When church is in trouble

In Jesus Wants to Save Christians, the authors warn of some dangers

when a church is known for attracting one particular kind of demographic, like people of this particular age and education level, or that particular social class or personality type.

I was put off by that at first - having spent some time trying to boost young adult ministry. But it seems that's not what the authors were warning of.

They recognise value in being with people that you naturally resonate with, but "when sameness takes over" there is no listening to other perspectives - no stretching, no expanding or opening up.

The beautiful thing is to join with a church ... and find yourself looking around and thinking "What could this group of people possibly have in common?"

A church is where the two people groups with blue hair - young men and older women - sit together.

I can see where they're coming from. Apart from anything else, a one-demographic church sends a "you're not welcome here" message to other people. (As I've written about before.

Just this morning a friend describe the 'broad church' he's a part of - and how a wide variety of people form a supportive environment of people trying to follow God. It sounded great.

PS. This is Part 2 of my review of Jesus Wants to Save Christians, by Rob Bell and Don Golden.
See Part 1 - Why God hates church
Stay tuned (or subscribe to this blog) for Part 3.

Shared Books - Shared Blessings

Sharedbookshelves makes book sharing easy. It's a website, and phone app, that enables church members to list, share and borrow Christian books with one another.

How it works
As members add their individual books, a searchable online library is born. Church member Dan may be interested in reading a book by Shane Claibourne. Sharedbookshelves shows that Steve has a copy. Now Dan can borrow it from Steve next time they meet.
There are extra features to discover, but that's the basic concept.

There are so many good things about an idea like this.

It helps us grow in our Christian walk
Having accessible books means we are more likely to read them. We don't have to worry about the cost - or finding the time to get to a bookstore.

It shows great stewardship
Popular books can be bought by a few people and shared around church, rather than being bought by everyone and left on shelves to gather dust. Apart from financial savings (which could now be donated to mission) it also shows good environmental stewardship of resources, and helps us avoid too much consumerism.

It helps strengthen Christian community
Now there's something for Dan and Steve to talk about on Sunday after church. Typically it's "How's your week been?" "Fine, and you?" "Fine.". Now it can be a meaningful discussion of the chapter Dan's just finished reading.

Perhaps it's not surprising that the early believers shared their possessions. It was great then and it can be great now.