Creative Scribble

A couple of months ago I told a friend that we would be launching a new church and her response was a sarcastic "Yeah, because there aren't enough of those already!" All church planters have heard that one. But today I will start listing a few of the many reasons I feel like God does indeed want "another church" in our community.

Being young and "ordained" means I get asked to do a lot of weddings. And I love doing weddings! But it amazes me how many people don't understand that marriage is more than just a big day where the girl looks pretty and a pastor can be paid to make the relationship a legal tax write off. Sex before marriage is a prerequisite in the mind of many and living together is just a way to jump start the marriage. So why wouldn't God want that? It's just sex, right?

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That's the lie. One of many that must be reversed. In fact, in Mark Driscoll's sermon series "The Peasant Princess", he quotes some amazing statistics from secular sources that show God knew what he was talking about when he set up boundaries in our sex lives. Research shows that cohabitating couples are three times more likely to be depressed than married couples and have a higher propensity for divorce once married. Those who wait to have sex and get married report to be happier, are more likely to stay married, and reportedly have more enjoyable sex more often (Thanks God!). Specifically, men who were virgins are 37 percent more likely to stay married and virgin females are 24 percent more likely to stay married. Furthermore, relationships grounded in Christ prove to be stronger. Couples who don't attend religious services are 2.4 times more likely to divorce than couples who do. The flip side? Theologically conservative couples who attend church on a regular basis report significantly higher happiness.

Satan's Lie: it's just sex and you're going to be married anyway. So go ahead. And once you're married, you're good. So don't worry about wasting your time on God and church.

God's Promise: stay in my boundaries and trust me. You'll be protected. Center your life on me and enjoy my gifts as intended.

Sex is just one example of how we, Christians, have lost a generation. We have somehow taught them that God is a god of rules and regulations. There have been a lot of "don't do this” and “don't do that" without exploring the reality that God has our best interest in mind.

It’s not just about sex and marriage, though. Whether it’s money, sex, drugs, careers, relationships, or just plain fun, the lie that God doesn’t want what’s really best for me has been told over and over again. And sadly, the current Church has allowed these and other lies to be believed, losing a generation in the process. It’s new churches and new generations of leaders that bear the burden of reversing these lies.

That's why this new church must be launched in our community. That’s the first reason this new church won't be just "another church."