Men are abandoning the Local Church... WHY?

Why Prominent Christian Men are Abandoning the Local Church 

It is controversial, particularly if you will read the links in the article.  I identified with this.  Particularly the part about no longer singing.

Let me as perhaps one of these offer my view on this difficult thesis.  I am guilty of not wanting to go often.  I routinely attend two different churches on a regular basis. 

One is a traditional mainline church.  Not challenging spiritually.  Not much fresh manna.  A real dearth of spiritual hunger among the people. Worship services reflect this climate.  Not much to build on there for finding like mindedness in relationships.  While many of the men are good guys, but few are are other than wage earners.  Few free enterprise business and economic warriors.  The ones who are such I have a decent relationship with. While we can fellowship about the difficulty in finding good people, government regulations, the economic environment, taxes and such, what is missing is how Father impacts all this.  I am blessed to have met a few and that is reason to go back.   I am hungry for transparent peer fellowship. 

The other Church is Crusaders.  I am a minority there.  Yet the tug for me is unbridled passionate true worship (not singing songs).  Only a south side Chicago church can enter into this as Crusaders does.  It's not SINGING. It's worship.  There is a difference.  Anyone can sing a song.  Few can truly worship.  In that I find Peerage is spiritual quest. 

Hunger.  These precious souls are really hungry for more of God.  Their lives depend on HIM.  Then there are the challenging relationships.  It took a little time, but many of these men and women know dimensions in God I am just now exploring.  I value the friendships I have developed.  The Senior Leader, Apostle Eckhardt, garners respect and admiration by those who are there that is hard to ignore. I have only known a few men of his ilk.   It's hard to get out of the building at the end of the service without stumbling over manifestations of the Presence of God.  People talking not about the weather, not about sports, but about the things of God: praying or prophesying over one another.  In a rich way.  It used to be like this in Fargo and at Calvary. So refreshing. So rich.  Sharing life in God.

There are few self directed folks there in business for themselves, but some are, those who are hungry to find a way out of lack by getting out on their own.  Those are my peers.  I know what it takes to dig my way out of a hole thru faith in God and His prophetic word.  Not with a job, with the gifts God gave me.  When I am look for peers to be in Godly relationship with, that would be those who are hungry and thirsty for MORE....  More Lord More.  More Revelation.  More Peace. More Shalom.  More wisdom.  More grace. More windows of opportunity in every way opened.  More of the abundant life and HIS Kingdom on THIS side of the veil.  I don't want to die to get this.

I am convinced that MEN will come in droves if they grasp what this can and does mean..  They are looking for more... We are hardwired for more.  Building.  Forming.  Creating. Expanding the Kingdom.  It's part of a Man's genetics.  Like Caleb in our hearts we are saying,  "Give me that Mountain" ... don't make me stay in "Kumbaya" valley with the ladies.  Let's go out and slay some dragons.  Now you got me.  We were created to make conquest. 

I don't need another club to belong to.  I need to get a sense of God's Glory here and now.   I hope you can grasp this.  I don't go to church just to go.  I go to find fellow warriors.  Peers in the battle that I can lock shields with.  Men of like passion.  I would rather spend a day with a hungry homeless man who knows God and wants to get out of his situation than an hour with a man who works at a grocery store, is content with less, who's passion for Jesus is thimble sized, who can barely rehearse 5 stories from the Bible with any understanding and whose goal in life is to watch a Cubs game.  Sorry, not a peer. 

Here's the truth.  This isn't about discipleship. If a man wants to be discipled, he will find a master.  He will learn from him.  He will pay the price to be in the place of discipling.  Hunger is the driving force.  IF you have to try to force feed a disciple, you don't have a candidate.. you have a victim.

Many accomplished successful and yes wealthy men are in the CHURCH (Capital C) but never attend church.  Why? They didn't become accomplished, successful and yes wealthy by sitting quietly in a chair, standing, sitting, clapping along, listening to a lecture and paying a tithe then after 59 minutes adjourn to the coffee klatch to talk about banality.  Accomplished successful and yes wealthy men want to know what weapons you have, where are they, who is the captain, where is the battlefront and when do we attack.  That's how they became accomplished, successful and yes wealthy.  Now, do you want them in your church or not?  If one shows up, what are you going to do with him?  Or will you let him drift off and stay home or in a small group where he is challenged to do more?  This truly is the challenge of the hour.  I don't think the church (small c) knows how to do this.  I do, for I am one of these and would have much to give... if I could.  Yet because the church caters to those content to stay in the valley... it starves to death.  The ones who have what it takes to make the difference just aren't showing up and certainly never see that collection plate when it goes by.  The answer is all around you.  I live in a wealthy community. I have often said we must figure out how to reach the up and outers.  They have a spiritual need, but we as a church have no clue how to find ways to help them fill it....so they stay away in droves.