How Low Can We Go?

According to Gallup, church attendance is now as low as it has ever been - below the 50% mark. There are probably a lot of reasons that some might point to for this sad reality. Some would say churches are filled with hypocrites.  Others say the church only wants your money. Still, some say that the preaching is nothing but shame and guilt-based leaving people feeling depressed.  Plus, Sundays are when most families do family activities - like soccer, hiking, camping, etc.  

While all of those "excuses" are probably true on certain levels, I don't think those are the main reasons why church attendance has declined.  Let me share my thoughts.

1. "Church" is trying too hard to be "American Idol."  Like it or not, we who follow Jesus are called to be different.  We are not called to be "Justin Beiber with a Bible." Jesus was very different from those He hung out with. That's why they followed Him and that's what eventually led to His death. The early church did not seek out the latest and greatest tips and tricks to appear hip and edgy.  Thank God! They also did not remain stuck in old forms for the sake of being stuck in familiar territory.  They did something far more crazy - they focused their attention on the presence and the power of the Holy Spirit in their midst.  (See Acts 2). And because of that, amazing things occurred and lives were transformed.  As those lives were transformed by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, it created a magnetic effect throughout the area and more and more people came to a saving relationship with Jesus. The lure had nothing to do with the exciting presentation!

2. "Performance" has replaced "Presence."  This piggy back's off my first comment.  Today's churches are enamored with, and immersed in, a mindset of performance.  It is sickening.  God could care less if you are the best singer in your church, if you can play guitar better than Hendrix or if you preach using big theological words and phrases.  He does not care.  You will not get brownie points for how well you sing, talk or pray.  Jesus already took care of the brownie points - on the cross!  Sing about the cross. Preach about the cross.  Stop "performing" for God.  He actually hates your weekly "God shows." To those who are whining right now about how God "demands" excellence, and then trying to rationalize this as the reason for your top-notch stage presentations - grow up! That is not what God means when He speaks of excellence.  Please, crack open your Bible and study up on that concept. 

3. "Pandemic Blues."  Granted, this has been a very difficult year. And "church" seems to have been hit hard. Suddenly churches are realizing that church attendance is as fluid as the press of a mouse button. Within seconds anyone viewing a worship service online can find "a better show" a few clicks away. So, churches are trying to offer the BEST shows they can.  Keep the audience! Keep the viewers! Again, as Solomon might say, "vanity of vanities."  I suppose offering an online gathering of someone leading the viewers in a Holy-Spirit-led time of prayer might seem boring to some.  What a shame that is. How sad that we have turned the gathering of God's people into a riveting spectacle.  How insane that we can't "keep the viewers" if we don't offer "entertainment-driven" music.  I don't know about you, but I can hear the tables being turned over... Can you?

Church attendance is not declining because of weak performances or crummy preaching. It is declining because churches have forgotten their first calling - to glorify God, to praise Jesus and to operate in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. We don't need to up our game with polished church performances.  We need to up our game on submitting to the presence and power of the Holy Spirit when we gather. Period.

How low can church attendance go?

Only time will tell.
 

Business As Usual

 

So, here we go...

Little by little businesses across the US are starting to re-open.  Of course, everyone's notion of what the looks like seems to vary - and that's simply because there is no 100% accurate way to measure what "re-opening" should look like.  The government doesn't know.  The WHO doesn't know. Doctors and scientists and even religious folk don't know.  And, of course, you or I don't know either. In a sense it is all up for grabs.  Wear a mask - don't wear a mask. Practice social distancing in some places, gather for riots in close proximity to others in other places.  Nobody knows what to do.

And, yet, here we go...

I've been trying to get a sense of what churches are doing in the midst of this "almost re-opening" season and what I am finding is a bit surprising - and disturbing.

Trust me - I have served in Christian churches for over four (4) decades so I fully understand the need for pastors and church staff to "get back to normal" by creating worship experiences that include familiar music, meaningful times of prayer and sermons that both encourage and call to action new ways of living our lives for the Kingdom.

But... here we go...

Back to business as usual.  Back to the same old same old.  Back to "doing church" the same way we always "do church" with - what - a hope that suddenly everyone will hop onto the bandwagon and join in with something they barely were connected to before the pandemic?

