The Question That Drives Us: What Does the Church of Today and the Future Need?
Felt needs are changes deemed necessary by people to correct the deficiencies they perceive in their community. To consider there is a need means there are flaws, frailty and failures; thus, there is room for growth, maturity and course correction where necessary.
The need: leaders who are disciples and sons first and foremost.
Discipleship fosters a dependency on Christ for direction and development; in turn, that leads to discipling of others in the words and ways of Jesus, creating an atmosphere of interdependence. Sonship becomes the revelation within those who been inspired, impacted, influenced and ultimately imparted by Holy Spirit: Christ in you the hope of glory. Romans 8:14, NIV: "For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God."
The church needs leaders within any given worship community who are allowed, encouraged, trained and empowered to hear from the Lord for a vision for impacting the world – outside of building driven practices – and given the authority and the power to do something with this vision.
These transformational leaders know how to train, develop and release everyday, normal, unpaid people into their Kingdom of God destiny and function. In other words, they demonstration the skill to reproduce and multiply leaders.
They are leaders who can lead by first making disciples themselves and by demonstrating a life of sonship.
This is where the church of the future lies.
My concern is that, in the culture of the spiritual genius with a thousand helpers, in the environment of the cult of personality and the focus of celebrity Christendom, the prevailing culture of the upkeep of the machine will keep us from the real task of true leadership development and release.
The church of the future and of the now must possess a full-life response-head, heart, and hands- to who I AM is, what I AM has done and will do through the image and likeness of God through discipleship leading to sonship.
What are your thoughts on what the church of the now and the next needs? Let's create the future together.
#changearchitect #christianity #church #itspatrickbrown #changematters #realchangematters