Unlearning Church, Chapter One

Back to my notes on Unlearning Church by Mike Slaughter, the pastor of Ginghamsburg Church in Tipp City, OH.

CHAPTER ONE - BORN TO BE WILD

- "Church growth" was the mantra of the 1980s and 1990s.

- To move forward I have had to unlearn the megachurch and CEO model.

- A one-size-fits-all approach toward growth will definitely not be the most effective model of the 21st century.

- If the emerging church is recognized and valued for anything, it's for a highly effective, indigenous carrying out of the mission of Jesus Christ.

- Anybody God uses to accomplish a miraculous purpose takes risks and dreams out of this intuitive voice of the Spirit that calls within.

- Peter did the impossible (walked on water) because he responded to the voice of Jesus instead of listening to the storms and fears of others.

- If God could speak through Balaam's ass, God can also speak through me.

- Jesus' followers had been with him for three years. Didn't they learn enough about Jesus by watching and copying his work? Jesus claimed that information and imitation aren't enough.

- LIVING FOR GOD IS NOT IMITATION, IT INVOLVES CRUCIFIXION.

- I want to invest my life in those who want to pursue radical Christianity.

- Jesus calls us to self-expenditure, not self-infatuation.

- I don't want to lead a megachurch of people who come together to be inspired to live status-quo lives peppered with Judeo-Christian values. I want to empower radical followers of Jesus.

- My continued quest is to stay focused on the horizon, watching where God is moving. I want to see where God is taking the church next.

- God intends for churches to move much less predictably than most usually do.

- Your church may become hard to label, just as fire from heaven is hard to fit into a box.