Do we honestly need sermon series on topics like Living a Godly Life, or Tithing, or 30 Ways To Pray, or How To Follow Jesus... I am asking seriously - is that what we need right now?  Bible talks? Churchy music performed for us by well-skilled and well-meaning musicians?  

I don't think so.

It occurs to me that what people - all people - so desperately need right now - right now in the midst of pandemics, right now in the midst of racial tensions, right now in the midst of fear and stress and hopelessness - what people need right now is NOT another sermon or another well-performed song about God.  

What people need is JESUS - not in word, but in DEED.

People need to BE loved.

People need to BE welcomed.

People need to BE heard.

People need to BE met with open arms.

People don't need "the church structure" - they need "the church people" doing first and foremost what Jesus calls us to do... listen, come alongside, love, heal, restore... 

This is not the time to "get back to normal" because, unless I'm way off base here (and I may be, but I don't think so) - doing church "back to normal" has not been working for us for a long, long time.  

Jesus told us to feed His sheep.

Let's get back to doing what JESUS did... even if it does not appear to be "normal."

To God Be The Glory?

 

Almost every church in the world includes music in their worship gatherings.  The style of music, of course, varies from church to church but, with few exceptions, music is a huge part of worship gatherings.  

I am not going to re-visit earlier conversations on music styles - you can simply read back through this blog and see previous comments.

That said, I do wish to pose the very basic question: WHY do we include music in our worship gatherings?  And what purpose does it serve?

A quick place to start is to simply refer to God's Word and see how music was described in Scripture.

In a very general sense, it seems there are only a few ways music is "used" in connection with anything Godly or "worship" minded.

We see examples in the Old Testament of the musicians (Levites) going out ahead of the armies entering into battle.  This is like a bold proclamation of, "Hey, watch out, our God is great and we will proclaim his mighty power by blasting trumpets and singing and shouting!"  It is both a warning and a battle cry; a call to recognize the power of God.  

Another way we see music used in worship gatherings are when, for example, in the early church, after the proclamation of God's word, after the miracles performed, after the sharing of each other's belongings with others, and more - these early Christians sang songs of praise (though it is not 100% clear that they sang - it could have been shouts and prayers, too.) 

And, of course, we see examples of people like David, alone, with his lute, singing (and composing) songs of praise to God.  Take a walk through Psalms if you have not done so in a while.  

Somewhere along the line, churches brought in organs and choirs to aid in their singing.  Hymnals were created to offer per-sitters the opportunity to sing-along.  All of this was great - but it causes me to wonder if, by doing this, we began to lose touch with the intimacy we enjoyed in previous eras? 

Then - in rushed the Jesus Movement which led to what we now call Contemporary Christian Music which, for the most part, is even further removed from an intimate connection with God and more connected to the performance of "God-themed" songs in front of spectators.  

Yes - there are churches where the intimacy is still strong.  But it seems that the modern way of approaching music in the church is to create something for the congregation (audience) to watch, rather than engage in for the purpose of encountering the presence of God.

So - I ask again - what is the PURPOSE of music in our worship gatherings?  

Is it to simply remind everyone that there is a God?

Is it to entertain?

Is it to create a space for intimate connection to God through the Holy Spirit?

Is it to give a platform for musicians who would probably not work in the "real world?"

Is it to show off our talents to the masses?

What is the purpose of music in our worship gatherings?

Ponder that.,,

NEW NORMAL CHURCH

 

I write this during week 6 (give or take - because who's keeping track of time any longer?) of the 2020 Corona Virus Pandemic hat has, in many ways, altered the course of our lives across the globe. 

It is definitely a new day with new challenges and new opportunities to explore new ways of doing just about everything on a day to day basis - including attending church. 

Over my many years serving in local church ministry I have been a part of conversations where well-meaning people pontificated on the notion that we don't need to "attend church" in order to worship God and, while there is an element of truth to this statement - that we don't NEED to "go to a church building" in order to commune with our God - could it be that there actually is something we are missing by not gathering together with others in a worship setting?

To combat the "new normal" of social distancing, we "church leaders" have decided to create a means of "attending church" online - through the broadcasting of our worship services to our congregations. Music leaders, pastors, and others have found ways of offering their ministry gifts via a camera and computer hook up.  The congregation can tune in, watch, and engage as they are led.

But - are we engaging?

