Other Voices on Redefining Christianity

Never assume the gospel

I echo the push to redefine what it means to be Christ-followers. What a beautiful expression of the holiness of Jesus—to be His hands and feet by serving. The only piece that I find missing from most of today’s emergent thinkers is the need to deliver the gospel of Jesus in tandem with the acts of compassion. I understand that many times we must first gain a hearing, and that most of us may even be assuming the gospel piece, but let’s not take that part for granted.

Rob McQueary is pastor of Process Church (EFCA) in Duluth, Ga.

Consider your categories

Barna’s statistics often categorize people as “churched” (attend often) or “unchurched” (rarely or never attend). I think this both reflects and shapes the way we as believers/churchgoers look at the world. Our goal becomes to get the “unchurched” “churched.” But we need a third category: ”badchurched.” This would apply to people who have had a legitimately negative or disillusioning church experience, or who attend a church that truly does not preach, teach or live the gospel and just have not yet been hurt enough to be disillusioned. Lots of people are sounding the alarm about the “unchurched,” but who is sounding the alarm about the “bad-churched”?

Peter Sanderson is associate pastor at Valley Bible EFC in Haddam, Conn., and preparing to plant a church.

Position yourself carefully

When I came to pastor on the North Side of Chicago, my challenge was not only to re-plant an older, struggling church but also to redefine Christianity to our well-to-do, liberal, self-sufficient and indifferent-toreligion neighborhood. The disconnect between the church’s profession of faith and its expression of love was evident in the less-than-favorable reputation our church has had with people on our street. While I do not wish to absolve our congregation from our own particular failures, it seems that much of our reputation was hinged on our association, involuntary as it may be, with the conservative, fundamentalist wing of the Church. To many of our neighbors, such cultural proximity defined our local church as a group of self-righteous, judgmental, intolerant religious fanatics. If we are to be a redemptive presence, we need not try to redeem the conservatives nor embrace the liberals. We can be the gospel people, committed to both the truth of Christ’s teachings and the grace of His presence.

Sergei Marchenko is senior pastor of Christian Fellowship EFC in Chicago.

Freely dispense grace

One of the reasons I am in ministry today is because of the negative way I experienced the church growing up as a pastor’s son; instead of walking away, I want to be part of the solution. In my youth, my primary understanding was that the church was a place where knowing “the right things” about God was the ultimate goal—and it was our duty to “defend” God. Jesus changed my life after years of bitterness, and as a follower of Jesus today, I realize that most of my Christian brothers and sisters who come across as angry and unloving believe they are just being faithful. What many haven’t realized yet is that God can defend Himself and that their primary role is to abide in Him, soak in His free grace and dispense it freely to all who come across their path.

Ben Youngkin is associate pastor of student ministries at Grace Bible Church (EFCA) in Arroyo Grande, Calif.