hey this is my first time ever to this site. i just read this topic and loved some of the ideas. the vision of some of the people here is refreshing and i think it has potential.
the church i’m in now started out as being modeled after L’abri to some extent. it had a printing press, candle shop, and accommodations on it’s land (called the Farm), as well as a deli it ran in the community. it was mostly college students and some older “adults” who ran it all, fostering Christian growth and reaching out into the outside world with results.
looking at the church now, you can’t really tell it’s roots. it’s like a lot of other churches are now. 5 elders do most of the work for the couple hundred people that show up Sunday morning as consumers. it’s sad for me at least to see the loss of community and “Bodiness”, but lately i’ve been wondering how practical and possible it is to maintain that type of communal interaction in today’s world (and i mean in more than just living together, but actually Living together). in seeing the progression of how my church changed, the only explanation seems to be that the “kids” “grew up.” they got married, had kids, and had to find REAL jobs to support themselves. the time they had to dedicate to the community and to their spiritual brothers and sisters diminished until it was all they could spare to make it to church for a couple hours twice a week.
i’m just wondering how the ideas people you guys have can continue past the age of 35. idealistically, i wish it could work out. we see in Acts that the early church managed. these days, however, it just… doesn’t seem to work.
ryanweb
Apr 24 2003
11:44 am
hey this is my first time ever to this site. i just read this topic and loved some of the ideas. the vision of some of the people here is refreshing and i think it has potential.
the church i’m in now started out as being modeled after L’abri to some extent. it had a printing press, candle shop, and accommodations on it’s land (called the Farm), as well as a deli it ran in the community. it was mostly college students and some older “adults” who ran it all, fostering Christian growth and reaching out into the outside world with results.
looking at the church now, you can’t really tell it’s roots. it’s like a lot of other churches are now. 5 elders do most of the work for the couple hundred people that show up Sunday morning as consumers. it’s sad for me at least to see the loss of community and “Bodiness”, but lately i’ve been wondering how practical and possible it is to maintain that type of communal interaction in today’s world (and i mean in more than just living together, but actually Living together). in seeing the progression of how my church changed, the only explanation seems to be that the “kids” “grew up.” they got married, had kids, and had to find REAL jobs to support themselves. the time they had to dedicate to the community and to their spiritual brothers and sisters diminished until it was all they could spare to make it to church for a couple hours twice a week.
i’m just wondering how the ideas people you guys have can continue past the age of 35. idealistically, i wish it could work out. we see in Acts that the early church managed. these days, however, it just… doesn’t seem to work.