This leads me back to a similar theme you have heard me speak about before - - what, exactly, is worship?  Is it truly satisfying; is it "enough" to sit in my den and watch worship on my laptop?  Is that actually "worship?"  Or is it something else?

I wonder if we are, collectively, rediscovering just how important it is for believers in Jesus to gather together and actually fellowship with each other as we unite our hearts and spirits to glorify the Creator of all - the Lord, God, Almighty.  

Personally, I think it's a noble effort churches are making to bring the Word of God to their church congregations by offering online services and other ministry meetings.  But is this "new normal" church honestly working?  Are people tuning in and worshiping?  

Here is the bottom line - - we need each other.  God designed us to be in relationship - real relationship - face to face and heart to heart.  We are not designed to observe each other from a distance.  That is not "relationship."  It seems to me that we are, due to very severe circumstances, learning the valuable lesson of our need for one another.  

And taking this a step further - perhaps we actually need to be around... people we don't always agree with... people who don't share our political values... people who have different tastes in church music... all of it.  We need to be around people who are different from us - so that we can learn to love others without the ease of "clicking away"from an online video or comment.  

My prayer is, I'm sure, the same as everyone reading this - - that this Corona Virus would come to an end and we would return to a world where we are forced to be in close proximity again; where we can re-learn what it means to accept and love one another regardless of our values and opinions.

For now, do what you need to do in order to maintain a sense of "virtual togetherness."  We don't really have another choice.  But, when the time comes to return to what we had, step into that reality with a new-found love for your fellow human.

And maybe sit just a little closer to each other in the pews.

JOY TO THE WORLD!

JOY TO THE WORLD!  

That is just one of the phrases we hear or sing every year at this time.  It has become a "standard" Christmas song or carol that is sung this time of year from churches to sidewalks and even in the shopping malls.  It may even rank up there as one of "the best" Christmas songs if, for no other reason, than simple familiarity.  

This morning I got to thinking about the opening line to that familiar song...

"Joy to the world, the Lord is come!" 

I have to admit, through my many years of walking this planet I have typically thought of that sentence along these lines:

"Hey, world, here's some great news - the Lord has arrived!" - like a shout of exclamation.  And, certainly if you view the song in sheet music form, you can see that realized in the way the text is written - with an exclamation point following the first four words. In this way, "Joy to the world!" is a shout of exclamation... LISTEN UP!  or  THIS IS FANTASTIC!  or something similar... as if the song is saying to us, "Wow, this is so cool, the Lord is come!"  Of course that speaks of the arrival of Jesus as the baby in the manger.

And, while that is a nice sentiment, it occurs to me that the lyric may be inferring something else... at least it did for me this morning...

I suddenly considered the sentence in a new way...

"JOY (the Lord, has come) to the world!"  Or, When God sent His Son, Jesus, to us, He was sending us His JOY!  That line speaks of the ARRIVAL OF JOY to our hell-bent world.

Perhaps another way to consider that opening line is like this - and notice the placement of the second comma...

"Joy to the world, the Lord, is come!"  In this manner, the sentence clearly states that Jesus is the Lord, or the Joy, that has been sent to our world!  Rather than being a shout of exclamation it is more of a statement of intention.  It speaks of a PERSON, not simply a PROCLAMATION. 

It is the truth that Jesus, our JOY, has been sent to us as the promised, prophesized, gift!

So, as we sing that song this year, I encourage you to do a simple mind-flip with that opening line and consider that Jesus, THE JOY, has arrived, or been sent, to our World to bring about a new way of living!  A truly Joy-filled life!  

IT'S COMPLICATED

Psssssst - church leaders... you are making this far more complicated than God intended. 

What am I talking about?  I'm talking about the way you go about staffing your church's leadership team and, more specifically, as it relates to staffing your Music and Worship Leadership personnel.

Let me first say that I agree with the underlying concept that we need quality people to help steer our "church boats."  You don't want an accountant strumming a guitar to lead songs and you don't want a guy who hates teenagers overseeing your youth ministry.  I get that. 

However, as someone who was recently released from a ministry position due to church budget cuts and finds himself searching once again for my next "calling" let me just say that what I am finding on the various church job sites is very disheartening.  Of course, this comes from a guy who is far more interested in the HEART of true worship than, say, our current trends to create "show" worship.  

