There’s a new church getting startes in Chicago, the Lincoln Park Church Plant, and its website is at www.thechurchplant.org/.
I like what the leadership is trying to accomplish. Saturday early evening is a great time, and because it is under the care of the the Evangelical Covenant Church, it will probably be well suppored in prayer and resources.
But there’s something to jargon-y about the church that just turns me off.
An example, from their question and answer section:
What if I do not live in Lincoln Park?
No worries. We have chosen the Lincoln Park neighborhood because the greatest concentration of the target population lives there. Given that we aim to keep church meetings to a minimum, geography should not present too great a challenge. While living in the ministrys neighborhood provides many advantages, we encourage you to focus primarily upon the prompting of the Holy Spirit or a burden for the vision.
“Target populations?” Boy that makes me feel all warm and welcomed, and the document is full so such bon mot.
I wish them well (really) but in our work it is worth remembering that the language we use, say, to get funding mightn’t ne the same as what we would use with the people we welcome. The gospel, after all, cries out for the right word with which to be spoken.