Earl Creps

Earl Creps was with us for the weekend...great time....let me share with you some thoughts that I gleaned from him.

81% of people in Chicago are not in church on a Sunday morning.

For every 100 people in church in Chicago:

52 are Catholic
19 are Baptist
13 are "other"
6 Lutheran
3 reformed
3 Covenant, Evangelical free
2 Methodist
2 Pentecostal

Churches are growing out in suburbs but that does not mean that they are "getting saved." Many are simply finding new churches to go to as they move out into new communities to live. They are "plug and play" Christians. They plug into their new spiritual environment and "play" in that they become involved in their church.

We must be willing to go out into the marketplace to share our faith.

Christianity is not an explained religion but a revealed religion.

And then...a great question...what would you be willing to sacrifice to see your children and grandchildren come to Christ?

But what really struck me was the challenge to take a chance on God, a chance on people and a chance on each other.

We must be willing to give God a chance. Let's not be fearful of the moving of God's Spirit. That doesn't mean that we need to jump or allow ourselves to fall into the pit of "goofiness" or "weirdness" but simply be willing to seek after God.

We must be willing to take a chance on people. Connecting people outside the church with God by adjusting the way we "do church" on the inside. How open are we to doing that? Are we willing to sacrifice some things that are dear and routine to us so that people who aren't connected with God might do so?

We must be willing to take a chance eon each other. We all have a part to play. We all are necessary.

I know that some wanted "10 ways to do church so that outsiders might come to Christ" but before God can change our "how to" he must change our hearts.

May it be so.

What were some of your thoughts of the weekend, specifically the seminar on Saturday?