Experiments!

Experiments – they can fascinate us, disappoint us, and either provide great new insights or prove to be dangerous! But what a different world ours would be were it not for the willingness of all sorts of people to experiment.

That being said, may I take a moment of your time to tell you about what I sometimes refer to as “the Newnan experiment?”

Starting on the first Sunday of 2013 – January 6 at 10:00 a.m. to be precise – a “community of faith” will begin meeting at the Newnan Community Theater (24 First Avenue, Newnan) for worship, fellowship, and prayer. We’ve chosen to describe ourselves with this idea: Grace: A Community of Faith. I’d like to call it “a kingdom outpost” (the phrase I use to describe the church and its ministries) but in our culture, that phase would not likely be understood in the way I mean it – so we are, simply put, a community of faith characterized by grace.

About five years ago, I read a phrase from Reggie McNeil that continues to haunt me. In his book, Missional Renaissance, he describes the church in western culture as “on life support.” That’s a bit frightening for one who has spent his entire adult life either preaching in a local church or helping to educate young believers in a Christian educational setting. To make matters more compelling, the Pew Research  Group (Pew 2012) says that 34% of our youngest adults (18-22 year olds) say they have no interest in religion at all. Then there is the Barna Group (Barna 2011) telling us that 84% of Christians 18-29 years old admit that they have no idea how the Bible applies to their field of professional interests. 

What I believe to be true is that the research being done by people like Reggie McNeil, Dave Kinnamon, Gabe Lyons, and others should get the attention of people like me. My conversations with a lot of 18-29 year olds sounds a lot like Kinnamon’s statistics. And, to add but another layer of concern, I’ve discovered that you don’t have to be 18-29 years old to feel some of those same frustrations.

Before anyone reminds me, I know there are some notable exceptions when it comes to whether or not the church can attract 18-29 year olds. The Georgia Dome is currently filled with young adults who are in love with Jesus and have made the Passion Conference a “must go” event. There are also some impressive churches in the Atlanta area – where young adults are involved. There isn’t one bone in my body that thinks those mega-churches are bad or not worthwhile. But not every young adult has access to those kinds of ministries or is even comfortable in those kinds of ministries. And, if the answer to our culture’s need for “renewal and restoration” could be accomplished by a few great mega-churches scattered about over town, then why does today’s AJC read like it does?

At some level, experiments seek to discover new ways to make “two plus two equal four.” This particular experiment is designed, at some level, to see if there is a way to help young adults (and any others, there is no age limit!) feel better about the idea of “church” and to discover that the Jesus story actually does apply to their place in life – regardless of what that place might be. Hopefully the product will be either a level of engagement in the kingdom of God that is new, or a re-engagement in the kingdom of God that is refreshing!

As a community of faith characterized by grace, we recognize that we meet together as sinners who desire the power of the gospel to make us into what God has called us to be – which means we have in common with every human alive the fact that we are sinners. Grace implies that you come to Jesus for cleansing, not that you clean your act up and then come to Jesus. For some, the cleaning thing happens pretty easily – but for others, it is a long-term project. Whichever the case – grace continues its pursuit of us and communities of faith who allow the gospel to set the agenda, never quit pursuing either.

For decades, “church” as we know it was able to make “two plus two equal four” for lots and lots of us in our culture. But that may not be true any longer for young adults, and quite a few older adults who have simply drifted away from any meaningful relationship with Jesus that leads to redeeming and restoring the world. 

Experiments are just that – experiments. There is no guarantee at the end that the desired result will be achieved. But one thing for sure can be known – unless you experiment, you never know whether the idea works. 

On our first Sunday together, worship will focus on the idea that the church, as the body of Christ, should view itself as incarnational – and we are called “to be Jesus to the world.” From there we will look at ourselves as peacemaking people who have discovered meaning to life that transcends all of the issues that surround us daily. On the last Sunday of January, after a brief worship time – we will go out and find a place to be peacemaking servants of Christ. 

But, it is simply an experiment – one I hope and pray (and have been hoping and praying for a long time) will work. My prayer is that it will become a kind of “kingdom outpost” that will help expand the kingdom of God in a way that renews and restores the world in which we have been called to live!

If you’re not currently engaged in a meaningful way in the life of God’s church – we would love to have you visit with us this Sunday.