I spent the weekend in the sun at the Austin City Limits Festival.  It’s become an annual event for me, this year being the fourth.  I was happy to rock with my suite mate from college, Matt Boudreaux, he now lives in Waco, Texas and is apart of our church planting journey.  We spent some time with friends of his from Waco and had some conversation about Christian bands.  The conversation started concerning Flyleaf who played earlier in the day and is from Temple, Texas (between Waco and Austin).  Flyleaf is hardcore alternative rock and began their set with “I Love You, Lord”. Not my tastes in music but I appreciate their faith.

I found it interesting that a bands faith or spiritual influence had no effect on my new ACL friends.  Really, they viewed it as only a new subgenres or fusion genres. It didn’t make a difference in their life or anyone they knew.  They respected the message of Christ, but they are indifferent to the message or their personal faith.  I’m not naïve to think people don’t hear Flyleaf (or any other band) and make a decision to follow Christ.  I’m sure they have stories and evidence.  I found their show inspiring and I value people who live out their faith in mainstream music. However, I find people are apathetic toward Christianity, not so much Jesus; it’s a trend I see too often around me.

Summer and I both have multiple friends who have no public (or private) confession of faith in Jesus and they listen to Christian Radio (The River) daily.  Ask them their favor music style (group) and they confess its Christian music, but ask them are they Christian and they answer “no”.  They simply like the positive message of hope and upbeat music more than other styles. 

Maybe this issue is about music and the industry.  But many of these people say it’s the Christianity, the church, not the music.  Well, not the Church or church Jesus spoke so confident about.  The church they find so uninteresting, unresponsive, is the institution or establishment.   This is heartbreaking to me because I’m a church planter, thus the maker of institution and entrepreneur of establishment.  Scary! 

So where have I been for over a month – I’ve been wrestling with what I’m starting here.  I’ve been apart of starting three churches – people have accepted Christ, families are being reached, God is honored – but the people we are reaching now, the relationships forged here need a different type of experience.  They want to be the church, not attend a church.  They don’t want to be told, they want to dialog.  Inspiration can be bought at Barnes & Noble; they want to learn to inspire others.  Being Holy is strange and questionable to them, but being holistic is attractive.

Every church planter must decide who they are because that is the type of church they will start and pastor.  In the past I went into the launch with a preconceived idea of what this church will do, who it will reach, how it will make a difference, when we will launch and how, and where people will come from who attend.  I have no idea anymore and I like it.  I’m not starting a business, institution, or association of believers.  I’m not starting a church – I’m guiding the people God is forming into the church.