Move over mega-churches, forget about seeker sensitivity, the day of the teaching/relational church has arrived.

It’s not that churches like Saddleback and Willow Creek are no longer relevant or will not continue grow, on the contrary.  There will be thousands of churches that will make it to mega-church status and those churches will continue to grow larger. But, top notch multimedia and polished productions are not meeting the needs of today’s younger and middle age culture.  This culture tells stories of their church community living life together during the week. They are missional in their teaching and in their lives. They are "doers of the word and not hearers only."

One thing I have noticed though about the emerging church culture is that they are primarily single and 20 something and thus, no children. It is easy to hang out with your friends in the evening when you don’t have kid responsibilities.  This may seem sharp and it may sound like I am smacking on this culture, but the truth is the truth. Life changes when you get married and have 2-3 kids and life shifts from the "Friends" culture to the "Everybody Love Raymond" life.

I was speaking to a friend today and we were discussing how many contemporary churches had become full of fluff, no substance in their teaching.  The music is great, the worship is meaningful, but the spiritual "meat" that they need is not there. The church I pastor could be considered a Willow Creek/Saddleback hybrid that would fit into the mode of great music and teaching that is geared to life application.  There is a place for that type of model, but I will be honest that there is an unrest in my soul regarding this issue. Saddleback has strongly influenced the way that we do ministry here at Lake Ridge, and as a matter of fact we will be awarded with a Purpose Drive Church Health Award next year. The time has come that we as a church invent our own "model" for doing church in our cultural context.  We will still be influenced by the Saddlebacks, CedarCreeks, and Willows of the world for they do have much to offer, but it is time in the life of our church that we discover ourselves. My goal is to grow our church to a numerical level that will allow us to begin  to start new churches and satellite campuses that will replicate themselves.

I am in the early stages of developing what I am calling the life cycle for a person who gets hooked up with our church.  It will not be for any other church as I have prayed about how to take someone from point A to B to C to D to… These are exciting times around Lake Ridge Church, wish you were here!