Thank You NEWSWEEK!

If you have yet to read through Newsweek's current cover story entitled 'The End of Christian America', I would encourage you to do so. Of all that was said and the discoveries that were made, I was encouraged by the following statement: "While the unaffiliated have historically been concentrated in the Pacific Northwest, the report said, 'this pattern has now changed, and the Northeast emerged in 2008 as the new stronghold of the religiously unidentified.' As Albert Mohler saw it, the historic foundation of America's religious culture was cracking."

Why would I be encouraged by this you may ask? Simple - this is WHY churches need to plant churches that will plant churches. If followers of Jesus Christ (Christians) are going to impact and influence the culture for the gospel, we need to be planting churches where the church sees itself as a missionary to this 'post-Christian culture.' I realize there is debate as to if America is truly 'post-Christian' or not, but the point is simple, there is a NEED to plant churches that will love Jesus and their neighbor!

So thank you Newsweek for doing the research and affirming something that I hope and pray the church will respond to. The church was never meant to escape the world, but we are called to engage the world around as men and women who have been sent. Let us not forget the words of Jesus to his disciple post-resurrection: "As the Father has sent me, I am now sending you." (John 20:21)

To those in the GENESIS community reading these words, God has placed a call on our community to be that church that will not settle for anything but being the very hands and feet of Jesus Christ to this New England culture! Let it be said of us that we did not shrink back from this call, but that we like the Apostle Paul resolved to 'become ALL things to ALL men so that by ALL possible means we might save some.' (1 Corinthians 9:22-23)