vision hijacking... whoops- there it goes!

I was talking with a colleague the other day. We were discussing challenges faced in churches today, and brainstorming the most effective way to reach today's culture- is it possible to transition a portion of an existing church to become fluent in the language and practice of current culture in order to reach people of that culture, or is the only means of accomplishing the goal to plant a brand new church with the DNA of that culture you're trying to reach? The discussion is not merely academic; it is essential if the church is not to lose an entire generation.

As the dialogue continued, my colleague reminded me of the danger of "vision hijacking", where a church (built on specific beliefs and practices) accepts so many new members with eclectic experiences that suddenly the original vision and purpose are "hijacked" (either innocently or malevolently) by the new majority, and the church becomes something different than it was originally intended to be.

Hmmmmm....

I think back to Matthew 16:18-19 when Jesus commissioned the church. It was to be a bold entity on the offensive against the kingdom of darkness. I look at Acts 2 as it recounts the birth of the church at Pentecost, and see it putting into practice the calling given it by Jesus.

And then I look at so many churches today. WE have hijacked Jesus' vision! We've taken a Body that was created to risk everything as it drew it's power from Christ, and removed the risk and worked to make it safe. we've built large savings accounts for those "rainy days" and tempered our decisions by the filter of "what makes everyone happy". We've chosen our own comfort over a passion for those without Jesus. The vision has indeed been hijacked, and the result is a church sustained by its own ever-weakening power. Why has the church lost its power? What is stifling its growth? As Pogo said, "We have met the enemy, and he is us!"

For an examination of what the church originally was, check this link.