Within a few days of getting my first Mac laptop I was hooked because of the seemless interface with my Ipod, camcorder, camera, calender, phone, etc. Since all of these things work together so smoothly I have ended up use them more often and more efficiently . I hadn’t purchased many CDs in the last few years, but once I had easy downloading capabilities from Itunes I began purchasing music almost weekly. As I am now about to get my third Mac laptop I must admit that I am committed to the brand.
So the question is how do we develop a church that can be as seamless as Mac? How can we let all of the expressions of our Christianity go smoothly together instead of the seemingly disjointed church experience of which many of us have grown tired or just begrudgingly accepted. How does our personal reading of scripture and other spiritual disciples get incorporated into our church life? How can we serve our local community with our church community? How does what our kids experience on Sunday morning affect them and our family throughout the week? How does what we hear on Sunday morning interface with our small group? I know that just as I was less likely to drive to a music store and buy a CD, but very likely to download music off of Itunes, many people will be more willing to engage in the Christ life if they have that same accessability.
My answer-simplicity. The more the words, the less the meaning (Eccl 6:11). We need to speak less words and do less activity for more meaning. Getting people busy or always at the building (if you have one) doesn’t produce more Christ-likeness just as hanging aroud the biology department doesn’t make you a doctor. What makes someone like Christ is enabling them to embark on the venture of following Jesus. We need to do a few things that all explicitly tie to a singular vision of Christ-likeness.
What do you think is the best way to a seamless church?
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4 comments:
Focus outside the four walls.
It was the only time our church was ever on the verge of revival...when we took our faith outside of the building-fall of 07.
What you are suggesting with less programming is what people need, but in my experience, not what people want.
BTW-survived 10 days of temp. bachelorhood-12 movies and alot of pizza later.
kurt
Hey Luke - looking forward to tomorrow. God is moving.
Simplicity is such a radical concept for a busy culture. Like Kurt said, it's what we need, but we gravitate to our wants. We need to cook healthy food at home but we are enticed by the ease of a pizza buffet or a drive-thru somewhere.
So authentic testimonies seem to be the way to lure people away. We're inspired by shows like The Biggest Loser or when we hear stories of people who have conquered an addiction - the idealism of what is best for us is personalized by someone who has experienced the other (and better) side.
Activities are likely to grow a church quickly, but likely it is adding one family at a time. The organic growth probably is slower but has a greater propensity for multiplication.
Kurt- glad that you survived bachelorhood-
I agree that a clear vision- specifically a vision for connecting non-churched with Jesus is essential. Having and holding adamantly to the vision is a necessity.
Randy- I too agree that having strong examples of the vision fleshed out through testimonies makes a lot of sense.
And while quick growth is attractive and appealing to some, the slow and methodical growth that sustains a church long term is what we are striving for.
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