I don't mind the long list of biblical mandates from the epistles to be a leader, a husband of one wife, able to manage his kids, above reproach and the rest.  Those are all necessary traits that someone shepherding others should adhere to.  I don't even mind comments that indicate the music and worship leader be a skilled musician (after all, that is biblical).  Of course, unless you've done an in-depth bible study on the word "skill" (as I have) you might mistake that word to indicate "great performer" which, in fact, it does not.  

Where I begin to lose interest in the job listing is when things are added that come more from a place of "humans in control" than "God in control."

For example, the need to take the popular Enneagram test and post your findings.  Not sure Jesus is too concerned with whether or not my "8" fits with your "3" and how that will make for a better staff team member.  Are we aiming for a type of "Stepford Church Staff" here?  Perhaps we are actually called to discover how to get along with, accept and love those opposite Enneagram numbers...  When I see that on a job listing I cross that church off my list.

Similar to the Enneagram, is the request to have me take the SHAPE assessment.  And my response to that requirement is the same - the church goes off my list.

I don't mind taking a Spiritual Gift assessment, though there are such a wide variety to choose from these days that it's hard to ascertain the most accurate results.  Bottom line, I am okay with these because it seems more general, balanced and biblical. 

Now we get into the heart of what really rubs me the wrong way regarding the job listings for Music and Worship leadership - anything that leans towards performance.

Quick backstory - - the Bible NEVER commends that we "perform" worship.  Worship is not a commodity that we create for others to enjoy.  Our music is not intended to sparkle, tritylate, entertain or otherwise provide a spectacle for people to watch.  A true leader of worship is someone who can use their musical or other artistic skills sets to help take others to a place of laying prostrate (figuratively or in reality) before the Lord offering complete gratitude, glory, wonder, awe and praise to Him and Him alone.  Such a person can be 15, 30, 60... they can be bald, have great locks of hair, or dreads... they can be tall and thin or short and stout... they can play a musical instrument without the need to show off their abilities... they can stand, or sit, or walk around on the platform... In other words - a truly anointed leader of true worship does not need to be a "front" person as we are seeing in more and more churches across the globe.  

Therefore, I will never submit my resume to any church that offers the following in their job listing:

> Send a video tape of you performing worship.

> Show us how you lead worship.

> List your musical accomplishments.

> We are looking for someone in their 30's.

> We prefer someone who appears healthy.

> etc.

All of these, and more, directly point to man's need to control the flow of worship in our churches, as if we are better at doing that than the Holy Spirit!  Far too many churches have fallen into the trap of "creating a worship-performance that is engaging" and have, sadly, missed the presence of God in the process.  

I realize my approach narrows the search field for me personally and, honestly, I'm okay with that.  God does not need "The Greatest Showman" to help lead His people into true, life-transforming encounters with Him. He simply requires that we give into the leading and guiding of The Holy Spirit who, after all is said and done, is the ONLY actual leader of worship.  

So, church leaders, take a step back and pray earnestly that God sends you the best person to lead your people INTO worship encounters - even if they are not the right "number" on the Enneagram! 

T-MINUS WORSHIP

You tell me you are not putting on a show or a performance.  Okay, I accept that - to a degree.  But then, I find myself wondering about your "countdown to worship" clock?  What exactly is the reason for the use of the countdown?

The entire premise of a countdown is to alert those in the room that something is about to happen, right?  Like at the launch of a rocket, we watch the countdown and get excited for the "10... 9... 8..." to begin.  Same thing with New Year's Eve... we watch that ball drop and count down with the excited crowd for that moment we step into the new year.  I get those types of events.  They are pretty exciting and bring with them a sense of anticipation.

But - for a church worship gathering?  

What are we counting down TO?  "Hey, God, get ready, man, because we are ABOUT to start worshiping You and it's gonna be BIG!"  

The countdown is just another way we make worship about us, and not God.  

The truth is, there IS no "countdown" to worship.  Unless you are counting down to another SHOW of well-perfected songs you will perform for the congregation complete with lights and smoke machines.  We are always worshiping God - it is our response to Him for all He is.  We worship Him during the day - at our jobs - in the car - at the store - in conversations with others - through our monetary gifts and expressions of love for others.  Worship is WHO we are... Worship is not "an event" we conjure up and then count down to.  

Can we stop with the "worship countdown clock" and simply come into His presence with our fellow Christ followers and worship Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength?