"Why are so many people leaving City New Life...?"

The question I was asked on Sunday morning as I was talking to an old friend in a shop in town.

"Why are so many people leaving City New Life...?"

I was shoe shopping with Kate, (Kate was actually shopping, I was just tagging along...) the girl behind the counter was asking the question because she had seen so many people leave Majestic over the years and was curious to what I thought.

I shared that possibly one of the reasons I believed people were leaving Majestic was because the church's ethos and vision was not compatible with that which Jesus shared during his ministry 2000 years ago.

She also shared that because she worked in a quite fashionable shoe shop, she was able to purchase shoes for half the retail value, meaning she had over 40 pairs of shoes. Most of which would have been over $100 each.

I thought about this question a little more when I got home, and I wondered how she would have felt if I challenged her on how many shoes she owned and could she justify them in the face of the thousands of local children who go to school each day without breakfast and lunches. (And even shoes...)

The reason I thought that question was probably a challenging one was because in an Image and Luxury styled church, sacrificing some of the more pleasurable things in life for the needs of the poor and vulnerable, to meet real and practical needs was not a high priority. The issue of social justice was further down the priority list that the attraction and promises and indulgences offered from the core values of the church itself.

Challenge:

How do I stop myself falling into the same trap?
How do I lead NABC away from the same trap?

Blaa blaa blaa...

First post in 3 months... What did you expect...