Is it just me or is trying to get plugged into a church like trying to find a pair of shoes? I am speaking not of the church as the body of Christ but as a congregation that meets in a building (A church). I, of course, can’t speak for everyone, but this is how I see it. I don’t look for new shoes too often, but when I do there are certain things I always take into consideration. First of all, they have to fit me perfectly. I have a bad back so I need arch support. I look at the style and color and think does this fit my personality or my wardrobe? How well will this pair of shoes express who I am and match with what I already wear? Finally, I look at what can this new pair of shoes offer me that I haven’t experienced in an old pair of shoes. I think that choosing a church goes the same way in our heads. Will this church provide what I need it to? Will it change who I am or does it bring out positive qualities in me? Does it have support in all the right areas? Is it a perfect fit? I think that looking for the perfect fit has become something that modern Christians are too comfortable doing. We trust that some church out there is tailor-made just for us. I think the sad reality too is that new churches are looking to do just that. There are too many churches today looking to fit a specific niche; to reach a specific group of people. I wonder what would happen if churches didn’t worry about fitting into a niche or following a trend (or breaking an old one!), but instead opened their doors with the intention of reaching out to all people and exciting people about the church being a collective body not a building or a certain, isolated group of people.
-Jack
imagining how the church can reorient around mission
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I think the analogy used by Jack is a great one, and as Danielle appropriately pointed out, it can be used also in a positive and hopeful manner which is awesome. I don’t know exactly where I stand on “Church Shopping,” partly because I think the awkward combination of being a college student, moving away for the first time, the uncertainty that arises out of that, and attempting to faithfully follow and obey Christ in a new corporate setting poses huge hurdles that we’d all probably like to just walk around instead of jump over.
Anyways, in short I believe that we are called to worship and live as brothers and sisters in the community and context that we find ourselves in, but also believe that the “wrong fit” can be very detrimental to someone – seemingly justifying some sort of “shopping” or “trying on.”
With that being said, depending on how cynical of a mood you are in, this brief satire about trendy modern worship in the US can at one time offer us comical entertainment and give us a new sarcastic and condescending lens to view worship trends today. Hope you enjoy it.
I think one of the most serious issues with a church catering only to a certain set of like-minded people is that it can inhibit growth and progress within the church. When everyone in a congregation is always in agreement it puts pressure on the pastor and other members to go with the flow for fear of ostracism or removal from office. This means criticism, which can be very helpful, can become suppressed and lost and with it progress and the challenging of the Christian faith. We need an environment in the church in which people with new ideas and criticisms of our shortcomings are free to speak out and let us know when things need to change.
Tim
As an outsider and Whitworth alum looking in on these posts, I”m really stoked in what you all are discussing.
Jack, although I don’t know you, I applaud what you are talking about here. Something I think about with the trend of shaping churches to serve needs is to ask who the target audience is. While sometimes this may actually end up with us developing church connoiseurs, and ultimately we communicate the opposite of what we believe – worship is about the church consumer and not about the story of God. Something to think about!
It is interesting and ultimately upsetting, but in that case it does seem that there must be some sort of catering involved in order to reach people who otherwise wouldn’t attend. That catering maybe shouldn’t be as much of a church changing its actions, but working along side other churches with the ultimate goal of getting people placed somewhere where they can hear the word of God instead of having the attendance of ones specific church higher then another. Go out and find those people and aid them in their search for a church as best we can! I am sure God will lead the way if the person is truly seeking, just exhausted!
-Colten
Jack,
I like and understand a lot of what you have to say. I too find the consumer model of church-searching exhausting. It is so interesting to me when Whitworth students stop “going to church” because they haven’t found the “right” one. But I do wonder if there is something to be said for the church that caters to a specific group. It reminds me of Michael Frost’s race car missionaries, if you know what I mean. I think it’s simply something to keep in mind, that perhaps there is some value in attracting a certain type of community. A pragmatic example might be the Westminster house (an extension of ‘church’ wouldn’t you say?), which ministers to a certain group in our city. Just something to think on.
I also was concerned with the terminology of “the church.” I liked your take on the comfort factor people seek for in a church and comparing that to the oh so important aspect of a comfortable pair of shoes. It is important to not make yourself miserable when choosing a church, but you should also want to find a church that challenges you and takes you out of your comfort zone, just as a good pair of shoes should. Comfortable running shoes, make you want to run and become physically exhausted…not so comfortable if I say so myself 🙂
-Colten
Thanks for being the first post Jack. You get a Prize. Just kidding. Your thoughts are similar to what I call the churches “bait and switch.” Many churches communicate that they are formed for parishioners comfort only to find out that once you are in the door, they say you must die to yourself. To the consumer, it seems a little dodgey.