Today during a break I swam out to this shipwreck and explored it.  The view from the crow’s nest was quite scenic.  It lies, broken in two, just off the coast directly in front of where Paul and Barnabas set sail on their first missionary journey. 

This morning when I was up early I was reading a book review of a book with some really startling statistics about churches in North America.  It included not only statistics about attendance but also about giving and the demographics of who is giving.  The book was written before the current economic slow-down.  Eighty percent of the giving is from people over 55 years of age.  Young people are leaving traditional institutional churches in droves.  Unlike previous generations, they are not returning when they have children.  People are responding as well as ever to Jesus but are extremely disillusioned with the church.

Missions is advancing more quickly than ever before but still isn’t keeping up with population growth.  There are about three thousand unengaged people groups remaining.  The status quo is not adequate.

I wasn’t sure what photo to post with this entry.  I have a photo with a small dinghy on the shore in the foreground and the shipwreck in the background.  Will small, simple churches be able to meet the relational needs and provide relevance for the next generation?  Will they produce and provide the resources necessary to complete the Great Commission?  Will they be like the small, simple boat that made it to shore while the large, sophisticated boat broke in two?  Not if they are simply smaller versions of the kind of churches we already have.

We need a new kind of disciples who relate to one another in new ways.  Our world is changing at a greater rate than ever before and we haven’t yet adapted to the changes which have already taken place.  I believe the only answer will be to become more radically in tune with the Lord’s leadership on a moment-by-moment basis.  We must also become smaller and more responsive and flexible in terms of how we operate as spiritual communities.  We need far more bivocational/volunteer workers and probably fewer of us who do ministry as our primary occupation on a full-time basis.  We need every disciple to begin to function as yeast.

I also took a photo with the sun setting on the shipwreck.  Is the sun setting on the style of discipleship from the past generation?  Will it fail to meet the challenges of the current world situation?  The changing world may require new wineskins of discipleship if the world is to be reached effectively in our generation.