The article takes the tack that this is a bad thing. Because church is not only about getting our needs met - it's about showing up to spend time with God. And if the church doesn't suit us perfectly, then that's a good thing because it will stretch and challenge us.
I can see how our culture has spoiled us a bit, so we then expect the church we choose to be more to our liking. Certainly there are a lot of whiny Christians lining up to tell their pastors what they do and don't like and expecting the church to conform to them. And that's not good.
But hold on. Didn't Paul teach us to be all things to all men? If the culture has changed, shouldn't we change with it?
I work for a church plant in Santa Monica. It's in an area where 95% of the people have never gone to church. And to attract those people, we've tried to make ourselves into a church that would appeal to the people in that area. So we meet in a theater, not a church. We do artsy stuff like having guest artists during the service and having gallery events. We do community outreach stuff like collecting clothing for the homeless and cleaning up the beach.
Still, we're not growing very fast. We have a handful of dedicated people and then a bunch of folks who drop by once or twice a month. What gives? Why aren't people sticking?
On the other hand, when we did Coastal Cleanup Day, lots of people showed up. When we do artsy events, people show up. People who don't normally show up on Sunday mornings.
I keep hearing about how traditional churches are losing people. So we're not alone. It's not like we're doing something wrong, exactly. But the same old thing isn't working.
Maybe we need a paradigm shift. Something new. Or something old that's tweaked to fit new circumstances.
Here's what I'm thinking. What if the church didn't meet every Sunday morning to hear a message and sing songs? What if we tried to be a bit more like ... Chipotle?
So here's what I see. You've got one group that meets every other week to do artsy stuff, like painting and drawing and so on. You've got another group that meets once per month and plans social-justice related activities around the prevention of human trafficking. You've got 2-3 regular Bible studies, each doing their own thing. Maybe a game night every other month (but that's just me). A group that only talks about deep, serious theology. Another one that volunteers at an animal shelter. And each of them finds a way to make it holy. The artists discuss what it means to be a Christian and an artist. The social justice people put together a prayer chain. The Bible studies ... study the Bible. And so on. And then, once per month, there's a bigger meeting where there's a message and singing and everyone comes together at once.
It's Chipotle. Choose the parts you like. Go to as many or few as you like. Wanna start something new? Great. Find a partner and put together a plan and run it up the flagpole.
What's that? There's not enough prayer? Or time in the word? Or fellowship? Or whatever? Then bring it up. Make it happen. Start something new. Besides, I believe all of life is holy - it's just about taking the time to acknowledge God in our midst.
Is it practical? Maybe not. Maybe it would be too hard to support a whole full-time staff. But maybe that would be a good thing. Maybe people need to step up and not expect professionals to do the work for them. Talk about something being challenging and stretching. How about we expect people to do more for themselves?
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