As I look at the landscape of the American church today I see so much that leaves me sad. My social media feeds are flooded with people who are rightly criticizing the American church, it’s not hard to do. We have failed across the board in so many ways. Everywhere I look I can find examples of what not to do. If clicks and popularity in the online space is the primary factor for being online then it appears a Christian “thought leader” or “influencer” can go one of two ways. They can become political megaphones for one side or the other. The other way is to become a constant voice of critique of the Church or a non-stop defender of the Church regardless of the issue.

I confess that there was a moment when I began to be very attracted to simply critiquing everything. It’s so easy. There’s so much to critique.

I didn’t like what I was becoming.

So, I stopped writing and publishing for a while. I needed the break. I needed to stop and reflect and take a stock of the state of my own soul.

The question that I began to wrestle with is, “Instead of being a state of constant critique can I actually be communicating to the world a way to be the church?”

As I have reflected on that question it became apparent that I can and that to do so will demand answering so many other questions. What should we as the Church be in the world? What does it mean to follow the way of Christ? How can we be ambassadors with a message of reconciliation?

It won’t be very click-baity stuff. But, I want to write and publish a positive vision of what the Church can be. Likely this means that people on either side of ideological divide will get frustrated or think I’m being vague. That’s OK. As we pursue a way of being it means that we will inevitably have to move beyond the either/or to so much both/and. “Keeping in step with the Spirit,” as Paul writes demands presence, listening, and learning to be in the midst of the mess.

So, that’s the direction I’m going to head, I hope you will come along for the ride. In other words, welcome to the mess.