I Wonder
I wonder.
I wonder how many people, if we actually asked them, keep coming back to our churches because of our stellar Sunday productions.
I wonder if we ask the right people.
I wonder if we stopped, for a while, if people would keep coming.
I wonder if we turned off the lights and pulled the band if more people would come or go.
I wonder if we flipped the teaching time and music time, if it would matter.
I wonder if first time visitors are more concerned with what happens outside the auditorium than what happens inside it.
I wonder if the things we’ve rebelled against are the exact things we’ve become.
I wonder if church buildings will ever be used more than 2% a week.
I wonder if there has been more energy put into our Easter weekend services than our neighbors on the left and right.
I wonder with all the talk of social justice, why those friends keep walking by homeless people without even a smile.
I wonder when we will stop arguing about how to run the church and begin to start running our families.
I wonder how disrespected my dad feels by my generation of preachers saying his way is the wrong way.
I wonder how disrespected my generation of preachers will feel when our kids say our way is the wrong way.
I wonder when chenis envy will be replaced with prayer for others to succeed.
I wonder if churches without buildings will ever realize how good they have it.
I wonder when church planting became an industry.
I wonder if we know that our opinions are just that, opinions.
I wonder if those who say my church is an inch deep and a mile wide know that they would actually drown in the inch we provide.
These are the things I wonder.
Los
me too man, me too
I also wonder a lot about whether the day to day actions of my own life help or hinder the character of The C(big C)hurch.
mmmmmmmmm I like
sweet, sweet post! you're voicing the angst and honest questions many of us have.
also, i totally expected you to add, "i wonder, still i wonder, who'll stop the rain?"
I wonder, still wonder, who'll stop the rain?
dude….awesome
gractsi. tough stuff always in my head
Power, dude. There is deep power for the Kingdom if those "wonderings" became realities.
we shall see eh?
I don't have any answers but asking the right questions and evaluating honestly is a big part of the battle
These are the things we should all be wondering and trying to figure out. Thanks!
I wonder: Would our city even care if we packed up our church and left, or would there be a deep void in the community that we minister to. i hope so…I pray so…I work in my position so it would be so!!
Has the basic message really changed so much that people from your Dad's generation (like me) and people from your generation cannot connect? There should be NO disrespect, but respect for the content! The content has not & never will change. It is sometimes molded & twisted to fit what the needs of the day are, but it is still the same message. Why are there so many people who can't even agree to disagree? I'm a Midwest girl. I want things to never change, but accept that we all evolve. Both as individuals and members of the Kingdom of God. I don't want to be stagnate in my walk, I want to be open to growth. You always make me think to hard!
preach
“In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other."—Mark Twain
wow
I still love the use of the word chenis.
me too.
I hope that some of the older generation stop hating and start embracing change. We still love the same God it is just a little different. It is not about us, it's about Him!!!
ours as well.
I sometimes wonder the same things. That's why I like attending a church with average weekly attendance of <200. You know they're serious.
I forget which one means greater than or less than again? The alligator eats…
I'm happy that you feel your church is serious as I believe mine is as well. Attendance numbers isn't a qualifier for 'serious' though. I've seen the small church that is stagnate, refusal to embracing new people or new ideas.
i don't remember who said it but someone said something to me once… Go to a church on Sunday morning to see how popular a church is. Go on a Sunday evening to see how popular a preacher is, but go to an early morning prayer service to see how popular Jesus is.
So sad but true. Some people could seriously drown in that inch… if they wanted to… and in the good way… and they would dig their own wells if they only got a hold of the power in that ONE inch.
It's ALL about JESUS. Your dad didn't do it wrong. He did it for his generation. That isn't wrong. It's different… we need to honor our elders for carrying the torch, not tell them what they could have done different. He has all my respect.
great thoughts as always Ronni. Please dont stop thinking. You are a great one!
thanks man. That means a lot coming from you dude.
Good word Los. I just started at a church this week that has no production whatsoever, and the pastor did what some would think was a very cheesy, very amateurish one man illustrated sermon this Sunday about Noah & the Ark of Safety. You know what… 450 people showed up, and 8 or so gave their lives to Christ. It was powerful.
It's not about any of the things we so often think church is about. It is about Jesus. When we forget that, we've missed it and cease to really be the Church.
