One of many authors writing books and articles on The Great Dechurching said: "We are experiencing the largest religious shift in US history – greater than the Great Awakenings, but in the opposite direction."
While this is undoubtedly true, especially in regard to the organized church, my question is: "Is this a negative thing or does it present one of the greatest opportunities this country has seen in a long time?
My concern is that we continue to look backward to when we expected the organized church to somehow woo people to Christ with its contemporary music worship and colorful sermons. In fact, to some extent we saw this happen in past decades. But at what cost?
Have we not come to trust and rely on the organization we call 'church' to influence the world for Christ and, in the process, lost what it actually means to be salt, light, and yeast in the world? As followers of Jesus, have we sometimes lost our deeper, intimate organic connection to Jesus that naturally resonates through us to the world because we became enamored with the potential of the 'wow' church to do it for us?
Perhaps we are in this situation 'for such a time as this.' Perhaps we will seek out community with people who encourage us to go deeper into Christ and then to be a light in a culture that is more confused, in-need, and lost than ever. May God help us. After all, the Spirit of God is individually and collectively residing in each one of us. In that reality lives the current Great Opportunity.
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