Conventional wisdom says to stay the course, don't rock the boat. But what are you supposed to do if you like a little adventure in your life? Church life, the life of the actually congregation, not an individual mind you, can be summed up in many terms, exciting, boring, luke warm, and dead are just a few. Church growth strategists encourage pastors to take an inventory often to determine where they are at. This is an easy chore for those who have churches that are alive and moving. For those of us that are in congregations that are, well let's be honest, less than stellar when it comes to wow factor, we find it hard to take this inventory.
Many in my field agree that the days of the 50's are over yet we are still finding that we try to do things the same way we did back then. Being a younger pastor, quickly sneaking up on 40, I did not experience the 50's boom in church life but I have felt the affects of it both positive and negative all my Christian life.
We now live in the twenty first century. People have changed in how they react to things socially, financially and recreationaly. I'm sad to say that gone are the days of people flocking to a church building simply because it is what they always did or had nothing else to do. They will not come because we build it. If we want to continue to be faithful to the great commission we must find a way to be relevant!
I wish I could offer you what we need to do to be relevant in this post, but I can't. I am still struggling to figure it out myself. I'm no expert, I'm not some super pastor, I'm just a guy; a guy who loves Jesus and has been called to serve him. This is what blogs, social networking systems and the lot are all about. We need to come together and share ideas.
So, what do you think? Is this getting out there? Let's be frank not stuffy. Hit it.
Not sure how much this will help... but it's all about reaching people where they are. Big programs, state-of-the-art music systems and all are fine and dandy (and don't get me wrong, because I definitely like those things), but honestly it's about showing folks the love of Christ. Make them feel loved, accepted, and connected (not alienated, looked down upon, or pushed upon), and they'll "plug in". Sometimes I wonder if we (as church-goers) get too reliant on the flashy stuff, and forget about why we're here... to reach others and to show them that they have a hope for the future and a higher calling. Even if it's simple things... a meal, gas money, a clothes closet, or even just prayer... those things can make a world of difference to somebody who's hurting.
ReplyDeleteSo says the girl that isn't going to church at the moment... but in my case, it's laziness and a case of not knowing anybody. ::sigh::
One other thing I forgot to mention... as this pertains to the 50's church vs. the modern churches...
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that most 50's style churches don't do much (if any) outreach to the community... rather, they are just a place to gather on sunday mornings (and wednesday nights for the hard-core). I'm convinced that this is part of what has cultivated the "sunday morning christian" attitude in society. What goes on at the church during the rest of the week is just as important as sunday mornings. Even if it's just opening the church to the community as a (non-denominational and open) place to pray.
You said it Moxie. As a matter of fact all our technology sometimes overshadows what the message needs to be said. We can tend to go just as far off center as the "50's" style church with an over use of flashy stuff. Makes one feel like they are watching PTL. :)
ReplyDeleteMinimal is good. Using tools is great. But most of all, it has to be about Jesus.
Thanks for the comment.