One of my friends sent me a link to an article in The Christian Science Monitor. It was all about the way many churches are hiring professional marketing people to fill up their less than full pews.Churches seeking marketing-savvy breed of pastor csmonitor.com
The article mentioned one church in particular that caught my interest. So I Googled around and found the church's website.
Well....what did I find?
I'm not cool enough for that church.
I understand the necessity of reaching out to a lost world. I understand the "meet them where they're at" thing. I believe that.
But I have a slight feeling of unease when it seems like instead of playing for an audience of One, churches are catering to the audience of "how many?"
Does that make any sense?
God uses all kinds of (seemingly) absurd people, places, situations, etc. to open our hearts to Him. He is not hindered the way that we are. He can use hymns or pop or praise or psalms or whatsoever He will to reach His chosen people. So I don't get too bogged down in that.
My concern is that our churches be God centered, not man centered. I worry that when too much attention is paid to having graphic intense web sites and hiring cool looking people to be "lead worshiper" maybe we're not only using man's methods, but also man's standards. When unbelievers visit these churches are they seeing God's holy people, peculiarly His own and wondering "What do they have that I don't have?" Or are they seeing a lot of people who look, sound, and dress like them and if so why get out of bed on Sunday morning for that? Don't they know really cool, really nice people out in the world? I do.
But I'm not condemning these churches. I understand. I think that they mean well. And maybe they really are furthering the Kingdom, and if so, praise God!! I just hope that there can be some middle ground in Christ's church: a middle ground where fat, middle aged, politically conservative mothers of four will feel welcome at church the same way that hip, young, college aged people can.
kineticchurch
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4 comments:
Hey Angela, did you know that we have a person doing marketing at our church now?
Now, Angela, you know that I attend a hip and happening church and yes, we have the plasma screens with our praise and worship lyrics and the sermon Scripture on them. And we have the coffee shop. And the cafe for kids.
But you know me, and you know my heart for Jesus and you know that if God were not moving mightily there I would be moving on. There has got to be a place where the kids with the purple hair and the pierced tongues can go and feel genuinely loved.
And I am not hip enough for my church either, but they always let me in the door!!! And my word verificationf for this comment was cmxrqw, you don't suppose that stands for anything obscene do? I don't want to be part of anything obscene.
Kelli
Kelli,
I know your church is the cat's meow, I know. And I'm sure it's good. And I do think those purple haired kiddoes need to feel welcome in the Lord's House. I just want the people in charge of the fun churches to remember that Jesus is really the focus.
If you teach them, they will come.... :)
The CAT'S MEOW??? I will have to remember that one.
Kelli
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