IF I STARTED A CHURCH

I look at churches in my area. I think of the church of which I am a member. I am an observer and advocate for church planters. I wonder if I were involved in a church plant, what kind of church would I seek to build.  Based upon my observations and my personal preferences it would predictably be something dissimilar to what is. I would want to rediscover the New Testament church. But that may be a crazy aspiration, hazardous to my health. The first two AD centuries were not superlative times for planting Christian communities. There was an ISIS-like disposition in Palestine, Asia Minor, and Rome. And I have become a chicken, a tired one at that.

Am I dissatisfied with my church, or other churches that I watch? No, that's not it. And anyway, I am past my three score and ten so why should I be concerned and why should anyone pay attention to me?  Understand that I pastored churches and gave executive leadership within a denomination of churches for over 40 years. I'm not a novice. I am not a complainant. I am an enthusiast for what Jesus began. I love Christ's Church.

If I was still pastoring, I wouldn't be able to change much, and I wouldn't dare to make the statements I am now making. In fact, I have found a stunning metaphor in foods, nutrition and eating habits. Warning: the following information may be dangerous to your peace of mind and your impression of me.

We raise foods differently and we eat very differently than we did 100 years ago. We also do church differently and make Christians differently than we did in century one.  The nutrient density of food has declined 40-60% over the past 100 years. Our food today typically has 50% fewer nutrients compared to the food that our grandparents ate.  I cannot make a comparative parallel with any accuracy. I can only ask myself the questions. What is the spiritual nutritional density of the musical, lyrical and educational components within typical church today? I am dissatisfied with results of my own assessment. If I were involved in starting a church I would want to concentrate on that answer. There’s more, maybe tomorrow ...