Who Stole My Church

A great book by Gordon MacDonald called Who Stole My Church chronicles the journey of a small group of people in a church facing change that threatens the intergenerational peace of the congregation. It speaks about the changes that happen overtime as new Christians begin following Jesus in new ways and how churches can seek to keep the mission of God centre of how they operate.

I am constantly amazed at two things within the church world.
 
Firstly, I am amazed (in awe) at the willingness for some to change and adapt so that a new group of people can come to meet Jesus. They will change style, song choice, décor, service times, and spend money on things that no other church is, all so that people who don’t yet know Jesus have a chance of becoming Jesus followers. They are exciting spaces that can exist within a church or come to characterise an entire church.
 
And secondly, I am amazed (baffled) at the unwillingness of others to move in the direction of those that need to meet Jesus, at times in the name of ‘keeping the gospel centre’. What these groups tend to do is create a theology of why their worship style, décor choices, and service times, are the way that churches should operate. They are tiring places where the spiritual gift of endurance at all costs is required, and they always exist at the expense of the next generation. Eventually people in these environments grow bitter and get angry that the next generation does not care about Jesus. (They do, just not your version of Jesus.)
 
As I read Who Stole My Church it was a great reminder of the grief that we all feel when what worked in changing our lives need to be adjusted or amended going forward. It leads us into unfamiliar territory and it is territory that, if we are concerned about the wrong things, will deal blows to our faith.
 
So how do we navigate our changing world and come out the other side healthy? Here are some quick thoughts:
 

1. Stay grounded… to what keeps your faith strong. Read the bible, pray, sing songs, walk in nature, think deeply, give generously, serve widely. Practice the ways of Jesus in your daily life and do not rely on church to meet your deep faith needs, that is Gods work.
2. Stay connected… to a consistent group of people. You need to know and be known for your faith to be supported because to grow spiritually you needs to be connected relationally. So, journey with a consistent group of people at all times.
3. Stay open… to what could work and being wrong. You can never make decisions knowing all the facts until it is to late. Analysis paralysis is a real thing, and churches that get stuck needing to get all the information before they make decisions make few mistakes but also little impact.
4. Stay concerned… about the right thing. What truly matters in this life is concerning ourselves with Jesus’ great commandment (love God with all of who we are) and his great commission (as you go make disciples). All change in light of our command and commission find their peaceful resolution. 

Author

Josh has been on staff at Lesmurdie Baptist Church since 2018. He is married to Marnel and they have 4 children together - Azaliah, Ezra, Zoelle, and Zion. What drives Josh is seeing people put their faith into action so Jesus can change lives in the here and now.