First off, we want to say we love you.
Your vision. Your dreams. They have helped shape the world in some small way. Or maybe in a big way. You have made a difference.
Your teaching. Your preaching. Your writing. Your hard work.
So thank you for your obedience and your heart. Keep chasing after God. Keep chasing the lost.
But…
….some things have happened, and we need to talk. We need to get some things out in the open.
Maybe it’s not you. Maybe it’s just the world itself. Maybe it is both. But change has happened. We are back where we started.
“I don’t want to go to church…anywhere.” We’ve heard this lament our whole lives from people. Only today it seems louder and louder.
So we are pleading with you:
We need more Jesus, and less of you. Jesus saves. You don’t. So get out of the way. Because your personality, talents, and gifts are either tools in HIS hands or distractions in the hands of the ENEMY. Don’t be a celebrity. Be a servant.
We need more openness and honesty, and less posture, gesture, and image-control. The more authentic you are, the more we are likely to trust you.
We need less talk about giving to you, and more about giving to others.
We need less talk about division, and more talk about unity.
We need less blame, and more confession.
We need less gossip, and more communication.
We need to know that you see the pastor down the street as your partner, not your rival.
We need to see maturity. Don’t act like middle school kids on Facebook. Control your tongues. Don’t throw out Scripture in a shotgun blast where you hope to hit the target of the one person you should have talked to directly.
We need you to be nice. You can’t preach/teach love and not love people. Even that guy you don’t like… he’s still a child of God, like you. Be careful who you spurn, because word travels quickly. “Not nice” will destroy you.
We need less “show,” and more heart. You’ve already got our attention, now show us what you are made of.
We need to know you love the unlovable, that you forgive the unforgivable, and that you live and breathe reconciliation. We are tired of fakers.
We need your mind to be open. And your door.
We need you to show us how to live like Christ. We need transformation to start with you so you can model it for us.
We need church to be a body – not a place, not a building, not a brand.
***
We make this plea with you the same way prophets made the plea throughout the ages.
As Isaiah cried, “Stop pointing your fingers!” (Isa. 58:9). As Jeremiah cried, “Why have you wounded us past all hope of healing?” (Jer. 14:19) Like Ezekiel, “…at least they will know they have had a prophet among them.” (Eze. 2:5)
Remember, we love you. The Gospel has advanced because of you.
We know we can do better. But we know you can, too.
We need you.
But more than that…
…the world needs you.
unORDINARY 
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