In his new book, Change Your Church for Good, author Brad Powell says, “Church is supposed to be a place that gives evidence to the resurrection power of Jesus Christ, where people find life and hope.”
I just returned to the office today after a few days of rest and relaxation with friends at their cottage on the Lake Michigan shoreline. As my wife and I usually do when we’re on vacation, we looked for a church where we could visit and worship on Sunday. We found one – a larger congregation with a membership of about 500…who are worshipping in a new facility. We went with a spirit of anticipation.
We came away disappointed. What we experienced was a worship service that was second-rate, substandard and shoddy. It was a traditional service - targeted to “insiders,” slow, and full of audio blunders. There was a lack of warmth and only one person made an attempt to welcome three strangers. The only bright spot, for me, was the Pastor’s message – which was soft on content but delivered well. Overall, we found the service to be dull and uninspiring.
I hesitate to be critical of folks who are sincere and love their church...but as I looked at this mostly older congregation, I couldn’t help but think that all too often the church appears to offer nothing of value to outsiders.
Churches are in possession of the most profound and life-changing truth the world has ever known…but the way that many of them present this truth is superficial and boring. And because of this, a lot of people have concluded that the church has nothing to offer them. If it isn’t going to encourage, strengthen, inspire, benefit, and fill them with hope – why would they want to attend? People have enough turmoil in their lives without adding a depressing church experience to their weekly schedule. Who can blame people for making the choice to stay away?
Any given church is simply a reflection of those who attend. Each church reflects the ideas and principles that the people who attend regularly value and love. How are we doing believing and proclaiming God’s power and promises? Is Redeemer “a place that gives evidence to the resurrection power of Jesus Christ…where people find life and hope?” Are lives being changed and is God being honored? I’d like to hear what you think…
We have seen several churches like the one you attended on Sunday. Having lived in 3 states over a period of 5 years, we've visited a lot of churches, always with the hopes of finding one where we and our children were comfortable.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stands out about Redeemer is the children's ministry. Kids' Praise, VBS, the summer reading program, and the fun and friendly nursery and Sunday school rooms are all wonderful ways of getting kids excited about and comfortable in their faith! For families with young children, it is so important for the entire family to enjoy church, and I think Redeemer has accomplished this.
As newcomers, we have felt very welcome at Redeemer and the faith of the congregration has been obvious to us! : )
I think our praise team plays an extremely important part. They rock!!! Who could not fall in love with Jesus after listening to them?
ReplyDeleteIn looking for a church home, we have visited many churches in the area. Each one had it's own particular style and approach.
ReplyDeleteIn our search, we found that just because a church has a great worship team and people who welcome others to the service, doesn't necessarily translate to new people being made to feel part of the church. One church we attended for one year was VERY welcoming, and the music was good. Unfortunately, after one year, we found that the 'cliques' in the church were so well established that it was next to impossible to intergrate into the congregation. They had a very high 'revolving door' problem with new people attending for a while, then leaving when they found they couldn't get past the boundaries the established cliques had inadvertently set up. This church still has this problem, and so do other churches.
Another church we attended had a very highly professional worship band, and the service operated extremely smoothly. Unfortunately, the church was mostly made up of people who had no desire to get past the superficial friendliness level. Most people came for the 'entertaining' music and service.
Most people we know who are seeking a deeper walk with God, are also seeking a deeper type of relationship with other christians. This takes time and effort on both sides, and can be scary. Basically, people in a congregation don't usually have much in common, except that they are christian. This can make it more challenging to feel a part of a church family. If you have children, this helps you relate to other parents, but for those of us who are not in this situation, it can be more of a challenge.
It will always be a challenge to get people (especially in a large church) to reach a deep form of fellowship.
God bless.