God is creating something new…but it will not be contained by walls, buildings or leaders. We are all on a journey with Him (God). Sometimes we’ll be alone, at other times He will send others to walk with us. But the ONE THING is that He just wants us to “abide in Him”.

Thank you Wayne for hanging out in Gilbert, AZ! And I’d like to thank all of you that respond to Wayne’s blogs…it encourages my journey!

Mark

Our Lord certainly wasn’t picturing a building or else he would have used the word for either Temple or Synagogue in His response to Peter.

Using the term “de-construction” makes it sound like one is attempting to tear down or destroy something…in this case “the church”?! Jesus Himself got in trouble for saying something similar. “tear down (de-construct) this temple and I will raise re-buld it in three days.” Such a statement got Him in very hot water with the “chosen people” of His day. They did not understand that he was referring to His body not some physical entity.

Those brothers and sisters who are trying to assist us with “seeing” things in a more spiritual light are simply suggesting that we need new rhetoric and expanded vision of what it means to “be” church. It is an attempt to hhelp eliminate the cultural pictures in our minds of building and church.

One thing I know, is that our Lord is building something spiritual, a spiritual habitation made of “living stones”. Perhaps, as Snyder, we should call it the community of the King or like Ern Baxter who often referred to it as the redeemed community. Most definitely what Jesus came to build is living and organic not a building or institution.

Whatever, I am thankful for those who despite being misunderstood, maligned and often rejected are willing to speak the truth in love and challenge us to stepoutside the box and consider the larger picture.

Well put. I’m so glad to hear someone willing to trust Jesus to build His ekklesia…his church – His whatever He wants it to be. I often get anxious when those who speak the truth about stale institutionalism then think it is necessary for them then present a model for correcting this error!?

I think when Jesus said “I will build church”…the emphasis was on I and MY…as opposed to “church”.
I rejoice when reading such “deconstructions” leaves someone gasping for breath..crying out “what now”. I fully believe that if we seek Him He will indeed build his called out ones and that which He builds will withstand even the gates of hell or perhaps kick them open!

There is only one pattern…it is not a house church…or a denominational church…or an intentional community” or even my experiences of “gathering”. The pattern IS Jesus Christ. Though this may not make sense to many, it sure makes sense to me.

Look at what the Lord has done in China and all over the world! We do not need a model of a new construction waht we need is one new man. If we just seek Him He will do the rest. It may not appear as antyhing we have ever seen…or anything we think is acceptable. However, neither did he to his contmporaries. So, we will be in good company. His company!

A few years ago, when I shared on a discussion group we share that I thought God might be calling me back into leadership at the Big(top) Church, Wayne had one simple reply: “I would be thrilled if you followed His leading there.”

For some reason we cannot explain, Father continues to involve us in this Over-organized Church, and continues to show His hand actively at work there. We are now, with the full blessings of the leadership, leading a Life Group centered around Jim Palmer’s “Divine Nobodies”. I have never seen the Lord bind hearts together so very quickly — and the miracles we have seen over the last six weeks in answered prayer and sharing of each others’ burdens has been nothing short of miraculous.

Thanks, Wayne, for your consistent encouragement to know the Shepherd’s Voice – and not just the voice of a house church guru : )

Jim Wehde
Spokane, Washington

I have been reaping tremendous benefit by your writings over the past year and I am just now finally taking the time to let you know it. (I have three children under the age of 2.5, thus the lack of time and functional brain cells contributes to the stalling of such a note!). My husband & I read “So You Don’t Want To Go To Church Anymore” and it was akin to meeting a perfect stranger who surprises you by perfectly understanding you, and spelling out your ‘issues’ better than you could yourself! Coming from a background of Christian everything (church, school, conservative 1-year Bible School, parents, extended family, etc.), my perspective started to shift in my mid-twenties and has only continued to change with the years. Of course, circumstances started the change, but there were several books that accompanied, including Dallas Willard’s “Divine Conspiracy” and then, more recently several of your books. And yet, books are only tools which God uses to repair the heart and renew the mind. I certainly have not ‘arrived’, but am simply grateful to be free from the obligation and expectations of ‘performance’ (which my personality played into oh too well). It’s not about Sunday or Saturday or Wednesday services (which we do not attend any…and I blame it on the babies to my questioning friends and family! What a wimp!), but rather about the transforming love of Father. That’s it.

Much love and thanks to you for living out His mission for you. It’s re-energized mine!

Warmly,
Jeane` (and Curtis) Miller
Reading, PA

We all need to pay attention to one another in this time of transition. There is certainly a holy wind of discontent blowing across Christendom and God knows it’s shredding the maps we’ve long held in our hands. Now we are like wilderness refugees looking at one another and asking, Um, what just happened? Which way do we go now?

Some of us, in my opinion, will be particularly good at explaining the What Just Happened part, or deconstruction. Others will be amazing at helping guide us through the wreckage and rebuild a house of faith that is free of beliefism and dogma.

Our significance as that raging beauty of Christ is always meant to be anchored in Who Jesus is and How he is to us. Our form may be in transition, but our identity never is.

at least that’s the way i see it…..

(h/t to http://www.erinword.com for pointing me here today……..)

A couple of conclusions. It was all I knew since 9 years old until late 40’s. I had long since lost the capacity to engage in normal, everyday life within my local community. Also, I think in a very real way, talking and singing about God was as good as it got. It was a close as I could get to what I understood as experiencing the presence of God and it was not enough.

Lately I have started to look at what opportunities that are in the community to connect with people. Not so much for the satisfaction of my own social, emotional and spiritual needs but in small ways on how to be a blessing to others. I’ve volunteered with an online telephone counseling service for folks experiencing difficulties and discovered that there are many people who are courageous, loving and compassionate who would not claim any affiliation with a Christian religious world view. This has been a real revelation to me.

As time has progressed and as I’m beginning to engage in a normal everyday life, many of the emotional drivers about satisfying my own needs and trying to construct an environment to satisfy those needs no longer apply. I keep coming back to a powerful statement from Jesus where he said that the message of the whole of the law and prophets could be encapsulated into loving God and loving others. For me, that is the face of reality at the moment. Extending kindness to others and reflecting upon the goodness of God in my own life experiences. Along with that change has come a profound silence and peacefulness.

Anyway, watching my friends get into an emotional frenzy expecting God to manifest Himself because they do certain rituals, sing in a certain fashion, beg, cry and plead just doesn’t sit well with me anymore. If I want to find Jesus anyplace outside of my own body, I don’t have to Conjure Up His Spirit through special incantations…He said we can be close to Him when we spend time with the homeless, the widows, the poor, the needy, the fatherless children, the naked and hungry.

I do enjoy spending time with others who profess Jesus, but a sunday morning ’service’ looking at the back of my brothers head isn’t fellowship for me, it usually ends up interupting my peace of mind and heart.