A few days ago, we were at a fast food restaurant with some friends, and I didn't even realize it, but I was in "fast-food-restaurant" mode. I was impatiently waiting at the counter for my long overdue order when a young man bounced in the doors. He was in his upper teens, and had obviously just gotten off work at the grocer store nearby. He immediately struck up a conversation with the cashier. I thought he was hitting on her. They laughed, and he ordered. All the while, I'm becoming more and more impatient. After the cashier walked away, he turned to me and said, "You can come too. We'd love to have you." At that moment, I realized I hadn't even heard a word he was saying because I was so caught up in my own grief concerning my not-so-fast fast food. I said gently, "Come to what?" He proceeded to invite me to his church, obviously a place that he cared deeply about. He might as well have slapped me across the face. That's what I felt like had happened anyway. He had been inviting the cashier to his church.
So I introduced myself as one of the pastors at our local church, and he was delighted to meet a brother in Christ. Before he walked away, I asked him, "Tell me, Isaac, what do you love so much about your church?" I was expecting something like, "I like the music," or "They have something for everyone." But I was pleasantly surprised when he responded: "That's where I found Jesus, and was filled with the Holy Ghost."
Obviously, Isaac was a Pentecostal. But that didn't stop my mouth from hitting the floor in delightful astonishment. This young man wasn't trying to sell a we-have-something-for-everyone, feel-good, the-music-is-awesome church experience. He was selling a life changing experience with the One True God. He had been saved from His sin. Guaranteed New Life here, and Eternal Life in heaven with Jesus. He had been transformed. And the excitement of His new life could not be contained within. It was overflowing from his lips.
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Music is the hot-button issue. We do hymns because "that's what the older people like" and we do contemporary songs because "that's what the young people like." I wonder if God prefers hymns or contemporary music? Or maybe Classical, Fourth Species Counterpoint, or Sonatas. Perhaps He is most "moved" by Gregorian Chant or Centrific melodies. Honestly, I don't think He cares one single bit about the style... He cares about the heart.
The opposite of entertaining the house guests musically would be to decide what kind of music would be relevant to the culture around us. If we Christians are after God's own heart, perhaps we should seek to worship Him in a way in which our community can join without adding another barrier to the message itself. BUT THIS BLOG IS NOT ABOUT MUSIC...
How about programs? Now listen, it's important to have good programs. And I really believe our church does a fantastic job at this. But since when was the number of programs "your church offers for me and my family" the main deciding factor in whether or not I join "your" church? When we sell our programs, what kind of members does that attract? I'll tell you - - - that attracts people who are introspectively motivated. They are concerned with their own feelings, and their own needs. Likewise, they will be the first to tell you when your programs aren't meeting those needs or stroking those fragile emotions.
A better characteristic to be evaluated when considering a prospective church would be something like, "How is God moving in this church?" or "How are they reaching their community for Christ?" Again, programs are good. But what is their purpose? To satisfy church members' desires and preferences, or to reach new people for Christ and to educate believers in God's Word? I would hope for the latter.
My prayer is that people would walk away from our church with a contagious zeal for Christ. That they would invite every cashier and bystander they encounter to our church... not because "We have something for everybody." But rather, because "God is doing amazing things there."
Consumer-based church programming will not satisfy the ultimate need of the lost in our community. And honestly, it will not satisfy the deepest needs of the saved in our community either. People are looking for reality. They are desperately searching for something that will change who they are. Something they can hold onto when everything else in their lives is shaken. Something they can believe in when emotions tear their hearts in two. They don't need to see a church that's got a hundred different mediocre programs running. They need to see changed lives that are unquestionably altered by what they believe. They need Jesus. And lots of Him.
Lost people may be saying, "Entertain Me." But they're seeking "Love Me."
Grace and Peace,
Tony
What I like about my church... I like that I dont feel like were just people, but a big family. I also feel like its sort of a filling station and a place where I can grow in christ and help others do the same.
ReplyDeleteFunny - I just wrote this blog, then sat down to read... This is what I read...
ReplyDelete"Sadly, many churches simply mirror the pop culture that youngsters are already immersed in... ...draw kids in by using loud music, silly skits, and slapstick games - lots of paintball and whipped cream. There's nothing wrong with good clean fun. But the force of sheer emotional experience will not equip teens to address the ideas they will encounter when they leave home and face the world on their own. Young people whose faith is mostly emotional are likely to retain it only as long as it is making them happy. As soon as a difficult crisis comes along, it will evaporate." - Nancy Pearcey, "Saving Leonardo"
Knocked another one out of the park. I must add, that if we have pastors and members more concerned about reaching God heart so that he can come in and "inhabit our praise" some of the things we want to do in our communities and in our church's will come along with the anointing. Salvation should be our main goal. I enjoyed as usual, Tony. God Bless.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - That's an excellent answer. Especially in our season (culturally), the church needs to be a place where we can all "do life" together. Some of us don't have family anywhere close, and others have a family environment that is not conducive to or supportive of biblical Christianity. It is vital that the church be a "family" as you have so beautifully penned.
ReplyDeleteRenetha - Thanks again. Salvation of the lost is of utmost importance. And then, as you have written, much of what we do as a church should seek to bless God's heart, not tickle our own fancies. And I agree that when we as a church are tuned-in to hat God is doing in and around us, we will be more empowered to join in with Him in His work.
I once was a small group leader for a Disciple Now at the biggest megachurch in the DFW area. The church campus was complete with the latest and greatest technology, debit card machines in the lobby for tithing purposes, smoke machines in their youth area, swimming pools, an athletic complex, and the list goes on and on. I hate to share my observations because I would never want them to be an indictment on the entire church and it's ministry, but there was such an emptiness among the teenagers that I was around that entire weekend. Nothing satisfied. Nothing was enough. Everything and everybody was compared 24/7.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I choose a church based on whether the music is to my liking, the coffee is good, and the bass player is a hottie. Those are my criteria, so I don't think I'm going anywhere any time soon. And you'll never know whether I'm being sarcastic or not... :)
Well, thanks for your honesty, Courtney. I'll try to get the bass player's phone # for you today.
ReplyDelete