I am a pretty simple guy with pretty simple ways.  I am going to make some simple, blanket statements.  I am not claiming that they are irrefutable or that there are not other ways of doing things, but this is the way I believe God is leading me as I lead Current Church.

The best thing that ever happened to the Church is persecution.  Acts 8:1 says "On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria."  Until this great persecution, all of Christianity and the work of the Church was happening in Jerusalem.  Now, because of persecution, the Church was forced underground.  It became even more dangerous to be a true follower of Jesus.  Now following Jesus came with a risk.  It caused the Church to unify.  It also caused the Church to grow laterally.  If they were to grow vertically with big buildings and and large crowds, it would draw undue attention to them and would quite literally endanger their lives.

The worst thing that ever happened to the Church was when Christianity became an acceptable religion.  Around 300 A.D. Constantine came on the scene and made Christianity an acceptable, legal religion.  It was the beginning of big cathedrals, big crowds and Christians living without fear.  It was also the beginning of the lazy Church.  Big buildings and big crowds made it look as though the spreading of the gospel was very successful.  After all, there was a church on every corner.

The plague of COMFORT has crippled the Church for years.  Wherever Christianity is accessible and acceptable it has largely become stagnate and ineffective.  Small churches have become comfortable with the "family" atmosphere in their churches which is like saying the rest of the world can go to hell.  The mega-church has grown obsessed with being new and cutting-edge at the expense of truly changing lives for the Kingdom.

Wherever the Church is being persecuted, the Kingdom is growing spiritually and numerically.  A great example is China.  The Church in China has grown exponentially not in spite of persecution, but perhaps because of persecution.  In China, house churches are common and may be the main form of the gathered church.  They don't gather in homes because it is cool or trendy but because it is largely illegal to formally gather in the name of Jesus.

My desire for Current Church is not to be big or popular but to be effective.  Effective in the growth of the spiritual lives of the believers and effective in witnessing to the world with a desire to grow the Kingdom numerically as well.  Growing big is fine...in fact its great especially if that growth is lateral and pushes the reach of the Church into a pagan culture.  

Statements like these are why I will never be popular.  I am not afraid to put it out there and let the chips fall where they may.  

Respond if you like.  I can take it!  

Gene