spirited exchanges and churchless faith 5 years on

had a fab time at lunch today with alan jamieson presenting at cms on churchless faith and giving an insight into his latest research which is in a book published already in new zealand and being published in the uk in august. in it he basically follows up the church leavers whose stories are told in churchless faith.

it was also good to be able to tell people about spirited exchanges uk - based on the inspiration of alan and jenny's work in new zealand we have been quietly setting this up in the uk. if you are interested in finding out what's happening or want to connect with other people in your area go and sign up on the e-mail list. greenbelt this year will be a good place to touch base in more detail with what's happening.

we recorded the session today which will be added to the seuk web site or somewhere so if you missed it you can find out more. i'll let you know when it's up.

[update - you can download it here (13mb) ]

Comments

[Paul Fromont]

Malcolm Chamberlain has a link

[shannon]

Why are there so many books and conferences and websites about church and what church is? I don't get it. Seems like it's snagging us and catching us and keeping us in this place. I mean, I just read about a five year study on church in the UK and the USA. If we just listen to Jesus and follow Him, do we really need all of this research? Seems like it's coming out of the old... but not into more freedom. Just what we think is freedom when really, we're just still in bondage -- or if not bondage -- just not as free as we could be.

Help?

[ros]

I know sometimes we feel like we don't need church- but isn't church more than the old brick building we think we've been told we have to go to on a Sunday?

Sometimes, I wonder about those people who see things differently- who have spent years worshipping God in this community, who have loved, and given, and sacrificed, and won and lost here, who pray day in day out for the church... Or the people who are younger than me who have grown up with this church family- or those who've perhaps just stumbled across it recently- who all play a part, and love the church for all it's wonderful, odd, boring, unfathomable, amazing, loving quirks and idiosyncracies...

Do you think we might need them? Do you think they might need us? If we leave, are we deprived, or are we depriving others - of the many skills, gifts, different facets of God's family?

Would I be happier back in a church with people like me, who like the things I like, who challenge me in ways I like to be challenegd, on things I like to be challenged about?

Maybe.
Is it the body of Christ?

Maybe- I just don't know- I'm no expert- I've not read the books on this stuff, but I'm just mulling things over... :-)

[Shannon]

Just wondering if anyone was going to attempt to answer my earlier question?

Thanks,
Shannon

[karen]

I just read 'Churchless Faith' by Alan Jamison and it was a life saver for my faith in Jesus.
I've attended a mega church for eight years that is run by an authoritian leadership. I continued going even though my soul, mind and heart was nudgeing me to realize that it was churchanity. It was so focused on getting people to fill their seats that it didn't take into account that they were really inticing the children from a local christian school to "get" their parents into their church. Many faithful churches in the area have been hurt both finacially and spiritually by their slick tactics. This whole experience has taught me to watch out for conformity in church. God will lead you in the way you should go, but we have to ask and be willing to step out of the norm or the thought "look how many people go here, it can't be toxic." I beleive that every believer in Christ should read this book and get back to Christianity, not Churchanity.