I was talking to a non-believer the other day….this person is actually on the other end of the spectrum, but surprisingly, they made it to a Canyon Ridge church service this past weekend.  After this person had attended the service, we got into a conversation about the church.  Their comment, a comment that took them a moment to formulate, was one that took me by surprise.  The comment was one that I would never expect from them, because it was borderline appreciative and complementary to the church (not CRCC, but "the church", the organized religion of America).

They said this, a simple comment, but it invoked a lot of thought:  Your church seems to know the secret.  They said this, in the context of talking about that weekend’s service- how it flowed, how it connected, and how it impacted them.  Their "church history", consisted of MAYBE 100 trips to church, and those 100 trips were split between an early 90’s Baptist church, and a late 90’s Methodist church.  Both very different from the Ridge. 

In the midst of this conversation, I realized the reality of the statement they made.  The fact is, doing church right shouldn’t be a secret….but there are churches all over America that you can walk into this week, and see that to them, it is obviously a secret that they haven’t been let in on.  Why is that?  Why do some churches refuse to learn from others that have figured out a better way?  Why do they insist of staying on a dead or dying path?

This principle isn’t really a secret, and it’s probably something that someone else has said before, but I’ll say it again.  I believe the "secret" to being an effective church lies in two simple ideas: Being Relevant, and being Authentic.  Many churches have heard this relevant idea, and have tried to jump on the bandwagon; but you can see several of them are only going through the motions, just to say they are Relevant.  What is the importance of being relevant?  Well to me, it’s obvious.  Seekers need a church they can connect to.  Having someone reading out of the King James Version of the Bible, using Thee’s and Thou’s….as accurate as the KJV might be, it’s not relevant.  You aren’t going to connect to someone today, in 2007, who is un-churched, with a language that is dead, and hard to understand.  Being relevant means talking to people about real-life issues, and showing them how Biblical principles can help them live their lives right.  To stand on a stage, and recite names, and who begot who, begot who, etc…..that doesn’t help someone overcome addiction, or turn their lives around, or stop beating their wives, or stop being jerks to their co-workers…..but telling them how to live, and what Jesus said about it, and showing examples of how His times reflect our times, THAT’s being relevant.  Doing a teaching series that is a knock off of some reality TV show, or using a very familiar and commercial name doesn’t mean you are relevant…only that you know current events…..how you use those titles as tools, show whether or not you are relevant.  In a sentence, we have to be true to current day needs, convictions and temptations. 

The second "secret", I personally believe, is the one most churches miss.  Being Authentic.  An authentic church is one who is transparent and loving, no matter what.  When someone comes and says "I am hooked on drugs", or "I am addicted to pornography" or anything similar, we have to be an organization that says "you know what, it’s ok.  You are going to be OK, because God loves you, we love you, and we are going to work through this."  To be a church that will come alongside that person, help them if they stumble, and be someone that they can trust, and someone they know won’t judge them- that is being an Authentic church.  I’ve seen too many churches that miss this.  They condemn people who are imperfect (or better put, people who aren’t as good as covering it up), they judge people in the midst of their failure, and they don’t offer hope.  But I thought the church was the hope of the world?   What means more to the lost; a posh church full of suits, rules, and judgment…or a church full of real, sincere, authentic people?

As I was standing in the shower today, mentally going over the rough draft of this blog in my head, I had another thought on this topic.  As I thought about this blog, I realized I was thinking about the "church" as the organization…..but the authentic behavior needs to carry over the "church", the body.  We are the church, not the building.  So this principle has to be carried out in our everyday, away-from-church lives.  This means being real about our faith, and about how Christ forgives.  It’s about breaking the stereotype that church members are hypocritical.  If you live a real, authentically devoted life all the time, seekers see that.

Too many churches, and the people within still think those principles are secrets.  It’s sad, but it’s a fact.  My challenge?  Go out, and live an authentic life for Christ.  We can make a difference for Him, if we show people that Biblical principles are just as effective today as they were 2000 years ago; and that God, as we do, love them, despite their flaws.