Jason E. Vickers > Quotes

“despite the visible disunity of the church throughout the world, we can rightly attribute unity to the church insofar as it is the same Holy Spirit who enables the church in all of its manifestations to bear witness to Jesus Christ and to worship the Holy Trinity in truth and love.”
― Jason E. Vickers, Minding the Good Ground: A Theology for Church Renewal

“As Jürgen Moltmann puts it, In the movements of the Trinitarian history of God’s dealings with the world the church finds and discovers itself, in all the relationships which comprehend its life. It finds itself on the path traced by this history of God’s dealings with the world, and it discovers itself as one element in the movements of the divine sending, gathering together and experience. It is not the church that has a mission of salvation to fulfill in the world; it is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the church, creating a church as it goes on its way.”
― Jason E. Vickers, Minding the Good Ground: A Theology for Church Renewal

“The church that truly yearns for renewal will commit herself to one thing above all else. She will invite the Holy Spirit to come, and she will do so continuously until the Spirit shows up.”
― Jason E. Vickers, Minding the Good Ground: A Theology for Church Renewal

“In the postmodern West, people want to know more than how big the church is. They want to know whether the church has anything of substance to offer. They want to know whether the Christian God is impotent or indifferent. They want to know whether Christians are truly different; whether we are the called-out ones, sanctified and made perfect in love for God and ministry to one another and to the world. They want to know whether the church is a place of spiritual stagnation or genuine spiritual growth.”
― Jason E. Vickers, Minding the Good Ground: A Theology for Church Renewal

“We need to put as much time and energy into thinking about why people should come to church as we do into thinking about how to get them to come. In other words, we need to think carefully about what the church actually has to offer people who come to worship or who become members. If we are not clear about why people will be better off for the trouble of getting out of bed on Sunday morning, then we may succeed in boosting attendance for a season, but we will fall short of the long-haul renewal that we so desperately need and desire.”
― Jason E. Vickers, Minding the Good Ground: A Theology for Church Renewal