This post continues my series (I, II) on George Barna’s book, Revolution. Barna is predicting, that by the year 2025, only one third of the Christian population will be connected to local congregations, another third will be doing alternatives such as house churches and finally the last third will be worshipping at the altar of the “personal church of the individual.” gleaning their spirituality from media, art and cultural events.

In the preface to the book, Barna defines the difference between a small ‘c’ local church and a big ‘c’ global Church. The first consists of a local congregation of specific believers with a leadership hierarchy such as a pastor. The second group refers to all believers who follow Jesus, “comprising the population of heaven-bound individuals who are connected by their faith in Christ, regardless of their local church connections or involvements”. (p. x) Barna’s goal in writing the book is to “advance the Church and redefine the church.”      

In laying out his alternatives, Barna identifies four ‘macro’ models of church that provide all inclusive ministry for people of faith to grow in Christ likeness. The first is the local congregation. Second is alternatives to the congregation such as house churches. Third is family based church. The last is ‘cyber’ church where individual spirituality is encouraged via the Internet and other means of mass communication. Barna also discusses ‘micro’ models that allow believers to congregate around one of the seven characteristics of a model church.  Marketplace fellowships are an example of one of these micro models. They are designed to augment a person’s spiritual growth with discipleship in the context of their work activity.

Barna then explores how Jesus lived and modeled alternatives to the religion of his day and that we need to follow his revolutionary example. We need to identify with God more than we need to identify with a local congregation. We need to seek the Kingdom of God above all else, including the local church. We need to cultivate the character required to be a revolutionary as modeled by Christ. “His life is our model. A true Revolutionary accepts the challenge to be fully Christ like.” (p. 72)

Barna believes that the revolution is not something we strategize for, it is something we simply need to live. “Revolution is as Revolution does” paraphrasing Forest Gump. Motivated by the ideals of Christ that we have gleaned from our study of his life, we enlist in the revolution by living these ideals no matter how unpopular or upsetting they may be to the status quo of the local church.

So Barna encourage the Revolutionaries to live the ideals of Christ. Okay, here is an ideal to be lived in the challenge of being Church where ever you live and work. Jesus said in John 15:13 “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” For many Christians their friends are those they know at their local church.

A few years ago, my local church went through a difficult episode. Our founding pastor had stepped out of the lead position to pursue an itinerant ministry. The pastor who replaced him had a falling out with other members of the Leadership Team and left his position and the church. There was more fall out. Relationships in the church soured. It seemed the church itself was a sinking ship. Members began to abandon it. Others became quite critical of leadership. A number of congregational meetings were held to air grievances and express concerns.

I remember participating in those meetings and asking myself the question how could I be a part of the solution rather than be a part of the problem. God overheard those thoughts. The church Administrator had resigned and left the church. The Leadership Team approached me to assume the role on a voluntary basis which I did. I remember thinking that this commitment would be costly. I had other things I wanted to do especially to develop the Faith in the Workplace ministry. Yet, these were my friends and I could not abandon them. I thought of what it means to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.

This is the revolutionary ideal of love. Love is as love does. One’s local church may not get a passing grade from George Barna but it is the place where one learns to love. Love is not fuzzy feelings for people. Love is bearing hurt, pain and frustration brought on by others. Love takes offenses out circulation through forgiveness. Love stabilizes relationships. Love believes the best about the other. Love hopes for a better future for the other and works towards that end.

I learned a lot about what it means to bear with one another in love at my local church.  I grew in Christ likeness not because my local church was doing well, but because it was not. I accepted that, offered to be a part of the solution and bore the pain of bringing to a resolution the difficulties. Now our church is stronger, healthier and able to be there for its members.

Jesus was a revolutionary. He did not follow the religious ways of those around him. But that did not mean that he abandoned his fellow Jews. He did not follow his revolutionary ideals away from Judaism. Instead he wept over Jerusalem and engaged the problem head on. He went to his death willingly knowing that good would come of it for those he loved and wept for.

Instead of abandoning the local church to pursue revolutionary ideals, why not make the local church the object of your revolutionary zeal? Why not go to the place of pain and bear that pain in prayer and love? 

Love is the revolutionary ideal around which we need to reconfigure the local church because love is as love does.

Tags: barna, revolution, Love, church