So I have started reading Craig Grochel's book IT. Even though you may not be able to say exactly what "it" is, you know how to recognize it and you sense anytime you are in a church community that has "it".
I have enjoyed the book, I am about half way through it. His writings seem a little campy. He tries to be clever and funny and relevant. But as I get further into the book, I see that he is trying to help sort out for the reader some of the qualities found in a congregation that has "it".
One interesting thing is that "Just because you have it doesn't mean you will always have it, and if you don't have it, it doesn't mean that you can't get it."
He offers a list of indicators of what "it" is. But I wonder, what do you think it means for a congregation to have "it"?
2 comments:
i'm convinced that "it" is the PRESENCE of God. been to too many churches without it, and been to a few with it. will not settle for less anymore.
doesn't ultimately matter if everything is trendy, the newest formula, or pretty- if HE isn't present, it doesn't do anything but entertain me for an hour.
we just visited a church plant that is a popular plant these days, and the people were nice and the songs were good. the visuals and their printed materials were practically perfect. but the presence was absent. and we both left puzzled as to why it didnt work. then it came to us-- the presence.
Grochel talks about how many people come to him and say, "I don't have the kind of money you have or bells and whistles, so that's why my church isn't growing." He recounts how when he very first started his church, they met in a persons garage. The children's ministry was in a large closet. They used an overhead projector and there were about 20 people there.
He said, we had no money and no bells and whistles, but we had IT. He would say, with you that IT means having the presence of God.
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