Modern vs. Post-modern?

Lately I have struggled with how to reach people who do not want to go to church. For many people the "church" is not offering them what they need. As I continue to invest my life in "john," my co-worker, I realize that in some instances more harm has been done in the name of Christ, than good. John doesn't attend church because "those kind of people only point out my sins, tell me how I'm going to hell, and that I need to turn from my evil ways. I don't need that. They just tell me about their God, I know about their God: I would rather experience Him."

Hmm...Someone who doesn't go to church still would like to experience God. I think that somewhere behind our praise bands, big budgets, Powerpoint, comfy seats, lapel mics, and three point sermons we lost something. Some people don't want to know about God; they want to KNOW him. Some people don't want to sing about God; they want to sing to him, in his presence. Some people don't want to go to "church;" they want to go before God.

Modernism is the school of thought that has basically been in place since before the 1950's, but it reflects the old Americana ideals: mom, dad, kids; have things explained, give me knowledge, get a good job and go to a good church. The problem is that after 50 plus years of using this mentality our churches have become country club-like and have become a social outlet for suburban nuclear families. The single mom, recovering drug addict, and ex-convict have been pushed out by our three piece suit theology.
Don't get me wrong, there are many people, who without modernism, would not have come to a relationship with Christ. It has served it's purpose. But I see a reformation on the horizon.
Today, we don't live in Leave it to Beaver America. Mom isn't home with milk and cookies when the kids get home from school. The media saturates our lives with images of the world's definition of perfection. The internet babysits our children. And life has only one speed: Busy.
Where modernism attempted to redefine Christianity, postmodernism attempts to redefine what a Christian is.
In the postmodern movement we have come to understand that many people are educated, self-supporting, and opinionated. They don't need someone to read the Bible to them and throw a couple of knee slappers in there for comic relief. They are fed up with being told what God is like. They want to feel God.
I have been praying for the past month about starting an organic, postmodern worship opportunity for people who don't feel as if they belong in a church. I feel as if God has been leading me to organize such a venture. Please pray for me. Pray that I will hear God's call and follow his lead. Pray that others are open to this great outreach opportunity. And pray that those who seek might find God through this blessing.

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