How do you feel about Christian churches these days?
Based on the many Facebook posts I read, some of you are very happy with your church … especially if the church is ministering effectively to your kids. If so, that’s wonderful.
I’m struggling … and I wonder if it’s just me.
Last Sunday, my wife and I attended a megachurch in our community. We’re in the process of church shopping and want to make sure we’re covering all the bases in our area.
We sat on the far right side of the worship center … but I didn’t know that the church puts its services online. Suddenly, this huge boom camera goes flying over our heads … back and forth, back and forth.
If the thing fell, the coroner would have to be summoned.
So we moved to the back row in the next section over … but that didn’t stop the camera from hovering above us again.
At one point, it got so low that I could have reached out and touched it … but what I really wanted to do was stop the thing from flying over my head every thirty seconds!
Fortunately, the service was great, right?
I don’t even want to mention this … but here goes. (Lord, if I’m just being a cranky former pastor, please forgive me.)
The music was fine … at least I knew some of the songs … but church music is starting to sound the same to me wherever I go – especially the lyrics. You could take the lyrics to any song, jumble up their order, and write another song with them … and another … and another …
I’m starting to long for “Here I raise my Ebenezer” and “My sin, O the bliss of that glorious thought …”
The pastor was away, so there was a guest speaker … with the obligatory shirt tail out. (Can someone explain this trend to me? Is this somehow more biblical or godly … or is it all about being cool? Would that same person dress like that while making a business presentation? Just saying.)
The guest speaker had a great introduction – he actually used a story … and then never used another one. Not one. Zilch. With little application, either. And no outline. It almost felt like he made up the sermon as he walked to the pulpit.
And he probably walked away with $2,000 per service for his efforts.
I’m just getting started, so if you want to turn back now …
There’s something else I’m struggling with: the lack of intellectual challenge in preaching today.
Can somebody please come up with something that makes us think?
One or two meaningful quotes would be nice … or a story about a great leader from church history … or a detailed explanation of a theological truth.
But instead, it seems like the preaching is designed for spiritual ninth graders. I was in ninth grade once … but I don’t want to go back there again.
And one more thing … has anything happened in Christendom between the resurrection of Jesus and yesterday’s news? While our preaching needs to be biblically based, when is the last time you heard a preacher refer to Martin Luther, or John Calvin, or the Anabaptists, or the Reformation?
To steal a quote from Howard Hendricks, modern-day Christianity is a mile wide and an inch deep.
And what’s happened to gifted vocalists and musicians?
If you love Jesus, and He gave you a beautiful voice, are you relegated to singing on the praise/worship team for all eternity? Why are churches intentionally not allowing gifted vocalists to sing solos or duets anymore? At our home church in Phoenix, we had one or two vocal selections every Sunday … and they were often the best part of the service … but my guess is that less than 10% of the churches I’ve visited allow such singers to use their gifts.
Can we please hear something besides praise/worship music all the time?
As I look back over more than 50 years of sitting in church, do you know what I remember best?
Illustrations and solos.
When I talked to a friend recently about my feelings, he told me I need to teach on a regular basis.
Oh, no … God couldn’t be telling me that, could He?
Am I the only one who feels this way?
This holy rant is now concluded.
You nailed that one right on the head! The lack of intellectual challenge in preaching today. Once you have experienced the intellectual challenge in teaching, you feel like you are dying of thirst in the wilderness when it disappears. The world would be blessed if God is calling you to teach on a regular basis.
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Well, you’re very kind, Karen. I believe that I am called to teach, but I’m not sure the local church is the venue anymore … unless I could do a 50+ church. That might be fun! Out of 50+ pastors I’ve heard preach over the past few years, I found just 4 of them intellectually interesting. One is my friend Dave, who preaches in Orange County; another is a pastor 16 miles from us; and Pastor Don Wilson from our former church in Phoenix is awesome, along with their new teaching pastor, Mark. Other than that … it’s a bit discouraging. One of the problems in the church today is that most guys think they’re great preachers. Even if they pastor a church of two, they think they’re great. I better stop now …
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I’m with you! I can’t stand the under-dressed pastor thing. We tried 6 churches before settling on our current mega-church home. Come to my Virginia church, Jim! No flying boom cameras, though there are stationary cameras. The pastor wears a suit and tie – no shirt tails – even a dressy pocket handkerchief. The choir includes many gifted soloists, whom we hear weekly in some sort of rotation. The music incorporates contemporary arrangements of traditional hymns along with praise & worship. The preaching provides note-taking guidance and is usually part of a multi-week series. Haven’t heard many references to historic Christians, but my children are getting that in Sunday school – yay! Lots of stories and application – the pastor’s whole life seems to be an object lesson. The church is Southern Baptist, with weekly altar calls, and nearly every week at least one baptism and new members in each service. Dare I say it – maybe part of the problem is where you are. CA may be awesome, but…….the west coast is very casual and seems to take pride in being non-traditional. Therefore, you get…..casual and non-traditional. Just my observation from living in Seattle and Alameda compared with Connecticut, western New York and southeastern Virginia.
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Tricia, I was always taught that a pastor should look sharp. That may or may not involve a suit and a tie … I always found ties hard to wear while speaking … but this whole “I’m going to look like a seventh grader” pose is really disturbing.
