{"id":347,"date":"2011-08-26T14:38:43","date_gmt":"2011-08-26T14:38:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/preacherskid\/?p=347"},"modified":"2011-08-29T01:37:42","modified_gmt":"2011-08-29T01:37:42","slug":"taking-the-gospel-out-of-the-pews-into-a-hurting-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/preacherskid\/2011\/08\/taking-the-gospel-out-of-the-pews-into-a-hurting-world.html","title":{"rendered":"Taking the gospel out of the pews, into a hurting world"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Call to a gospel without borders<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a recent blog<\/a><\/em>, I wrote about how Christians are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with traditional church \u2013 the big buildings; the pews; the three songs, an offering and sermon routines so long the fabric of Sunday worship.<\/p>\n

Underlying this disconnect with the superficial glad-handing and shallow Sunday-go-to-meeting \u201cfriendships\u201d of a typical congregation, believers want something more . . . real.<\/em> In short, in increasing numbers, those who call themselves Christians want to do more than belong to the church club; they truly want to be \u201cChrist-like.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

I wrote about alternatives believers are trying, from Internet-based worship and fellowship to small \u201chouse churches\u201d — more intimate gatherings reminiscent of the 1st<\/sup> Century Christian movement that thrived in private homes, hidden groves, grottos and catacombs during waves of deadly persecution.<\/p>\n

Somehow, ironically, Christians were truly more \u201cChrist-like\u201d when they face imprisonment or even death \u2013 as believers do today in many countries where they run afoul of non-Christian rival majority religions, or in China, where the Communist Party still considers Christianity to be counter-revolutionary.<\/p>\n

In America, we still enjoy freedom to practice (or ignore) religion unfettered by government restrictions. Yet, our churches \u2013 if the polls can be accepted at face value \u2013 are generally in decline. There seems to be no doubt that the American Christian community is in dire need of diversification and a fresh vision \u2013 several of them, perhaps<\/em> \u2013 if it is to regain relevance.<\/p>\n

Let me share a couple examples, then, of movements and organizations trying to return Christians to their primary, foundational principles \u2013 and in the process take the gospel of love out of the sanctuaries of our plush, comfortable churches and into the real, hurting world. (Periodically, I plan to showcase more of these).<\/p>\n

Consider an Arizona border ministry called No More Deaths<\/em><\/a>, for one. While so many conservative, fundamentalist Christians have become embroiled in the debate over immigration reform \u2013 and more than a few \u201cChristians\u201d vocal to a point that passes arguments for law and order to become outright hatred of undocumented workers in the United States \u2013 No More Deaths<\/em> is focusing on a very human crisis played out regularly in the deserts along our southern borders.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
No More Deaths volunteers at border<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is estimated that in the last 10 years alone, 5,000 people \u2013 men, women and children \u2013 have died trying to cross the Sonoran Desert after running out of water and food. Often, they have spent their last pesos to latch on with a \u201ccoyote,<\/em>\u201d a guide-for-hire who abandons them far from shelter.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>No More Deaths<\/em> is not debating the need for legal immigration. What it \u00a0is doing is what Jesus would do: offering that cup of cold water, both proverbially and literally; feeding the hungry ; and healing the sick and destitute.<\/p>\n

After all, Christ’s Good Samaritan<\/em> <\/a>didn’t question why or how the man he found robbed and beaten nearly to death on the roadside had come to be there; he offered the help that others were too self-righteous to give.<\/em><\/p>\n

So the volunteers with No More Deaths<\/em> walk the same remote, desert trails where so many immigrants stagger toward their American Dream. They aren’t judging them for taking a path so many millions have taken before them, lured by corporate employers who turn a blind eye to the law in order to hire cheap labor.<\/p>\n

Instead, No More Deaths<\/em> ministers look for the dead or those near-death, rendering aid where they can \u2013 and peace of mind and closure for the families of those they find too late.<\/p>\n

