In history, the church has flourished in troubling times. I remember the Sunday after September 11th when my church's seats were filled to the brink. People looked to my pastor, a prominent figure in the religious world, for answers, meaning, and purpose.
But what about consistently troubled times? This article in USA Today few days ago made me step back and look at what the church is life nowadays. Churches are losing in this economic battle like anyone else; the troubled times are not turning into religious times anymore.
Sure, less money in laity means less tithing, but still this points to something deeper - something Peter Berger saw fifty years ago. Berger said that as society becomes more pluralistic religion changes. Religion is no longer the answer for troubled times: it is only one of the answers. In response, churches have to change, they have to sell what they offer. They are no concerned more with the peoples desires, and the relationship is no dialectical. Not only does the church impose itself on the people but the people now equally impose what they think on the church The result is the church taking the people's wishes into account and turning the religion in to a commodity to sell to the public.
Obviously, this is an extreme take, but I do not think it is too far off. Churches offer coffee bars, wii's, contemporary services, and so on to bring in people. They are hooks to get people in. While the goal is not to make money off of people, but to change people's lives does not change the fact that the means to do so are strikingly similar. This is why people say churches need to stop getting their tips from the people - I agree.
There is a deeper concern though. Why is the church no longer the place to go to during troubling times? Half of the problem is because they are seen as institutions and businesses more than a group of people who care and offer true meaning to such circumstances. But it is also something else.
Why is the church no longer considered a refuge for the troubled?
9 comments:
The American church has, in some respects, lost sight of its role in the community. In an effort to bring people in with coffee bars, etc, we forgot that we are supposed to send people out. The church is not impacting local communities the way it should. We are called to go and meet people where they are...to bring people to Jesus, not to Sunday School.
The church is not seen as a place of refuge anymore because it isn't one. We have created our own subculture and isolated ourselves from our communities. The Church is no longer acting as the hands and feet of Christ...we are simply a voting bloc, largely irrelevant to much of the culture.
We are simply skimming the surface, in my opinion. It seems like we are just trying to put people in seats. Maybe this is what we are destined for on account of what we've done in the past?
I agree with both you guys. Josh, I think you have a good point about the church being more of a voting block instead of a refuge to the world. Community was extremely important in the early church and I see it as the exact opposite in America where individualism is the norm.
I also agree wholeheartedly that the church being a subculture is an issue. There is nothing more destructive to the church than this I think. How do you think that can be changed? I'm especially interested in hearing your thoughts since you're an artist.
Hunter, we are skimming the surface. I had a conversation with a friend of mine who is going through the youth program at fuller seminary about this, especially in the youth. We talked about how we are never really encouraged to own our faith with al of our humanity. Sometimes we are encouraged to own the church's doctrine or our parent's legacy, but rarely our own faith. It's seen as dangerous, but I think its the only healthy option. How do you think, being around youth all the time, this should look? What are we missing?
I don't think offering coffee bars, wii's, or the like significantly add to the issue of the church not being the source of refuge or hope within a community.
For the church not to evolve with the changes in our culture or listening to people outside the church would be a huge mistake. By not evolving the church 'culture' we make it's role irrelevant in the community, and more importantly, mutes it's message as well.
I would say this as well about being a refuge in your community...speaking from being a Pastor on a church staff...I see my church acting as a refuge daily. Not just on Sundays. It may appear differently from the outside in, but not when we're meeting the needs of people in our community, being a safe haven for individuals and creating a stepping stone to getting someone back on their feet.
I'm not about making the case for the church becoming seeker sensitive to the extent that we compromise the gospel message or our integrity. I will say the church is beginning to make the needed changes to be more relevant in today's culture in order to influence our communities instead of being influenced by our communities. I'm seeing that more and more everyday.
Jonathan,
I think there is a fine line that needs to be danced around and dealt with when it comes to cultural relevance. The biggest danger to things like coffee bars and so on is that it gives the message that what we have to offer is a collage of what they can get somewhere else.
The fact that these things are in the church is not the issue at all; the issue is that the "refuge" is covered up in things they can get somewhere else without the baggage of religion. I like having coffee at church - as a Christian who knows that the coffee is merely something to enjoy while there. But to the visitor, the message is quite different I think.
I think you nailed a point that the church is a community effecting a community. I'm focusing on the church gathering because that's what came to my mind when I read that article.
What would be nice to see is a church that tries to show the Kingdom throughout its entire lifestyle/places of worship. Have coffee there and so on, but let the frills be substantive and reflections of the Kingdom, and not the culture. As I said earlier, I think its dangerous for the church to feel like they have to hook people in and do so with frills from the culture they are trying to effect. Be relevance does not mean imitation of the culture's commidities; it merely means to know what the culture is concerned with and meet them there.
