In April I attended the Pepperdine Bible Lectures where urban missionary Ben Cheek, who was invited to speak at a panel on church planting, was asked the following question: “The people you’re targeting in the New York City Metro area – would you say more of them are unchurched or dechurched?”

As a missionary I’m familiar with these terms.  Up until now I had been using them myself.  The idea is that the term “unchurched” describes those individuals who have never attended a church (or at least have not done so over a significant amount of time, say, within the last year).  The term “dechurched” is meant to describe those individuals who have a religious past but have become so turned off by their experiences with Christians and church-as-they-know-it that they are not ‘coming back.’  The problem with putting people neatly into these categories is that life is never that tidy.

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Categories: the why
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We truly had a great weekend!  I got to watch the faces of two friends as they read the bible for the first time.  It was invigorating to wait across the dining room table as the words they had just read aloud sank in… to notice their body posture change and their mouths finally begin to speak important questions etched on their minds long ago by the Creator.  To not give them all the answers but point them back to The Source and help them discover priceless jewels on their own.  As I watched their curious and hungry eyes reveal longings implanted deep within their hearts by their Maker, I became aware that I was being a witness to some awesome mystery going on inside my friends – something between them and God.  I got to catch a glimpse of The Great One at work!  Okay I couldn’t see Him, but I felt Him with us, in us, and my breath was short, my heart fluttered. 

There are plenty of sacrifices and heartaches that come with joining God in his mission, but there is no doubt about it… this is a lot of fun!

Categories: stories
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