Chuck Gaines-November 17, 2008-
"Doing Life Together" is code for church. Church planters love this phrase - it signifies that something different is happening that is missing from inherited churches. That may or may not be true. However, church was real on Sunday and it was not - but yet it was. Let me explain.
I attended a "Transition Celebration" for The Next Door - a ministry that invests in the lives of women who have paid their debt to society, but need help moving through the next door of their lives. Five women "graduated" from the program and are moving through the door for life's next phase - working hard, living independently, and staying clean. That equals changed lives and I was moved not only with emotion, but with spiritual pride that I was seeing the results of "doing life together." It wasn't the church as we usually identify it - but it was more church than most have ever seen in a lifetime!
I have a great respect and admiration for all the leaders at The Next Door - that includes my wife. She doesn't work directly with the women, but she works diligently with others to keep the organizational doors open and the elevators running smoothly. Thanks to all the ladies - and thank you, God, for allowing The Next Door to "do life together" - I know it brought a tear to your eyes, too.
Chuck Gaines-November 6, 2008-
The proverb "History repeats itself" is a truism only if one lives long enough. The same applies to "Birthdays will kill you if you have enough of them." I think 2008 is deja vous all over again. Let me ramble . . .
In the 1970s Christian conservatives were turning back flips when Jimmy Carter was elected President. The gymnastics stopped with double-digit inflation. In the 1980s Ronald Reagan won the hearts of the majority by offering hope in trickle-down economics. It was a trickle and hope was short lived. The 1990s began with a white-water splash soaking America with "It's the economy, stupid" only to dash false hopes again by colliding with junk bonds and cigars. The 2000s were ripe for a needed change until 9/11 attackers flew into the heart of America - now nothing is the same.
As the 2010s rapidly approach I am wondering, "Are we going back to the future or forward to the past?" A new leader will offer a change - a new start - maybe; but history will likely repeat itself unless we have enough birthdays or we allow the only Change Master to lead. Our country's past was marked with hopes - at times focused on Christ, but new hopes inevitably will dwindle back to economic indicators, daily ticker tapes, and consumerism.
I will keep praying for His Spirit to run wild in His churches. I pray we go back to the future - to that Upper Room where the church received her power and mission. I need the new start. I must go forward to His future. I believe His church must do the same or history will continue to repeat itself and we will run out of birthdays.
Chuck Gaines-August 18, 2008-
On a recent trip to Arizona I caught an Interstate 10 glimpse of an airplane graveyard - more commonly known as "The Boneyard" at the Pima Air and Space Museum. This is a large facility in the southwestern desert where planes are stored until someone figures out what to do with them. Joe Zentner of DesertUSA reports that the planes are divided into four categories:
- Category 1000 planes are preserved with an eye toward possibly flying again, should international political conditions warrant.
- Category 2000 planes are maintained for spare parts. Some parts from older aircraft, are available nowhere else.
- Category 3000 planes are kept in near ready-to-fly condition, awaiting a more-than-likely new deployment.
- Category 4000 planes are destined for "static display" in museums, town squares or Air Force base entrances. Most, however, will be sold as scrap metal, eventually finding new life as razor blades, soft drink cans or car fenders.
Certain images always take me to church planting - and this was one of them! After reading the article on boneyard classification I thought about a church boneyard and could there be a classification?
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Category 1000 = for transitioning churches because communities are changing and the churches might change - one day
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Category 2000 = for maintenance churches because they show some signs of life and usefulness while looking for a young pastor who will bring in more young people
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Category 3000 = for churches with a vision to relocate - to go where "our kind of people are"
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Category 4000 = for dying churches because their cemetery grew larger than their parking lot
I'm wondering if America will have a church boneyard soon? I'm wondering just how long does it take to grow one?
