Reinventing church (still thinking)

Closer to finishing "the Other Side" book today. I'm working on an outline of the book that is relatively exhaustive. I'm thinking about putting it online. I don't think there are any copyright problems with that but I might look into that for sure. I'd rather y'all pickup a copy and read it all for yourselves so you could pour over the concepts, quotes, etc in their entirety. But the reality is that not everyone will (not like I buy every book my friends/colleagues talk about). So, I figure a good outline might be just the thing for some of you interested in more of what I'm talking about. For others, you'll want to just get the book. Of course I'd be interested if any of you have read some other really good books on postmodernism and its influence on ministry...add a comment or shootme an email.

Today I wanted to draw the word "seeker" to your (and my) attention. If you do a search on this blog you'll find I've already used it once before, talking about how we're reaching out to seekers who don't even know they're seeking. Well, my usage of that term seems to be evolving with so many other things I've been long familiar with. Maybe you'll see what I'm talking...and possibly find your use of the term change...or maybe not. Either way, here's what I mean....

What comes to mind when I say/type the word "seeker"? Honestly the first thing that generally pops into my mind is Willow Creek. Their "seeker-services" are well-known in the church world because of the tremendous success they have been blessed with. Maybe you thinking of something else...maybe heat-seeking missiles or something likethat! :-)

We talk here in our meetings about seekers as well. We talk about what seekers like and don't like, where seekers are found, what kind of music seekers listen to...and generally how to seek out the seekers. Brian McLaren points out how this can lead to a perspective that there are two groups: (1) the seekers and (2) those who are "in the know"...those who have already got the information...those who are in the club...believers - a.k.a. "us". But he asks a very important questionthat resonated in my mind...

Why is it that we aren't seekers as well?

Does our pursuit stop once we say the sinner's prayer? Does it stop when we've finally gotten our names added to the glorious book of church membership? Does it stop when we've finally been nominated as deacon, gotten a position as Sunday School Teacher, or when we've been named President of the denomination? NO!! We are seekers only up until one very distinct point in our lives, when our ability to seek God has ended and we are standing in His presence.

"What are the implications of this?", you ask. I think there are at least two that I can see now...One is that we believers will never come to the point where we feel like we have arrived. Everyday we need to realize that the search goes on. God is not done revealing His mysteries to us. But how can we find them if we're not searching them out...between the pages of a new Ken Gire book...between the words of Ed Young, Jr.'s next message...in between the pauses in your next conversation with that friend who seems so close to following Christ...in that "look" your four year old gives you when you tell her you love her....

The second possibility is that by acknowledging that we believers are also seekers, we are much more easily able to invite non-believers to join the search along with us. Know what I mean? Maybe it will be comforting for your non-believer friend to know that you don't have all of the answers. Postmoderns don't want to hear that anyway. But if we are able to show them bits and pieces of our daily search, maybe they will be more and more interested in what we are finding.

What do you think? A semantics game? Or might this have some merit to it? If you squint wrong you might not be able to see the differences in what I'm talking about. But if we look at this the right way maybe we can work toward breaking down a barrier that will not only help our non-believer friends, but might as well thrust us into a new world of exploring the mysteries found in the greatness of our unfathomable God!!