It’s Saturday which means by amazing logic tomorrow is Sunday! Sunday is when most ‘church’ happens in Australia and here are some facts about it all.
• Tens of thousands of Christians will be happily filing into their church buildings for ‘worship’ although Amos 5:21-24 might sometimes cast just a little doubt on the unreflected use of the ‘Worship’ word?
• Year on year there are less ‘Newcomers’ (Unchurched and de-churched) in Sunday congregations. In fact, in an increasing number of congregations ‘Newcomers’ are a rarity. Churches are either in slow decline, going out backwards, or somewhere in between.
• As a result of large and ongoing sociological (work, rest and play) changes in our culture a growing proportion of society couldn’t attend a church service on a Sunday even if they wanted to (which they largely don’t) and this won’t stop.
• But we keep on putting all our eggs in the Sunday basket!
• The vast majority of resources (90%) continue to be put into maintaining our least (Kingdom) profitable product- the Sunday-centric church. Thinks? What would happen to any business that operated like that?
• Huge resources, new sites, buildings etc. are put into establishing more 20th century type large church facilities that we know do not work in terms of engaging the community for, and winning people for Christ.
• Much resource continues to be invested in training church leaders to perform a job that is no longer appropriate for mission. Little resource is put into new forms of mission and preparing the type of leaders required for it.
Sure is strange!!
unbounded church 