The church is the greatest preserver of the status quo in human history… I can conclude that the church, in its present state, is not the hope of the world. I believe that nothing has so persistently and effectively blocked the way of salvation as the church.”
~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

King first wrote this in the early 50’s and now over 50 years later I wonder how much has really changed… has the church really moved very far forward, or are we stuck in the same rut? Honestly, I think we’ve traded one set of problems for another as we continually walk in this static, circular existence.

One of the things that is hard about being in a healthy, growing, and absolutely amazing church, you tend to lose some of the perspective regarding the struggles of the church-at-large within America. In fact, if you are in a church that is growing and people are enthusiastic and excited about what God is doing in your midst you should consider yourself lucky (I know I certainly do), for this isn’t the norm… we are a part of the exception.

There is a growing population within the church-at-large that is increasingly growing dissatisfied with “church-as-we-know-it” and are walking away, trading old institutions for new forms and practices of “being the church”. Unfortunately it doesn’t just end with a growing sense of dissatisfaction, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, nearly 25% of adults have not just walked away from the church, but have traded their faith for a different religion. People are leaving the church and Jesus in their wake.

So, the question remains… is the church really all that different from 50 years ago or are we simply trading problems as we remain in our cycle of sameness? Is there a way out of the cycle, and what does that look like? Because as King so poignantly observes: to do nothing will persistently and effectively block the way of salvation.