I'm not trying to knock what you were saying. I think there is a lot of good in what you had to say, but I think that the church needs to look elsewhere to find its significance again (if it even needs it again).
Let's say it like this...
I don't believe churches offer coffee and the like to entice people to show up in hopes that it 'hooks' anyone. I think it is there simply because believe it or not, church should be an enjoyable experience. If coffee does that for you great, if not..like me..then it provide a commodity visitors and members alike would enjoy.
Honestly visitors could careless if there's coffee. I've just spent the past year reading every book and reviewing heavily on the topic of first impressions of the church.
For instance, statistics show that, on average, people make 11 decisions about us in the first seven seconds of contact. Another study shows that in the first seven minutes of contact with your church, your first-time guests will know whether or they are coming back. Most often way before ever being introduced to the coffee bar.
The vast majority of people don't return to a church based of coffee blend or the like...
The USA today article while highlighting a negative trend in the financial side of churches and religious organizations, it fails to mention those who are not only still open but thriving through recession. You can find those by following the areas in this country that are seeing hundreds and thousands experience life change on a weekly basis.
To say, "(churches) have to sell what they offer," I believe is a statement breathed out of touch with the transitional church of today.
Simply put churches, or let's go deeper, God...has always been just one of the answers through troubled times in our culture and that will never change.
You said, "the issue is that the 'refuge' is covered up in things they can get somewhere else without the baggage of religion."
I would push back by saying, "refuge" is the very thing that draws all of us to a church in the first place. That is something that no amount of baggage or frill can drown out.
To write off the church at large as a place of refuge at it's very core, is to discount the complex aspect of who we are as human beings. That alone defines our culture regardless of creed, religious baggage or otherwise.
Ha ha I didn't mean for coffee bars to become a central idea here.
That stat that people make up their mind about a church is crazy. Seven minutes... that tells you what they are not basing their judgement on is the substance of the church (i.e. worship teaching, community, etc). Do you remember what they said made up their opinion?
When it comes to the church as a refuge, people do come because of that. But it seems obvious that they leave not finding that given the seven minute scenario. Why do they not find refuge and make up their mind seven minutes?
I know this was posted weeks ago, but I've actually been thinking about this a lot today before I even read this post.
Being at Bellevue, and seeing the trend towards entertainment-oriented churches, I definitely am seeing problems that need to be addressed. I find it funny because I used to be a proponent of hooking people (members included) into enjoying church by making the atmosphere more secular, trying to keep up and compete with what the world offers. That includes things like productions, coffee bars, contemporary services, youth hang-outs, etc.
But what I'm seeing first-hand is the loss of community within the church itself. Everything feels sterile like a business now. And even the contemporary service with all of its cool lights and decor seems like a superficial vanity. Trying to give it a cool name like 11:11 - come on. How corny and obvious can you be? When did church become a gigantic advertisement for coolness and lose its haven of refuge? Seriously. If I want to see a Broadway show, I'll go to the theatre. If I want to see a concert of modern music, I'll go to a concert. If I want to be entertained, the last place I want to go is to church.
The church is not here to entertain, to entice, to become a coffee house or a club for its members. It's supposed to be a place where people from the community can get together, help and encourage each other, and most importantly....a place where you can get away from the entertainment and ad saturated world to focus on matters of the spirit.
By the way - most non-Christians look down upon churches that are trying to emulate places like cafes. Non-Christians know what churches are supposed to be like more than the Christians do. All of these extravagant things that churches are adapting in the name of "keeping up with the culture" is actually hurting them more than they think. I'm not an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy who wants to sing nothing by hymns and keep the church in the Dark Ages, but it just seems awkward and weird to me when churches have coffee bars and attempt to make a service more entertainment oriented. it just seems out of place, too commercial, and hypocritical.
Bellevue's not a refuge anymore. It's a business with 24/7 security, a bookstore, soon to have a coffee bar/cafe in one of the main lobbies, put on Christmas productions now that have less to do with Christmas each passing year it seems, and just generally trying to keep up with the Jones'. People already have beef with Bellevue as it is. I can't wait to hear what they say after this "2010" - completely unnecessary stuff - starts to happen. I'll genuinely be embarrassed to bring guests into the "church."
Keep it simple - churches need to stay in their place in society and culture instead of bringing society into their own subculture. That's why people don't give a crap about church anymore. It's not church. It's the same stuff they can get everywhere else, only religion is involved. If you want coffee at church - fine. Setup a coffee machine. You don't need to spend the money on a state-of-the-art cafe. I don't go to church for the Starbucks experience. I go to Starbucks for that.
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