church was not as important as a Bible teaching church. We would give it a try but if they did not preach the Bible we would be looking elsewhere.

The first Sunday morning we attended, Wesley Campbell gave a message on growing in the Christian faith. He stated that if you were not 10 hours a week in Bible reading and good Christian study you would not be growing as a Christian. That challenge was enough to convince me that we had found the right church to attend.

Along with Bible teaching New Life emphasized corporate intercession. Every Friday night they had a time of worship and prayer. It was at those Friday nights that we began to see the Holy Spirit at work in our midst. Along with passionate intercession for the lost and for the city of Kelowna, there was prophetic gifts that were exercised to the edification and encouragement of those who were attending. Sometimes we would arrive home at 2 or 3 am after a meeting and not even feel tired because we felt so infused with the Spirit of God.

New Life church was structured around four core values: worship, nurture, community and mission. These four values were lived out in the life of the church on Sunday and in the Mini-Churches Monday to Friday. These small groups were located in different part of the city. We hosted a group at our home in the Capri area. Attendance at the groups was strongly encouraged by the church leadership. The leaders of the groups were called Lay Pastors. The Lay Pastors formed a group in themselves which was a second level of leadership in the church. When the Elders needed direction they would consult with the Lay Pastors.

Equipping for church members happened on Sunday evenings. They had courses in Marriage, Parenting, Prayer, Gifts, Leadership, etc. these course were taught by the Pastors but also by lay leaders who had been recognized as operating in those areas of gifting.

Some people we knew said it was hard to get into the inner circle of the church. I did not find that a problem. As long as you were willing to serve and you took the initiative you were welcomed into the workings of the church. My contribution was to lead an early morning intercession group in the Blue room. It was so named for its blue carpet. We wore out that carpet down pacing back and forth praying for the church and for God to move in Kelowna.

In the summer of 1991, I introduced the idea of a summer preaching series from the great revivalists of the past. We had members of our church who were almost all lay people dress up as one of these great revivalists and preach to a mid week gathering of the congregation. Charles Finney , John Wesley , George Whitefield , Jonathan Edwards  and Dwight L. Moody all made appearances. The highlight though was my wife appearing as John Wesley to deliver his famous sermon, Salvation by Faith Alone. One Sunday morning when the church was camped out at the Feast of Tabernacles in a field we had rented for a weekend Family Camp, John Wesley arrived on horse back, leapt off his horse  and mounted a wooden stage to deliver a thundering address. As far as I can remember, Sue was the first women to preach on Sunday morning at New Life even though she had to do it in a men’s clothing!

In 1992, Wesley Campbell taught an equipping course on Leadership in which he encouraged us to pursue our dreams. Sue and I had a dream of taking our family to Africa. So that is what we did.

All in all, I found the New Life local church experience completing transformational. Now I know I am speaking from my own personal perspective, however it shows how it is possible for a local church to have a revolutionary impact on the life of its members.

More blogs commenting & Various reviews.

A Revolution in the Making? by Al Mohler

Tags: Church Renewal, Spiritual Revival .