ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
September 15, 2022
Over the last 30 years, in some fashion or another, I have helped lead a Stewardship Campaign for the church I was serving. Some of these campaigns were highly organized with wonderful themes, while others were more low-key. Whenever you have a budget and bills and employees, you’ve got a figure out a way of raising money. Yet one of the cautions when it comes to church is not falling into what I call the Institutional Pit. At the end of the day, we are not seeking people to prop up an institution, but to support and empower a mission. Churches, maybe more than any other organization, can get nostalgic. And blind nostalgia is the pathway to the Institutional Pit where God-inspired purpose goes to die. In Romans 8, the Apostle Paul writes about those who love God and are called according to the divine purpose. People get excited, even passionate, about their purpose. It is a bit more challenging to get all pumped up about the maintenance and survival of an institution. This is why I am really quite excited about where Cypress Creek Christian Church is right now. Recently, I have shared in five or six conversations, with both new folks and long-time members, where they have specifically mentioned a real passion for who we are and the work of Putting Love First. People see how important it is to continue to work on Putting Love First individually, while also seeing how desperate our world is for this message. We need Training Centers, preparing people with the necessary skills to Put Love First In All Things. This is what we do at Cypress Creek Christian Church, and I see nothing that resembles the Institutional Pit in our future.
Holy One, you put a vision before us in the form of a man named Jesus of Nazareth. His life, death and resurrection provide a clear picture of who we are called to be. Empowered through your hope and love, we strive to make this vision a reality for all others to see and experience. Amen.
