Polaroid.
Household names for anyone over the age of 30.
Kodak and Polaroid were once giants.
The problem is not that people aren't taking pictures anymore. The problem for Kodak and Polaroid is that the way people take pictures these days. Most of the cameras don't need film anymore, and the problem with Kodak and Polaroid was that they were in the film business.
People will be taking pictures for the foreseeable future. That's not going to change for the time being. But the way people are taking pictures have radically changed.
People will always need the church. As long as people need the gospel, people will need the church, the body of Christ.
When I think of denominations, they remind me of Kodak and Polaroid. People just aren't doing church the way we used to do church a generation ago.A generation ago, denominations dominated the church world.
But in this generation, how many people really give a rip what the GA of the PC(USA) will or will not do at the next General Assembly in Pittsburgh?
Or better yet, how many church going folk know what GA is or what the PC(USA) is?
And for how many church going folk and the non-church going neighbors does denominationalism even matter?
Most people in our world today aren't asking, what does the PC(USA) believe compared to what the PCA or the EPC believes?
Most people in our world are asking, "Is Jesus for real? Does God matter?"Until local churches get better at answering these questions, we along with our denominations, will go the way of Kodak and Polaroid.
You don't see too many people besides Kodak and Polaroid people weeping about that, right?
How many people outside of the PC(USA) will be weeping when the denomination goes away?
Exactly.
4 comments:
You got it right, James. Hope others listen! Thanks
Thanks for commenting Lee. Blessings!
Soooo RIGHT about the "who will care?" part James. At least the generation of my children won't much care. What I think they WILL care about, is this: IS there a community of belivers and followers of Jesus who will uphold them in crisis, love them through heartaches,stand there to help them celebrate and rejoice about good things in their lives; be there to hold them accuntable to God's "rules".. THAT is what I think this generation of Jesus followers is about, and don't thin demoniations have a very big role in that.
Deb, if the local church doesn't make a difference in the lives of people who are wondering if God matters or if Jesus is for real, it won't matter what we say we're about. We have the opportunity to demonstrate that God matters by living the faith out in the way you articulated. When we can do that, our churches will play a vital role in shaping the lives of people in our communities.
Thanks for the comments.
James <><
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