Forbes.com published a list this past year of our country's "drunkest cities." I found that as I perused the list, I was following the path of my life. My childhood and adolescent years were spent in the towns around Pittsburgh, PA which is number 8 on the list. Then when I went to college, I lived in Cleveland, OH (one notch up at # 7). After the party years, I graduated four steps higher when I moved to Columbus, OH at # 3. And now I live in Milwaukee -- to everyone's surprise -- the #1 drunkest city in the United States.Say what you will about people in the Brew City, but we know how to enjoy life. Some ways people seek enjoyment leave us with a nasty hangover.
Like the way we enjoy doing church, for instance. Most congregations still operate under a model created for the Constantinian arrangement. That's a fancy term that simply means that when Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, the followers of Jesus went from a social movement requiring total personal commitment in the face of societal powers, to being then the very societal power of a religious institution in which participation became a simple matter of citizenship. Even though society and the church are becoming ever more distinct, our way of organizing ourselves and being the church are still the same.
What will the church look like when we sober up from our hangover? I think we'll see part of that answer right here in the drunkest city of Milwaukee. I see Holy Spirit up to amazing stuff, especially with the people at Thirst. We don't know for sure what God has in mind, exactly. But we're discerning a call to break out of the mold for radically committed discipleship with passionate spirituality. And that's how we're experiencing the joy of God's presence, without the headaches. If you're thirsting for the enjoyment of such a church, come join us in our discernment.
Shalom!
Kevan
