I kind of like Shane's preaching. He says some good stuff that makes sense and resonates in me. Here's a good sermon and some points that he talks about (and then my comments below):

• The church isn't a building, it's the people.
• Life is hard. We meet at "church" to encourage each other, love each other and pray for each other... and to eat coffee and doughnuts.
  
• How taking offerings in some churches have kind of gone the wrong way and it's a turn off. Why give? There are needs in the church. It wasn't the "Christian Investment Portfolio" program or to build a great building. It was for love.
• On average, 97% of offerings in churches go toward operating budgets. About 3% goes out. Even less (.01%) goes towards reaching people who have never heard of Jesus. Wow.
• It's better to give money to feed people and take care of them. That's how it started.
• Paying pastors isn't so that they do all the work. Their job is to equip everyone else to have their own ministry (we're just called to show people love). If everyone's doing their part, then you don't need to pay a lot of people to be on staff (a-men, bro!).
• Home churches are key. How else do you find out where there's a need?
• They want to stay small as they grow big. Jesus said he'd leave the 99 to go after the 1.
• Someone left a church and never heard back from them until the church needed money from them or to help serve (huh?).
• Love must be sincere.
• We're not supposed to do this on our own (life).
  

The church as it is now seems to be to embedded in the church building itself. It seems to have put down roots instead of have legs. Jesus didn't have one main building that he had people come to - no, he went to the people. His church building, if anything, was people's houses - like Nicodemus. Jesus went to his house - invited himself over, basically. It was cool.

The church should be wherever you go. Home churches are the way to go:

• No overhead (or very little). Imagine having everyone's 10% and deciding who to help that week? I think people would be a LOT more willing to give. Blessings would be overflowing and not getting stuck in overhead costs.
• No pastors. Just choose someone every week to provide a message and take turns doing it. We're all saints, equals.
• It's more intimate and more effective. Discipling happens. People's lives change.
• There's no big show of people coming down an aisle to the alter for a change to happen. It's done more naturally and is more effective.

Enjoy the message.
-T