The congregation has left the building

UPDATE #2 - Here's one from "the people formerly known as the pastor" - John Frye, at his blog, Jesus The Radical Pastor - one of Peter's (my first and ever only real pastor) good friends, wrote this and it's heartbreaking.

UPDATE: Bill just linked to two other bloggers who have written "part two" and "part three":

Emerging Grace - The Underlying Issues

Jamie Arpin-Ricci at (e)mergent Voyageurs - The Community Coming to be known as Missional

Great, great thoughts!
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Have you ever read your own story in someone else's words?

I just found a link to this article on Mark Peterson's blog - Open Hands - and he quoted part of the blog post of the original author Bill Kinnon - Achievable Ends:

We are the eikons who once sat in the uncomfortable pews or plush theatre seating of your preaching venues. We sat passively while you proof-texted your way through 3, 4, 5 or no point sermons - attempting to tell us how you and your reading of The Bible had a plan for our lives. Perhaps God does have a plan for us - it just doesn’t seem to jive with yours. ….

You offered us a myriad of programs to join - volunteer positions to assuage our desire to be connected. We could be greeters, parking lot attendants, coffee baristas, book store helpers, children’s ministry workers, media ministry drones - whatever you needed to fulfill your dreams of corporate glory. Perhaps you’ve noticed, we aren’t there anymore.

We are The People formerly known as The Congregation. We have not stopped loving the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Nor do we avoid “the assembling of the saints.” We just don’t assemble under your supposed leadership. We meet in coffee shops, around dinner tables, in the parks and on the streets. We connect virtually across space and time - engaged in generative conversations - teaching and being taught.

Read the rest of this amazing post here:

The People Formerly Known as the Congregation