6Church congregations all across the United States are searching for the magic bullet, the secret to attracting people, growing their membership and their cultural relevance. They are looking for the right program, or the right environment, or the right features to help bring people back into the pews. With all of this searching for the right answer, they're missing what's right in front of them: Word and Sacrament.

The ancient church saw martyrdom as an honor. Today, we cower in corners, bickering over the color of the carpet. The ancient church conquered the world by dying at its hands. Today, we are crushed in an overwhelming retreat of trying to fit in. The first Christians were not searching for anything. They were convinced that they had found the answer. They had the power message of a Savior. They were fearless. Could the magic bullet, the secret, be that simple?