By the way… you'll always wonder unless you try it…
Why not have Andy (or Jeff) preach first?
Why not you (or another worship leader) with nothing but a stool and an acoustic to finish up the worship service.
Why not do something to honor your dad's generation of preachers some Sunday. Show the younger generation that the content is timeless.
We do. Which is great!!!
that just made me uncomfortable and i think that's good.
G
I think so too.
tru
mmmmm
Never stop
ever.
I feel like we should slap each other's butts now
Exactly.
period
I appreciate the honesty you provide in this community!
thanks man.
I live in the Binghamton area, where those shootings recently happened, and we also live in a spiritually decaying area. I posted a blog in response to it. you just reminded me of my thoughts on that. quadwobbles.blogspot.com
Divine Commodity is in your melon…it's good stuff. As individuals we have to open our eyes and act on what we see rather than waiting for someone to take us by the hand…but it will look radically different than the path we've been on…keep thinking, and act on your thoughts as you learn and grow through praxis. Use your imagination for the Kingdom.
You wonder some good stuff.
‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING , BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND ;
YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING , BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE ;
15 FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL ,
WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR ,
AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES ,
OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES ,
HEAR WITH THEIR EARS ,
AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN ,
AND I WOULD HEAL THEM .’
join the club
Makes me wonder hwat God's up to that there are so many people wondering this stuff…keep it up Los
All of it…yep, but especially the opinions things…
So much of everything else you listed can be wrapped up with that one…
It reminds me of the importance of knowing the mission of the church, the pastor's vision, and tying every element to that. I love how, at buckhead church, our leadership repeats every week, "Our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ." And…if you look at our programming, it darn well better point to that, no matter the environment. The opinion dominion gets challenging while working on a church staff…especially in an area where the Sunday "product" is viewed and scrutinized by so many in the public. My only sanity in the tsunami of opinions is knowing exactly why we're here and what we're doing….in specificity and painful detail. And…that is why I love churches that run like businesses…not because they run lean and mean, but because they operate as if losing the race means losing everything.
Maybe when people diss your churches, your response should always be…did we achieve our mission? Stop guessing.
“I wonder if churches without buildings will ever realize how good they have it.”
Could you explain?
Tnx.
It does my heart good to hear your blog followers, as well as yourself, wonder about the church. It is in this humble seeking that He can reveal more of Himself and what He desires for the body.
I wonder what we do after we leave those places of worship…what goes on in our lives for the next 6 days
Sometimes I think we miss it with all the production. Then I talk to the people in my Starting Point group who started coming to church a month ago and it was the quality of production that drew them and the life change from the message that kept them and I think maybe we're allowing God to use us after all.
Thanks for posting bro…these are things that I have been wrestling with since before we left on the road. Also, I know how good we have it not having a permanent structure to meet in. I love that we have to tear it down and set it up each week. There is something poetic about the church in motion. Something gorgeous about out people getting excited to do an Easter egg hunt for under privileged kids that go to the school we meet in. Something uncomfortable to the common church goer that asks when we are going to get a "real" building and my answer is always, "we have one…it is called a school that wants us here." Something of justice when I look out and see Kyle sitting next to the lawyer who funded a tour for him to not be homeless.
Thanks for the thoughts bro…and yes…I agree with you on all these and more…
Thanks for this! excellent stuff.
Thank you for reminding me WHO my priority needs to be….first in my own life and then in those that I meet every day!
God bless you for sharing your deepest feelings with us!
I wonder the same thing….have we become so concerned with what the world is thinking that we forget that we are supposed to shine like the stars in heaven and not those on stage!!!
Like a preacher said;it is not about me,but the other.The other still doesn't know Jesus; and i wonder:Who will tell him about our Savior.
Let's go fishing(really)for souls.
I think those are great wonderings. I think that if we keep wondering like that, it will hopefully keep us from just "entertaining the flock". We need to be out of the building being the hands and feet of Jesus every week. Do you know the song "God of Justice" by Tim Hughes? That is one of my favorites right now, especially the part that says over and over "fill us up, send us out". That's my heart's cry for our churches…
On one side of our town, there is a super huge, super fancy church with all of the lights and glitter. That big church sponsored another church on the other side of town – a super small church in a really old building with no hymnals, no pulpit, nothing fancy at all. We go to the "new" old building and we love it!!! However, others go to the big church and love it, too. It's all in what you desire – for me, the small church just feels more like home and I can get in touch with talking to God there. I'm sure others feel the same way at the big church. So which one is better? Who cares? I'm just thankful that they are there and that I am free to feed my hunger for God's word.
