CHURCHLESS IN SEATTLE

Ok, so, here goes:
Just came back from spending some time with emerging friends in Washington State, Casey and Andrea Cerratani in Seattle and Eric And LeeElla Blauer over in Spokane 6 hours east.I say emerging friends as they are fully immersed in Gods emerging church stuff but we have really only met for an hour hear or there and mostly had an e mail church relationship, which has been really valid and useful to us.

Casey moved from a fat salaried job into seattle cause its such a high non christian population, opposite of the bible belt really and not unlikle the UK ratio climate, and the climate - poured most days. Heres my fave qoute from there...., or a variation on a theme: "80% of the people in Seattle are unchurched, it is my profound hope that in 10 years time, 80% of them will still be unchurched"
So - I liked that immensely because what Casey was saying was he wants to see a harvest of people who find Jesus and participate fully in his kingdom, but not become removed into the sub culture of the church. I would add to that, i would like to see some of the 18 to 20 % of churched people in seattle becoming unchurched as well.
Seattle is full of hope, cause anything goes, which means the church does not have a monopoly or stranglehold on people trying to work out new skin for the church there. Excellllllllllant!.
I got to share that story when in Spokane at a Youth Church conference called blaze, but added another little bit from a ywam guy called steve sullivan who i admire greatly. He once sat with me and said with real facial expression(the bits not obscured by the beard of doom) and said, "Gaz, i was with some guys recently who have seen a hundred youth saved in just a few months.....pauses........... but after only a year, almost all of them are back in the world.......... long pause......... Hallelujah, thats where they are meant to be.
Are you catching my drift here? I am really not praying for revival, i i think the people around me in the prayer movement stuff could prehaps think i should be, but i am probably not alone in thinking we are not At All READY For REVIVAL. What is the point of hurling a whole bunch of people into centralised safe till heaven church to only save them into new bondages, and a version of freedom?
We have lost revival fruit b4, its old stuff now but still relevant to point out that if 2000, made a response to the Billy crusades in England in the 50's, a year later less than 200 could be found still in a church, and heck, what does that mean, is that ,meant to say we succeeded with 200 or have held them in a pen away from life?
Gerald Coates once said, "If you can live without revival - you probably will" - so there is a tension there, but im not ready to see dysfunction reproduced or heck - definately not about to see the church in general think its no longer in need of reformation cause new people have come through the door........... I just think we need to know the seasons, and perhaps even an order to things -im my small mind anyways.
So.......Lets pray that Seattle see's an incredible breakthrough of people saved into the kingdom and remaining unchurched in terms of those negatives, and perhaps even pray for a breakout to occur so we see an increase in the churched becoming less churched and more kingdom.I met many there who are becoming exactly that - wonderful people seeing a second light in a second darkness.

OooErrr Missus