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We need more people to dream this big! The only thing I would add is...to have a place where the Holy Spirit is allowed to move in the meeting and in each believer. I have been in way too many situations where this is contained. In fact, I heard a pastor make the comment to someone who felt led to offer thoughts during a time of open participation, "we need to wrap up what the Holy Spirit is doing" Now why would you want to do a thing like that?
Great thoughts, John. Keep dreaming!

I like Christy's addition. Really the essence of what you are dreaming for, John, seems to be an unpacking of the two great commands: to love God and to love our neighbour. Number 11 mentions this in relation to our use of Scripture, but it definitely reaches much further than that. Another very worthwhile and thought-provoking posting. Thank you!

Once again, an excellent post. I'd agree that adding one about the movement and flow of the Spirit is good - beyond that, I think You've covered pretty well everything :)

I dream too much, but these are great ones.

I dream of a church where orthodoxy and orthopraxy are always complimenting one another.

*drools all over keyboard*

Excellent stuff John!
From a personal perspective, I would add these two.

I dream of a church where raw faith drives us to explore and discover the greatness of who God is.

I dream of a church that is more outward focused than inward focused.

Your posts always encourages me to think on things bigger than I might otherwise...thanks.

Can't say it much better than Molly did!

Just some additional thoughts:

I dream of a church that is a healing community where people carry each other's burdens and help restore gently.

I dream of a church that is desperately dependent on prayer.

I dream of a church that sees themselves as a community on a mission together.

And maybe to go along with #6, I dream of a church where the pastor is not a CEO.

Christy,

Great addition, thanks for your thoughts and encouragement.

Colin,

Thanks a lot. Yeah, loving God and our neighbor really does sum things up.

Paul,

Thanks for the feedback, and for linking to the post!

Matt,

Glad to find someone else who thinks too much about the church.

Really dig your addition.

Molls,

I didn't think I'd ever have welcomed drool so much :-)

Thanks my friend.

Shannon,

I really resonate with your additions. Thanks for adding those.

Glad I can be a thought-provoker for you. You have great thoughts waiting to be dreamt out :-)

Blind Beggar,

I really resonate with you additions as well. There's something about the church being a "healing community" that especially draws me in. I think that says a lot about what I need at this time in my life, but I'm sure many many others need the same. Actually, I'm sure everyone does at least a few times in life.

...having come off the back of a not so fantastic church into one that seems brilliant in comparison and then to have been there long enough to realise that things aren't always so perfect (they're not bad,) but people are still human...

I love these dreams and I think at my best I'd pretty much do anything to make them a reality (somehow, sometime... ) but in the meantime reality is what I can see and we are a long way getting there.

I certainly hope there are those of us out there doing our utmost to bring something of the sort about... where to start? How to get others to catch the flavor of this kind of church?

Bec,

Thanks for dropping by. I'm like you, I'd pretty much do anything to make this a reality.

I think it is so hard to turn many of these things into a reality. I think there's a blog post in exploring some thoughts on how to go from dream to reality that I might do.

But I'm not sure that my suggestions would be as helpful as I'd want them to be because there are some many variables to turning this into reality. And by variables, I mean people, and people are so unpredictable--no doubt myself included.

I love you man! This is why the internet and blogging in particular has been so powerful for me and my husband and our ministry endeavors - it has grown our dreams and allowed us to connect with other dreamers. This has in turn, fueled us and spurred us on and given us confirmation that the Spirit of the living God is stirring in his Church.

drooling right along with molly. I dream all those things and those that were added. So hey, those who dream of these things too, get going and make it a reality!

We are currently going through a teaching series at church called "We Have A Dream," and we talk a lot about what you write here.It's so exciting to grow together as a church and to contribute to our defining attributes. This way, we can work together to achieve goals and to encourage one another in our faith.
Great insights, everyone!

Mak,

Thank you, thank you, thank you :-)

It has meant a lot to me to get to know you and David more recently, and it's very encouraging to have other people on the same journey as me exploring these things.

Jody,

Thanks for sharing! That's great that your church is talking about similar things together. I think that's a great idea to have conversations like this in a local church.

I like your list!

And I would add the following...

I dream of a church that is wholly in love with Jesus Christ.

I dream of a church that is utterly smitten by Jesus and because of that they become the worlds greatest enthusiast for him.

I dream of a church that champions Jesus in all it does because they can't help it.

Steve,

Thanks for the additions, good stuff.

Wonderful John! This is my kind of church- and one I woudn't fear joining incase I wrecked it...

can I add a thought...

