The Church is not Dead

May 31, 2016

The Church is not Dead

So far, during the first part of my sabbatical, we have visited the following churches:

Norwegian Seamen's Church in San Pedro http://sjomannskirken.no/los-angeles-san-pedro/

Holy Trinity Catholic Church in San Pedro http://parish.holytrinitysp.org/

Rolling Hills Covenant http://www.rollinghillscovenant.com/

Pacific Crossroads Church in Downtown LA (meets at the Episcopal Cathedral) http://pacificcrossroads.org/

Southlands Church in Whittier http://whittier.southlands.net/

North Coast Calvary Chapel near Encinitas http://northcoastcalvary.org/

They represent Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Evangelical Covenant, Presbyterian Church in America, Charismatic/Reformed Non-Denom, and Calvary Chapel. It is so easy to heap on judgment on the church in America. We hear (and say) "evangelical wasteland" or "consumer Christianity" or "Barna, Gallup, Pew reports..."

I know the Spirit of God has a refining, reforming, reviving, and renewing work to do in the church, and I pray, and have been praying for this. I want to report some good news. Reports of the death of Christianity in America have been premature. There is a lot of vitality to report from every congregation we have visited. From vital youth leadership in worship and service at Holy Trinity, to gracious hospitality at the Norwegian Seamen's Church, to profoundly Biblical teaching at Rolling Hills, Pacific Crossroads, Southlands, and North Coast. We have felt warmly welcomed at each church. There was no hint of celebrityism in any of the pastors we have heard. The church planting DNA is clearly motivating Pacific Crossroads and Southlands. Every congregation has been multi-generational and multi-cultural. We sang songs we knew at each worship service. There is a growing evangelical impulse in Catholicism and a growing catholic impulse in Evangelicalism.

We have a lot to learn from each other, and we have a lot for which to rejoice and give thanks!

Holy Trinity in San Pedro