In light of some sermon research I’ve been doing I reached out to my mentor Tim Keller early in the week and he recommended that I read “American Grace” by Havard professor Robert Putnam. Of course I did not yet read the 500 plus pages but just by skimming through the book I noticed that the author builds a very interesting case.

Putnam points out in his study, that worship attending americans regardless of what they believe, have a greater tendency of becoming better neighbors and citizens. Consistent worship attenders (even if secular but attend with their religious spouse or friend) are more involved in their neighborhoods, donate more blood, care more for the physical needs of  others, give more of their time and money and, have less problem with people cutting in front of them at the grocery line.

Interestingly enough, the Miami New Times posted last week that in the latest Annual Volunteering in America Report, Miami ranked as last. I think we’ve been the reigning champs on this one for a while now. Maybe 3 years? Not surprising but ironically, Miami is also among the top 3 of most unchurched cities in America. Some even argue it’s the number 1.

From the standpoint of Putner’s survey, if Miami is to become a better city with better and must I highlight, nicer neighbors, it will need a lot more new churches.

Now, imagine what it would look like if the majority of these new churches where less consumeristic and less individualistic in their approaches? What if they were more about the good news instead of dispensing good advice? What if they talked more about the poor and less about how you can get healthier and wealthier? What if they lived more with the mentality of bringing heaven down than about evacuating to a heaven up somewhere? What if there was more emphasis on church on the other 6 days of the week instead of the pep rally sugar highs of the weekends? What if there were as many weekly exit door calls to redeem what’s broken in the city as there are altar calls?

We would have a bright future ahead of us.