"I wonder if those who say my church is an inch deep and a mile wide know that they would actually drown in the inch we provide."
This has to be one of the best quotes I have ever seen on your blog.
Thanks for the musings,
jason
I wonder when churches will stop asking for help and start helping.
I wonder when churches will realize that family comes before volunteering.
I wonder a lot of things… [insert sigh]
LOL – nice, my picture showed up… so much for Anonymous. Ha!!
"I wonder when churches will realize that family comes before volunteering." Will you please come and speak this word of life over my church?
This is THE call over our generation, I believe. Well said.
So glad to hear you asking these questions and wondering about these issues. Sometimes I feel like our generation of churches just goes and does just to keep up with culture and doesn't ask these important questions to evaluate why we do what we do in the first place. It's not a bad place to be, it just helps focus your vision.
Come on, man. This ain't fair… You can't write stuff like this:
"I wonder when we will stop arguing about how to run the church and begin to start running our families."
and not expect me to get blasted right in my gut. Sheesh. Bring it, G.
This is something I've been pondering for some time. Like, "I wonder if our megachurch buildings of today will be the European Cathedrals of tomorrow: Large, Beautiful, Empty, Tourist Attractions."
Keep questioning. Thank you for leading!
Man I needed to read that tonight…
I firmly believe that some people get so wrapped up in the "show" that has often become known as worship that the end up seeking a "God High" week in and week out. I hear a lot of people in these new non-denominational churches say that the sprit just is not there in the more mainstream churches. I will grant you there is less show, but for a second for anyone to be foolish enough to believe that God favors one style of service over another is foolishness. God knows the hearts of men. I am in no way putting down the way in which people worship, but I get fed up sometimes with some folks who claim to be on a higher spiritual plane then the rest of us. This is a knock on nobody that has posted here or anything like that. Just my vent.
Also I wonder. Your comment "I wonder if the things we’ve rebelled against are the exact things we’ve become", I have watched a church in my area do the same think. 16 years ago my children went to a church that was focus on youth, with music, etc. I pass this church every day and smile because he too has added 2 more building that are – get this a YOUTH AND CHILDRENS. It makes me laugh because they have become what they were running from. Why seprate the youth from the adults. I am 54 and am discontend with the "church" of today. And by reading many blogs I see that I am not alone. I here alot about relationships and other buzz words. And these people speak against the institualize church and their lingo, but I am finding the same with them. They too will become what they dislike. Just my thoughts,
In heartache,
I wonder how many people went to Buckhead Church last nite expecting something other than the service presented.
"I wonder if we turned off the lights and pulled the band if more people would come or go."
God decided to give a taste of that at the service last night
"I wonder if we flipped the teaching time and music time, if it would matter."
That's a big one for me right now… one of our worship experiences is struggling right now. We're going to be changing it up this summer. I'm nervous and excited at the same time to see what God has in store for that service. A prayer for the 11:15 service @oslc would be appreciated.
I wonder why I can not see and hear God the way I used to.
it's cool to ask these questions…maybe even healthy…but is it healthy if we ask them and don't rearrange the way we approach things? the way we program (or maybe don't program)?
if we seriously question things then we tinker with the external processes so that we find out if our questioning is worth it's salt…if we don't allow our questioning to prod and push the external, we're just blowing smoke (no matter how fine that smoke may be).
I can tell you…we did do some of those things you stated at the beginning. And people did leave. We were never a large church, but when we stripped all the stuff away….people left. But I can say…God is building a very strong core out of it. When we get away from the "I wants" and "I thinks" and ask what God thinks…Truth is revealed.
Great questions…
Great questions… Praise God for them! The question of church as we know it here in America is a difficult one and something I am struggling with right now. A wonder arises in light of your own. I wonder how to release the creativity and excellence that fuels a ministry like that at Buckhead from the walls of a building. I wonder how to take these things to where the one's who don't know Jesus are, rather than trying to bring them to it.
An additional question we may ask ourselves, What is it that makes Christianity and Christ's church different than anything else in the world? Then, are these things coming across loud and clear, or are we just another show?