Comments on: That’s Quotable [Beth Comstock] http://tonymorganlive.com/2007/05/13/thats-quotable-beth-comstock/ Get Your Strategy On Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:57:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: tony morgan http://tonymorganlive.com/2007/05/13/thats-quotable-beth-comstock/#comment-2952 tony morgan Wed, 16 May 2007 13:59:50 +0000 http://tonymorgan.updatable.cc/?p=1020#comment-2952 Ryan, you've left what may be the most insightful comment that's ever been posted on my blog. Honestly, it's very encouraging for me to hear that your staff is having this conversation. In my opinion, this is a conversation every church should be having. People will not change until their lives our transformed through a relationship with Jesus. Why is it that we expect people to change their consumeristic mindsets before they attend church? And, frankly, have we <i>really</i> changed ourselves. Don't we have multiple different churches and denominations because of our personal preferences (we call them "convictions" in the church). But, <i>really</i>, aren't we just as consumeristic? Without sacrificing the Gospel message, I think we need to wrestle with that question. "Should we accept the trend and change to meet the new attender?" And, are we open to the "new attender" connecting with our church in very different ways? What if God is giving us the tools to be more effective in our outreach to today's culture, and we are resistant to change because we are inclined to hold onto our current methods? At that point, aren't we really worshiping the methods instead of God? Here's another question, do you think God holds us more accountable for <i>how</i> we do church or <i>who</i> we reach? Hmmm... I think we'd be wise to think and pray about that. tony Ryan, you’ve left what may be the most insightful comment that’s ever been posted on my blog. Honestly, it’s very encouraging for me to hear that your staff is having this conversation. In my opinion, this is a conversation every church should be having.

People will not change until their lives our transformed through a relationship with Jesus. Why is it that we expect people to change their consumeristic mindsets before they attend church?

And, frankly, have we really changed ourselves. Don’t we have multiple different churches and denominations because of our personal preferences (we call them “convictions” in the church). But, really, aren’t we just as consumeristic?

Without sacrificing the Gospel message, I think we need to wrestle with that question. “Should we accept the trend and change to meet the new attender?” And, are we open to the “new attender” connecting with our church in very different ways?

What if God is giving us the tools to be more effective in our outreach to today’s culture, and we are resistant to change because we are inclined to hold onto our current methods? At that point, aren’t we really worshiping the methods instead of God?

Here’s another question, do you think God holds us more accountable for how we do church or who we reach?

Hmmm… I think we’d be wise to think and pray about that.

tony

]]> By: Ryan Hartsock http://tonymorganlive.com/2007/05/13/thats-quotable-beth-comstock/#comment-2951 Ryan Hartsock Tue, 15 May 2007 17:28:40 +0000 http://tonymorgan.updatable.cc/?p=1020#comment-2951 We had several conversations this week as a staff about learning our congregation's habits (i.e. always being inconsistent on Sunday morning attendance) and deciding if they can be changed or do we need to evolve and design around the trend. NBC and other networks seem to have recognized and accepted they cannot stop the consumeristic mindset of people. But often we at the church are frustrated and fight it. Should we? Or should we accept the trend and change to meet the new attender? What is the "right" solution? We had several conversations this week as a staff about learning our congregation’s habits (i.e. always being inconsistent on Sunday morning attendance) and deciding if they can be changed or do we need to evolve and design around the trend.

NBC and other networks seem to have recognized and accepted they cannot stop the consumeristic mindset of people. But often we at the church are frustrated and fight it. Should we? Or should we accept the trend and change to meet the new attender? What is the “right” solution?

]]> By: Terry Storch http://tonymorganlive.com/2007/05/13/thats-quotable-beth-comstock/#comment-2950 Terry Storch Sun, 13 May 2007 22:31:03 +0000 http://tonymorgan.updatable.cc/?p=1020#comment-2950 Great quote. That is exactly what I am speaking about at Dynamic Church 07 this week. Look forward to seeing you there. Great quote. That is exactly what I am speaking about at Dynamic Church 07 this week. Look forward to seeing you there.

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