“Never Church As Usual”……I have some friends who work for a church that uses this slogan as it’s marketing tag-line.  I’ve always loved this tag-line as it hints at mystery, intrigue, expectancy.  What are we going to experience when we come to church today?  How will we encounter the Living God in new and fresh ways?  What is the next incredible thing the church is going to do to draw us into the presence of God?

I am working away from the office today.  We are moving into a phase of Vision Development for the future of Great Oaks.  To that end, I have been seeking God’s face through prayer & journaling in an attempt to brainstorm potential next-steps for us as a church.  In the coming weeks, the leaders of the church will be meeting to formalize our plan and then share it with the church in early 2010.

As part of my brainstorming process, I have been curious about what other churches are doing that would exemplify the “Never Church As Usual” slogan.  Guess what I found out?  Very few churches are doing anything Unusual.  We all have the same common elements…

  • Weekend Services
  • Children & Student Programming
  • Adult Small Groups
  • Local & Global Missions

So where is the Unusual aspect of church?  I realize the worship-language during services may be different, the children & student curriculum may vary, the small groups may focus on a variety of topics, and the missions may meet a wide array of social needs…but in the grand scheme of things, every church seems to be Unusually Usual.

Is there something more that should be present to make the church Unusual?  Or do we simply strive to be more Unusual in the Usual areas?

Just some thoughts I am pondering this afternoon…

(And please understand that I am talking about Organizational Development.  I am working under the assumption that Jesus is our focus, the Holy Spirit is present, the Word is our guidebook, love & faith abound, and spiritual disciplines are actively embraced to draw us deeper into an intimate relationship with God.  Just thought I would save some of you from commenting on the Usual objections when I write posts like this!)