I'm
a regular guy. I have a lovely
wife, three great kids, a job, a mortgage, and a minivan. It's good to
get that out of the way in case you think I am qualified to tell you the
future of the Church and what you should do about it. In fact, the Church
is full of regular people like me. We read, think, dream, experiment,
grow, and yearn for kingdom come. And the transition that is occuring in
the Church right now will be navigated by people like us.In
2001, I originally created whatischurch.com as a means to document the
experience of planting a church in South Florida. Over the years, we have
met others who have been asking similar questions and experimenting all
over the world. The most valuable element in our journey together has not
been the conferences we've attended or the books we've read by the
so-called experts. Rather, it has been the opportunity to swap stories
from the 'front-lines' and glean wisdom from each other as comrades.
I trust that the stories and information found on this site and in the
pages of my book, "What is Church? A Story of Transition," will be an
encouragement to you. God is committed to renewing his people so we can
continue to be a blessing to the world and join him in the work of his
kingdom. You may not agree with all the conclusions we've come to, but
hopefully our story will spark your imagination towards renewal and new
life in your own context.
Much Peace,
Mike Bishop
Christmas Day, 2008 |