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I'm unclear on how one can create a "permanent fixture in society" and not create an institution. Cunningham seems to suggest that "real-life faith" is stifled by institutions, so we should avoid them at all costs. I'm not sure it's possible to sustain real-life faith without institutions.

For those who leave the institutional church, the focus seems to be on alternative communities. In "A Leaver's Manifesto" at the end of his book, Sanders says that the foundation of this new movement is the home church. He is so committed to this idea that he writes, "We can affirm the larger gathering for worship and celebration, but we can't call it church."

There is no question that home churches can facilitate powerful, deep community. Indeed, worship, community, and mission are all part of what it means to be the church. But I suspect there is a reason the institutional church has incorporated from its beginning liturgy, catechesis, creeds, and ordained offices—not to mention the sacraments. Over time, we discovered these were vital elements of church. As much as these things can sometimes feel rote, it would be naïve to wave them off as unessential.

In trying to make church relevant again, the authors focus on rethinking the Sunday morning service. In the process, they suggest how culturally trapped many in my generation are. "Too often," Sanders writes, "churches have failed to create an experience that serves and nurtures people at each point on that journey." Cunningham quotes a 20-something who declared, "I'm really tired of the pulpit-pew congregation style because it doesn't transform lives in the same way as one-to-one communication does." She quotes one pastor whose rule of thumb is, "If it doesn't help someone live out their faith Monday through Friday, it's not worth saying."

Of course, local congregations should encourage and disciple their members, help them to serve one another in practical ways, and offer opportunities for meaningful community. But just because those things don't happen on Sunday morning doesn't mean we're not being the church when we gather for worship.

Yes, we're Americans. We multitask all day long. Efficiency is one of our top cultural values. I, too, am pragmatic. I'd like to use Sunday morning to worship God, to get a few pointers on how to improve my relationship with Jesus, and to reconnect with community. But every Sunday, the first words heard at my institutional church are, "Blessed be God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." And I'm reminded that we gather weekly not to hear a practical talk on how to better live out our faith or to provide a venue to tell our friends about Jesus. We gather corporately to worship God, to celebrate the redeeming work of Christ on the cross, and to remember that our lives are not about us.

Sanders and Cunningham don't completely disagree. Each spends some time giving a kick in the pants to the disillusioned, and Cunningham's warning hits home: "This kind of unexpected idolatry—the obsession with living in despair over what is wrong with the institutionalized church—creeps up on you (like most shifty little idols do). … Criticism becomes what we end up worshiping." She encourages 20-somethings to have a little more grace and patience with the failures of the church and ends her book with a love letter to the church.

The church can indeed be bureaucratic, inefficient, and, at times, hopelessly outdated. It remains one of the most embarrassing institutions to which one can belong. But it has also given us a 2,000-year legacy of saints and social reformers, and a rich liturgy and theology—the very gift 20-somethings need to grow into the full stature of Christ.

Katie Galli, a barista and a member of an Anglican congregation in Glen Ellyn, Illinois

Copyright © 2008 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Life after Church: God's Call to Disillusioned Christians and Dear Church: Letters from a Disillusioned Generation are available from ChristianBook.com and other retailers.

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April 2008, Vol. 52, No. 4