While No More Deaths<\/em> also has allied itself with causes that may appear more questionable to some Christians (such as sponsoring participants in the so-called \u201cfreedom flotillas\u201d<\/a><\/em> to the Hamas<\/a><\/em>-ruled Gaza Strip, aid shipments seen by some as a tool of anti-Israeli groups) the ministry’s work in the Southwestern deserts saves lives<\/em>, and its advocacy on behalf of undocumented immigrants in danger of being deported into the arms of Mexican drug cartels is just plain compassionate.<\/em><\/p>\n

There are many other efforts by Christians inspired to share the hope of the gospel not only by inviting people into their churches, but putting their spiritual truths into vessels of practicality. One of them is the Rev. Joel Holm’s\u00a0PathFinders International,<\/a><\/em> a decade-old ministry that tries to show Christians worldwide how to stretch beyond the church\u2019s front doors and into their communities.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Holm<\/a><\/em> has advised congregations as varied as U.S. megachurches like Rick Warren\u2019s Saddleback Church<\/em><\/a> and Bill Hybels\u2019 Willow Creek Community Church<\/a><\/em> to tiny, underground churches meeting under threat of imprisonment and death around the world. Through a combination of church-to-church partnerships and cooperation between Christians and leaders in government and business, effective, common ground is found for educational, healthcare and job-training outreach, Holm helps facilitate efforts that build families, communities . . . and faith.<\/p>\n

Christians are taught to be \u201csalt and light\u201d<\/a><\/em> in the world. Through such ministries, they are finding those commissions include both spiritual and<\/em> practical applications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In a recent blog, I wrote about how Christians are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with traditional church \u2013 the big buildings; the pews; the three songs, an offering and sermon routines so long the fabric of Sunday worship. Underlying this disconnect with the superficial glad-handing and shallow Sunday-go-to-meeting \u201cfriendships\u201d of a typical congregation, believers want something…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":432,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[148,84,14,128,8,70,223,83,7,239,1,238],"tags":[278,280,279,282,276,281,275,277,273,283,274],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-christ","category-ethics","category-evangelical","category-faith","category-healing","category-health","category-jesus","category-pop","category-self-esteem","category-uncategorized","category-unemployment","tag-bill-hybels","tag-freedom-flotilla","tag-hamas","tag-immigration","tag-joel-holm","tag-no-more-deaths","tag-pathfinders","tag-rick-warren","tag-saddleback","tag-samaritan","tag-willow-creek"],"yoast_head":"\nTaking the gospel out of the pews, into a hurting world - Preacher\u2019s Kid: Honest Faith, Real World<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/preacherskid\/2011\/08\/taking-the-gospel-out-of-the-pews-into-a-hurting-world.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Taking the gospel out of the pews, into a hurting world - Preacher\u2019s Kid: Honest Faith, Real World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In a recent blog, I wrote about how Christians are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with traditional church \u2013 the big buildings; the pews; the three songs, an offering and sermon routines so long the fabric of Sunday worship. Underlying this disconnect with the superficial glad-handing and shallow Sunday-go-to-meeting \u201cfriendships\u201d of a typical congregation, believers want something…\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/preacherskid\/2011\/08\/taking-the-gospel-out-of-the-pews-into-a-hurting-world.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Preacher\u2019s Kid: Honest Faith, Real World\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2011-08-26T14:38:43+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2011-08-29T01:37:42+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/preacherskid\/files\/2011\/08\/HelpingHands-300x198.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"remims\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Taking the gospel out of the pews, into a hurting world - Preacher\u2019s Kid: Honest Faith, Real World","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/preacherskid\/2011\/08\/taking-the-gospel-out-of-the-pews-into-a-hurting-world.html","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Taking the gospel out of the pews, into a hurting world - Preacher\u2019s Kid: Honest Faith, Real World","og_description":"In a recent blog, I wrote about how Christians are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with traditional church \u2013 the big buildings; the pews; the three songs, an offering and sermon routines so long the fabric of Sunday worship. 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