Your thoughts…???

I read a pretty great article today.  Here are a few quotes from it to get the idea.  I’m still processing it–to be honest.  Any thoughts…???

“Do church leaders study the complexity and changes of our cultural environment with the same kind of seriousness when it comes to the design and construction of church facilities?”

“The Church has been building the spiritual equivalent of vacation cruise liners: large slow structures made for calm, balmy seas and friendly ports of call.  We may be trying to make these ships faster, a little more up-tempo and with a mission statement, but we’re expecting calm seas and a sunny horizon. Here’s the catch: The Church has long since left a stable, homogenous, and predictable culture.”

“Churches must understand our culture’s suffocating pace and, in turn, develop response that will make life simpler and more sustainable.”

“In 1990, 90% of the world’s Christians lived in the Western world. Today, according to one study, only 30% do. We are no longer the center of Christianity for the world, and Christianity’s arguably no longer the center of our culture.”

“Today’s serious church leaders know they can no longer build for calm seas, sunny horizons, and pampered passengers.  The church was born in turbulent times, and true to its calling, has always functioned best on the high seas.”

(Bahler, E and Couchenour, Bill. “Thyspace: rethinking buildings & facilities.” Rev! Sept/Oct. 2008. 100-106.)