I imagine we all know people who have disengaged from church; who have found it too painful or taxing or frustrating or confusing to keep coming back. I’m thinking in particular of leaders, who want to believe that church is a good thing, but have battled against too much evidence to the contrary.Often they get sins pinned on them as the reason for their disconnection. Perhaps they don’t pray enough or have inappropriate relationships. Perhaps they need more faith, more vision, more repentance. Or perhaps they need someone to actually listen to the things they find hard, to acknowledge the contradictions that do seem to come with being church, and to help them find creative and real ways to navigate those tensions.
In October we are hosting the ‘Engaged’ weekend in Cambridge, which is a conversation for those who find themselves disengaging or are friends with those who are. It will be creative, participatory, real and engaging. It is about still loving Jesus even if we can’t make sense of the rest.
Together we will explore staying engaged - with God, each other, with church, society, and with theology. It might just open up new possibilities for each of us to be what God made us: a contribution to the world in which we live.
Date: 27-28 October 2007
Details: www.citylifechurch.net/engaged
