Thanks to a new found blog friend named Polycarp, I came across a fascinating article yesterday.

J. Lee Grady is the editor of Charisma Magazine. On the front page of this months e-version of the magazine he writes an article entitled, God Has Pushed a Great Big Reset Button. In it he says:

A “new generation” church is emerging. I visit two or three churches every month in this country. Those that are healthy and growing have developed new paradigms. Though they embrace the power of the Holy Spirit, they also place high value on evangelism, small-group discipleship, social justice and world missions. They are extravagant in giving to outreach. They are relational, not event-driven. And they demand character from leaders rather than simply celebrating a man or woman’s spiritual anointing.

Continuing, he states:

No one has coined a term for this movement yet, but it is growing—and it represents the future of Christianity in our country. These new generation churches embrace healthy leadership and don’t tolerate the kind of ministry monkey business that has embarrassed us in recent years. These churches love sinners and preach grace, but they draw the lines necessary to enforce biblical standards.

New generation churches are also connected in a healthy, relational way to other churches, yet they are not denominational in a restrictive sense. They refuse labels. Rather than wearing the cumbersome armor of a religious structure, they are free to pray, dream and be creative about how they should reach the children, high school students, business leaders, drug addicts, immigrants, homeless people, twenty-somethings and church dropouts in their communities.

I’m not one to do a lot of quoting of other folk’s writing unless I’m outright “stealing” the whole thing; this one is just a tad too long. But, it merits a reading. Seriously.

I loved his conclusion:

Please don’t fight the changes God wants to bring in your life. As you hold on to His unchangeable love, allow Him to push the reset button. Then buckle your seat belt and hold on. We are in for the ride of our lives!