I dream of a church that listens, to the Spirits stirrings and promptins, to one another, and to the community/ context it is placed in.

and... oh I'm enjoying this now...

I dream of a church where questions of finance are secondary!

Sally,

Dreaming is good for the soul and bringing back hope.

Thanks for your additions, they're great.

John, you've inspired me to blog (writing currently) a list of my own - thank you for that.

For now, let me say that a church who could embody even half the things on that list would be an inspiration place to be participate in!

Fernando,

I'll look forward to reading what you write.

I agree that a church that embodied half those things would be an inspiration, but hey, a guy can dream, can't he?

Cringeworthy. Sorry for sounding so critical, but I wanted to comment, having been directed here from another Blog.

Why cringeworthy? Because it's just dreams, that's all. If Church is the people and not the building as you say in point 15, then it's down to the people to actually do something, not to the clergy, nor the PCC.

Being in Church is about living as a Christian, loving God and your neighbour 24/7. Going to worship in a church is but a small part of this, the rest of the time we can decide and do for ourselves, we don't need to be part of the herd that says, Church should do it for us.

So, if you want to love your neighbour, go volunteer somewhere, I'm sure God will be as happy that you're helping in a secular charity as in a saintly one.

I think sometimes we forget that we don't have to do everything together as Church, that we as individuals can get off our backsides and do something on our own initiative.

Mind you Church doesn't always help foster that, but then we don't have to follow Church, because we are Church.

Sorry, I'm being critical, but if all we do is dream, then how can we serve God.

Good dreams John!!!

I'd throw in humility, gentleness, teachability, messiness and where folks are both mentors and mentees, learners and teachers...

love it - love it - love it!

Peace & Blessings

J

Alex,

Thanks for sharing your opinions. But I kinda feel like either you didn't read what I wrote closely enough, or I didn't write clearly enough. Because I think I covered those points in the above. I agree wholeheartedly with what you say.

For example see 16 and 23 in light of 15.

Paul,

Awesome additions! I'll take those to go with a side of fries.

Johnny,

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I appreciate your encouragement.

May I dream with you? And I am leaning towards wanting to be known as a Jesus-follower rather than a Christian too (re your last post)

Suzy,

Please do dream with me. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Blessings.

I dream of a church who's assests are placed toward kingdom building and not the building.

I dream of church where people are encouraged and equipped to be the church.

I dream of a church who sees m - sat as more important than sunday.

I dream of a church where each gift perfectly formed ministers to the enttire body.

I dream of a church where dreams are allowed and risks for the kingdom are taken.

Great post

Jerry, that last one is TOPS!

I dream of a church that actually pays attention to the words of the person they claim to "worship". I dream of a church that does not "worship" christ, but follows his path as he asked. I dream of a church that abandons doctrine or memorized facts of God and actually seeks the God within...as jesus did. I dream of a church that abandons its need for security among others and actually finds the faith in God that they claim to have....as long as you Need others to agree with you that you're right, you're not facing your fear of being alone...you're hiding behind a book and a group of people. I dream of a church no more...I dream of actual religion. Faith in God.

Sincerely,

A Forgetful God

Jerry,

Those are awesome. Thanks for dreaming along with me.

Forgetful God,

We appear to mean quite different things when we say "God", but thanks for sharing your thoughts nonetheless.

Thank you John for your encouragement to seek after God's heart for His people! Here's my 2 cents:

I dream of a church with God's holistic vision, where departments do not compete, but work together to the glory of God.

I dream of a church where pastoral care is about Christ restoring the broken, so that salvations result as an overflow of the church being whole.

I dream of a church that holds the right tension between truth and love.

I dream of a church that gets on board with what the Father is already doing in our midst.

I dream of a church that welcomes sinners.

I dream of a church where "loving one another" is not reduced to a deliverance ministry or moving in the spiritual gifts.

I dream of a church where it's safe to be fallen and dependent on God's grace through Christ.

I dream of a church where we are firstly son's and daughter's of God, and secondly brothers and sisters in Christ, before we are pastors and members, etc.

I dream of a church who's only "strategy" for evangelism is giving glory to God by loving Him and others, in Jesus' name.

Ok... I think I'm done... for now!

Kathryn,

Thank you for your wonderful additions!

I'm blogging over at http://johnsmulo.com now. Make sure you stop by! I put up this post there as well.

The term "fire" brings up visions of violence and mayhem and the ugly scene
of shooting employees who make mistakes. We will now refer to this process
as "deleting" an employee (much as a file is deleted from a disk). The
employee is simply there one instant, and gone the next. All the terrible
temper tantrums, crying, and threats are eliminated.
-- Kenny's Korner

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