Saturday, March 6, 2010

Quotes to Ponder from Chicago PGF Conference

What do you think about these quotes from the Presbyterian Global Fellowship conference this weekend in Chicago with Alan Roxburgh? Which one's ring true and profound? Which ones do you disagree or struggle with? Which do you find prophetic?

"Starting with the question 'how do we get people into the church?' will never lead to a healthy body of Christ."

"We do not live in a world anymore in which people are going to 'come' to church. Most 'come' from other churches."

"We have to form a new way of life together based on the new thing God is doing in our neighborhoods."

"Don't write off old people! They can change. They are the hands and feet of Christ in the neighborhood."

"There are so many narratives in the world for people to choose from. The church is no longer the central narrative."

"We have created churches that are fundamentally atheist. We do not believe God's Spirit is among God's people."

"The only way to figure out what God is up to is to leave your baggage and become the stranger."

"We are in the dawn of a new day in the mainline church."

"The leaving of baggage means you become dependent on the hospitality of the other." (based on Luke 10:1-12)

"Believe that the Spirit of God is at work in your community, and then act on that belief."

"A new pastor bought a cemetery plot to prove he was there to live (and die) with the people."

"The church is changed not by structures, but by experiments around the edges that no one detects at first."

"Most leaders are chosen because they know the traditions, history, and customs. But they tend not to imagine."

"Forget Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Launch small experiments in your community."

What do you think? Please click "Comments" 6 to leave yours.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Pretty much agree with all of them. They tend to help me think more positively about the mainline church. That's pretty hard to do these days.

Unknown said...

I assume the conference was dealing primarily with established, mainline churches and their morphing into something new. The quote "Forget Big Hairy Audacious Goals. Launch small experiments in your community..." seems to reflect this. I know of churches with BHAGs that are still growing while mainline churches are contracting, so I'm not certain what he means. In the context of an older mainline church, I understand small experiments on the edge make sense. Sounds like he may have evolved since being at CHPC??