“If we are serious about the power of the Holy Spirit, we are going to be living constantly on the threshold of God’s new and powerful work. We will not only have to live with change, ambiguity and opposition; we will want to—just as the early church did in Acts. The church was not meant to be a stagnant, tradition-bond institution but a dynamic, Christ-centered household of faith.
“We wish to be neither sectarian [bigoted or narrow] nor shallow. Our desire is to be a household of faith under the lordship of Jesus Christ, by the power and love of the Spirit of truth, to the glory of God the Father.
“The household of faith means for me a loving, serving, joyful congregation that is truly open to the powerful work of the Holy Spirit. This community expresses a quality of openness that reflects maturity, not indifference; it takes biblical integrity seriously, rather than casually, and passionately seeks spiritual vitality rather than cheap emotional hype. We want to tap the true drama of the gospel, which answers our quest for transcendence, the human need for significance and our longing for community. This calls for a tremendous work of spiritual discernment, humility and heartfelt prayer.
“Such a biblical community can be seeker-sensitive without being consumer-oriented. It can make the gospel interesting without entertaining, and convicting without condemning. It can be both effective and faithful, serious and joyful, cross-generational and mission-focused. It can redefine felt needs and meet spiritual needs. The household of faith is not a fun-center or an escape from boredom, but a place of worship where the spiritual disciplines are modeled, the psalms are prayed and maturity is nurtured. It is a place where peer pressure, self-centeredness, anonymity and affluence are resisted. It is a community marked by the cross and blessed with resurrection hope.”
Adapted from:
Selling Jesus: What’s Wrong with Marketing the Church
by Douglas D. Webster (Intervarsity Press, 1992), pgs. 11-12.