Started A Great Book This Week...

called "No Perfect People Allowed: Creating a Come As You Are Culture In The Church" by John Burke. So far, it's a great, great book. Especially because it hits right where Southwest Church is striving to be: a church that reaches unchurched people. Here are a couple of quotes from the first couple of chapters that hit me right between the eyes:

- "As Christians in a post-Christian society, our job is to become cultural farmers. Church leaders, ministry leaders, and small group leaders must come to trust the God who is already at work all around us, making things grow. Our responsibility is not to make people grow or change. Our task is to create the right soil, a rich healthy environment, in which people can grow up in faith until the invisible God is made visible through His Body, the Church." (page 22)

- "During the first two years of Gateway's existence, I consistently was asked two questions by spiritual seekers more than any other questions: 'What do you think of other religions?' and 'How do you feel about gay people?' I've discovered the real question they are asking is: 'Are you one of those narrow-minded, bigoted, hate-filled, intolerant types of Christians I've heard about?' What they really want to know is whether we promote love or hatred." (page 39)

- "I find our generation incredibly open to spiritual truth and dialogue, but they have grown up in a world of competing beliefs. People just check out when they feel that Christians are arrogant and unwilling to consider the "truth" claims of others as well. But they are very open to hearing expressions of truth and stories illustrating why God's words are true. They long to experience something firm and solid that "feels" true. They don't resist truth; they resist arrogance. But there is a humble way to express truth..." (page 42)

- "Generally, emerging generations do not ask, 'What is true?' They are primarily asking, 'Do I want to be like you?' In other words, they see truth as relational. 'If I want to be like you, then I want to consider what you believe. If I don't see anything real or attractive in you or your friends as Christ-followers, I don't care how 'true' you think it is, I'm not interested.'" (page 42)

- "Broken people are wounded people. Like abused puppies, they often run from those attempting to help them. Leaders must create a safe climate, so the healing work of God can begin in their lives. It will take patience and time. People will come and go, walking toward the light of freedom, then plunging back into darkness. But they must see the church as a lighthouse; always there to lead them into the safe harbor of God's grace." (page 44)

- "Emerging generations, like never before, crave this sense of community inside a spiritual family. If they don't experience hope for authentic relational support, I don't care how hip the service, or how rippin' the music, or how vintage the bive...they won't stick. The challenge for leaders is first learn how to live in community with others, and then to provide ways to ensure that nobody stands alone." (page 46)

- "But how many people outside the family of faith never feel safe enough to even come close? How many people have the stereotype that Christians "love" them only if we sense we can get them to be like us or believe what we believe? Is that what it means to be like the Father, who loves even those who are his enemies and seeks to do good toward them? How do we engage and convince the world that the reason to believe is not to avoid hell but to know the love of a Father, a love that transcends all cultures and all hostilities?" (page 52)

This book is great so far. I can tell this is one I will be rereading immediately after I finish it.