Thursday, January 26, 2012

Word on the Street

January 26, 2012

This week I had the opportunity to attend and lead a workshop at the Large Church Initiative in Richardson. LCI is an annual gathering of United Methodist leaders from all across the country who direct some of our largest congregations. It is a great time of worship, inspiration and education.

One of the keynote addresses was given by Reggie McNeal (No, not the former Texas A&M quarterback). Reggie lives in Atlanta, GA but is part of a company called Leadership Network which is headquartered here in Dallas. I had never heard him speak but I have read a marvelous book he wrote entitled: Missional Renaissance: Changing the Scorecard for the Church.

Because of his work, Reggie spends a great deal of time in airports. He told the gathering on Wednesday that he also loves to travel and visit wonderful destinations. He said: "A while back it occurred to me that the airport is never the final destination. No one says 'I think I'll go on a trip to the airport.' The airport cannot compete with the destinations to which we travel. In the same way I've come to realize that the Church is like the airport. We are not the destination. The Church is merely the connector to the Kingdom of God."

What would it look like for our church to be like an airport, helping people connect to life in all its abundance; what Jesus called the Kingdom of God?

Billy Echols-Richter
Pastor