Incarnational or Attractional?
If someone asked me what I thought we were getting right with the church we’re starting here in Vegas, I have an answer. (But no one’s asked!) But the other day I was talking to Robb and he told me what he thinks. I’ll tell you in a minute.
So … one of the debates Christians have today is whether the church should be incarnational (get out in the community, serve, show the life of Jesus, hope life change happens out there as we build relationships and do life) or attractional (get people from the community into the church for services, teach them about the life of Jesus, hope life change happens in here as we communicate about a relationship with God and life with Him). So … is it incarnational or attractional?
I think that’s the easiest question to answer ever. It’s both. Jesus did both. We see both in the book of Acts. Some people in the church will be more gifted at incarnational methods, others at attractional. Some people in the community will respond better to incarnational methods, others to attractional. It’s both.
Robb’s opinion about what we’re doing best with our church plant is that we’re doing … both. We’re almost doing each of them like they’re the only thing we’re doing, almost that much attention and energy. We’re doing both.