growth - part 1 in what makes you grow

I am a pastor that is a little cynical of church. Is that possible? YES!

You see I am not skeptical of what it can do and how awesome it can be. I have just become cynical of what it has become in many cases. I think it was Erwin McManus or Louie Giglio that said that the greatest danger to the movement of Jesus Christ is modern Christianity. Whoever said it, I think that they are on to something.

This blog is not intended to give you a reason to not go to church. That is not the answer. That is like saying that in those third world countries where the water is contaminate, the solution is that everyone stop drinking. No, the solution is to get better water.

This blog is intended to challenge you to demand more from your church. Not to demand more programing but to demand them to challenge you and equip you to grow. We have turned church into a club that you come to and that is really all your are responsible to do...just show up.

The idea is that if you just show up then we (the church) will grow you. It doesn't work that way. That is like saying just show up to your gym and the staff there will make you fit. No, it is up to you to take ownership of your physical development, get in there, and do the hard work of getting fit. If you are going to have forward movement in your relationship with Christ, you can not give ownership of your growth to your church or anyone else. It doesn't work that way.

To grow you have to take ownership of your growth. With that said, it is important to understand that growth comes primarily from five avenues. They are:

Unpredictable circumstances
Challenging relationships
Relevant teaching
Living beyond yourself
Personal pursuit

I will define these in my next blog.