meditatio at the water's edge

What do most churches expect of the people in their communities? Is it being unfair to suggest that the expectations are usually and woefully inadequate? From my experience, most churches expect four things:
1) to give uncritical mental assent to a certain list of doctrinal statements.
2) to attend the big events of the group on a regular basis, and to be involved in some kind of volunteer service.
3) to be nice and polite when among other members of the group.
4) to give a certain percentage of one's income.

There is little, if any, practical expectation for spiritual transformation. We will allow people to remain spiritually unformed as long as they agree with our ideas, show up to our programs, act friendly while they are there, and contribute to the church budget. This may create nice, polite (at least publicly) volunteers, but it does little to create spiritually (trans)formed apprentices of Jesus. This is simply unacceptable, and cannot continue to be perpetuated.

If we are to create true communities of apprentices to Jesus, we MUST be about more than agreeing, attending, politeness, and 'tithing'. I don't think those things are even compelling to people who we identify as 'lost.' We must be about something that is fundamentally different than that which has passed for the Christian life in America. We must take Jesus seriously when he talks about life in the kingdom of God. We must start placing our confidence in him--really--and begin to really do the things he taught and modeled. And it is almost embarrassing to have to say that it is more than what we have accepted for so long in the church.

These are a few of my proposals.
1) We will place a greater emphasis on right living as an expression of one's actual beliefs.
2) We will place a higher emphasis on true community in whatever form it really occurs.
3) We will be people who are increasingly reflecting the character of Christ, rather than merely being nice and polite. We will increasingly become people of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, humility, self-control, forgiveness, and mercy.
4) We will give, not first and foremost to programming budgets and buildings, but so that no one will be in need.

Surely, more will be involved than these, but I suggest these as an alternative to what has passed for 'the Christian life'.

It is only when we become fundamentally different that we will begin to present a compelling alternative way of life to the people around us.