Coming From George Barna- Revolution
Got this awhile back from the House Church Blog excerpting from a new book by pollster George Barna. Barna has been hard on the established church the past few years, challenging the church to be more than another social institution. His words and work are based on polls he has taken over the years.

Well, I gather he has a new book coming called Revolution in which he has taken a look at the "sub-nation" of revolutionaries. Here, from the House Church Blog, some of the opening of the book:(Italics are mine)

As we journey together, I want to show you what our research has uncovered regarding a growing sub-nation of people, already well over 20 million strong, who are what we call Revolutionaries.

What "established systems" are they seeking to "overthow or repudiate" and "thoroughly replace," in Webster's words?

They have no use for churches that play religious games, whether those games are worship services that drone on without the presence of God or ministry programs that bear no spiritual fruit. Revolutionaries eschew ministries that compromise or soft sell our sinful nature to expand organizational turf. They refuse to follow people in ministry in leadership positions who cast a personal vision rather than God's, or who seek popularity rather than the proclamation of truth in their public statements, or who are more concerned about their own legacy than that of Jesus Christ. They refuse to donate one more dollar to man-made monuments that mark their own achievements and guarantee their place in history. They are unimpressed by accredited degrees and endowed chairs in Christian colleges and seminaries that produce young people incapable of defending the Bible or unwilling to devote their life to serving others. And Revolutionaries are embarrassed by language that promises Christian love and holiness but turns out to be all sizzle and no substance.

In fact, many Revolutionaries have been active in good churches that have biblical preaching, people coming to Christ and being baptized, a full roster of interesting classes and programs, and a congregation packed with nice people. There is nothing overtly wrong with anything taking place at such churches. But Revolutionaries innately realize that it is just not enough to go with the flow. The experience provided through their church, although better than average, still seems flat. They are seeking a faith experience that is more robust and awe-inspiring, a spiritual journey that prioritizes transformation at every turn, something worthy of the Creator whom their faith reflects...

Don't be surprised if those become "fighting words" that many a devoted Christian will take personally. Not such a bad idea, actually, if it causes us to stop and look at what we think church should be and then how we are supporting a vision oc church that doesn't do that.

But he gets even stronger:

Whereas "Christian community" has generally been limited to the relationships facilitated within a congregation, the Revolution is bursting open the walls of the worldwide Church to birth a truly international network of relationships...

The U.S. will see a reduction in the number of churches, as presently configured (i.e. congregational-formatted ministries). Church service attendance will drop... Donations to churches will drop... Churches' already limited political and cultural influence will diminish even further at the same time that Christians will exert greater influence through more disparate mechanisms. Fewer church programs will be sustained in favor of more communal experiences among Christians...

To some, this will sound like the Great Fall of the Church. To Revolutionaries, it will be the Great Reawakening of the Church. New scenarios do not mean mayhem and dissipation. In this case, they represent a new day in which the Church can truly be the Church--different than what we know today, but more responsive to and reflective of God.

I am not sure I would go as far as Barna does, but then I haven't read the book yet. I will agree that as it looks right now, the church as we have known it is in for some major changes. It better if it is to continue to be the Body of Christ. This may be the time of biggest challenge that the church has faced since the time around the Protestant Reformation, i.e. about 100 years or so on either side of Martin Luther.

I am not one who can predict the future nor have I been given any vision from God on this. I know in my soul that something needs to happen. I will wait to read more from Barna and continue to wrestle with where God wants me to work and what that vision is in His church.

But I do know that it can't be business as usual any longer!