Here's the deal. I love to fish. I have ADD. So I only love to fish, when I'm catching fish. If I'm out there for 30 minutes and haven't gotten a bite- I'm done. I could be doing so many other things with my time that would be more productive, and fun. In ministry, I'm the same way. I move quickly. I like results. Yeah I know that God is in control of everything I do, but I am a firm believer that when we use His wisdom in what we do that we can have better results in everything we do. Like fishing. I can go to Jordan Lake and sit in a boat trying different baits, hoping one works or I can go to a fish hatchery and drop a line in one of those ginormous tanks with millions of densely populated fish. Which one would be more fun? Oh yeah- you know if you had the chance, you would be right in the middle of that hatchery!
Many churches across America preach the gospel. Many are communicating great truths and are passionate about reaching people who do not follow Jesus. They want to "catch fish". After all, Jesus said He would make us 'fishers of men'. The problem? We assume we are 'fishing' where there are fish. We put on our religion, go to a building that we call church, do a bunch of ritualistic stuff and assume 'Lost' people are going to come.
I don't think so. I decided to follow Jesus 30 years ago and I grew to hate the church. Not 'His church' but religious church. The constant condemnation, the rules, the jockeying for position, the "what about me- I need to be fed!" That stuff makes me want to puke!
We do alot of crazy stuff at BCC. Yeah it's marketing. BCC is talked about all over our city. We are called a cult, crazy, church where the sinners go, rock 'n roll church, you name it. The truth is, we want people who do not follow Jesus to come in the doors. We have the greatest message ever given. Jesus lives- and He died so that we can live, too. When we take out the religious obstacles that exist in church, people 'get it' and they want it. BCC is going through the largest growth rate in the history of the church. Stories of lifechange are everywhere. 42 people have made decisions to follow Christ this year. So what's the next step? When someone makes that decision- Is it all over? Is that the end? What about all of the "old timers"?
I'm so glad you asked-I'm going to answer that in the next post.