Wednesday, May 12, 2010

The Contemporvant Church

This video is funny, in a bitingly sarcastic way. It skewers so many of the modern evangelical megachurch's methods all in one video. But it also grieves my heart in a way too, precisely because it is a necessary corrective. A motive to reach people can slip so easily into manipulating people to get the results we want to see, but which only truly come by God's power.

"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.

4 comments:

kristi_temple said...

That was funny but, you are right . . . a bit sad. I think maybe churches feel like they have to have a good formula for an awesome Sunday morning when all they really need to do is be what Jesus was to people. Compassionate, loving, relational, He (most of the time) ministered to people one on one. People were drawn to Jesus and if we follow His example to us, they will be drawn to us. We just came out of a church that was, while not a mega church, just like the video. There was a very predictable format to a Sunday morning service and that became more important than the people. Michael and I were worship leaders and it got to the point where no one could suggest a new song (or an old song), only young, cool looking 20 somethings were on the worship team. It was a slow fade to get to where we looked around and were not sure what had happened.

It always starts out with good intentions but eventually you look around and don't recognize it for what it should be . . . a body of believers who love each other, who are a family and who are rescuing people from a life of destruction and preaching the gospel to them with love.

Sorry for my ramblings . . . we are just really passionate about this subject.

Jeff A said...

Funny, we just watched this before worship practice last Sunday.

Funny video, but it does make you think. I find more and more young people who are laughing at this type of format rather than engaging in it including myself. I'm gaining a big appreciation for a more liturgical style lately and haven't missed hearing the latest Chris Tomlin (don't get me wrong, I have nothing against him).

Glenn E. Chatfield said...

We already have a couple churches like that around here!

Several years ago we attended church in Cedar Rapids who decided to start letting the teens lead the "worship." They chose great, doctrinally-solid songs like, "Lean on Me." Honestly! We decided to find someplace else to worship.

The Bullhorn said...

Wow-Highly engaged comments from all of you. Thank you. The church needs to realize that "relevance" is as temporary as people's fascination with the latest reality show, while what people want is something with a deep sense permanence and rootedness, which also just happens to be what they really need.