By the way, when we were in Virginia two years ago … Williamsburg, to be exact … we tried to go to church on a Sunday morning but couldn’t find the church, so I’ll have to do that another time.
I’m not big into choirs … probably because I grew up with them and they got old fast … but I do like having multiple soloists. Many contemporary Christian songs have moving, thought-provoking lyrics … but too many churches only allow praise and worship songs in their services, and I don’t get it. We’re shutting out people with wonderful spiritual gifts … why?
Yes, you might be right … maybe it’s California … although I saw this trend in the Phoenix-area churches as well. But you’ve been able to make informed comparisons because you’ve lived in different parts of the country, so I commend you for your choice of church.
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Hi from Brisbane Australia. I enjoy your posts very much and tune in often. The church I attend (Keperra Baptist) offers 45min sermons each service and they are very well researched and insightful, something I really appreciate in contrast to the short lightweight ones I have heard elsewhere. I admire ministers who are unafrid to be challenging. I prefer sound, intelligent biblical teaching without too many stories and definitely don’t need theatrics. We sing a mix of contemporary choruses and hymns.
But what do people want from churches? A Christian social club? A performance venue? Somewhere where their kids can mix with the right kind of others? Somewhere that builds them up in their faith and equips them for ministry to a hurting world?
There are all kinds of churches for all kinds of people and everyone has to find one that suits them, but I would say the defining factor of a church is that it must be God-centred and biblically based. I personally cringe when i visit a Christian bookstore and see all the “me me me” stuff- how God can enhance MY finances, marriage, personality,leadership abilities etc etc. And some churches are like that. Regardless of style, it should be about honouring God, learning about Him and serving Him.
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I agree with you that we need all kinds of churches to reach all kinds of people. We don’t need cookie cutter churches. There should be distinctive ways of worshiping and educating and serving. Maybe I’m frustrated with the whole process of church shopping. I wish I could find a website that compares churches so I could weed out certain ones and focus on others.
As far as stories in sermons, Jesus was a master story teller. I think in stories, not just concepts, and remember stories long after I’ve forgotten the principles. Twenty years ago, we heard many more stories. Today, we hear few … and I wonder why. There is nothing more compelling than a good story.
When I was younger, I wanted more choruses … and as I get older, I want more substance in my music. A Christian leader suggested I start a church for people over 50. I don’t feel led to do that, but maybe we need a few churches like that because most churches target youn families.
By the way, you write very well … maybe you could start a blog of your own if you don’t have one. Thanks so much for reading and for responding to my post.
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I agree with Tricia that California is very casual and pastors are dressing for their target audience. We had a guest speaker once who was a long time youth pastor, and although I generally don’t care how a pastor is dressed even I was taken aback by his truly sloppy appearance. It was sloppy on purpose, I’m quite sure, as he probably tries to dress like the kids he ministers to. His sermon was actually quite good. I think once we hit 50 we are no longer the target audience, if a pastor wants his church to grow he has to target younger people.
In addition, I know that what I needed from church was very different for each decade of my life, so what I needed at 40 was much more profound and intellectually challenging than what I needed at 20.
But I hear you, Jim, you have attended churches with excellent pastors and preaching that reached all audiences. What is it about those pastors that make that possible?
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In the minds of many people, sloppy = authentic. I find sloppy dress offensive for a presenter, who should dress a bit above the audience, not like the audience … but that’s my skewed value system showing again.
I have heard 3 excellent preachers in the past 30 months, some good ones, and some really bad ones.
Don Wilson at CCV in Phoenix is a preacher par excellence. He is biblical, authentic, illustrative, contemporary, passionate, and prophetic. He speaks the truth with grace … but you always go away having learned something. It’s evident that he’s studied and worked hard at his message. The church’s new teaching pastor, Mark Moore, has been a professor of New Testament for years, and finds things in the text I’ve missed. It’s a joy listening to these two men.
Dave Rolph, my long-time friend and seminary classmate, preaches at a Calvary Chapel in Orange County. Dave has far more education than the average Calvary pastor. Dave just finished preaching through the Bible in 9 years! I heard him speak on Revelation 22. He spoke for an hour and it only seemed like a few minutes. Dave’s sermons are broadcast on the radio on Calvary’s network. Dave always has something to say and is very insightful. I find very few pastors insightful anymore. They just say obvious things.
I guess I don’t want a pastor just to shout “Jesus is alive. Amen?” I want a pastor to help me to think through the Bible and think through my faith. I want to learn. I want to grow.
By the way, Kim has gotten angry several times when we were listening to preachers. One time, she wanted to walk out … another time, I had to calm her down she was so upset.
It’s a tough world out there. Pastors need to equip their people to face that world and influence it for Jesus. Based on what I’m hearing from pulpits these days, we’re not doing the job. That may sound harsh, but it’s how I really feel. Maybe this is why church attendance has taken a nose dive in America … and why the younger generation is increasingly atheistic.
Finis!
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I forgot to add something. I agree with you that churches tend to try and reach younger people. They are obviously more open to the gospel than people twenty years older. However, the older people are expected to provide the funding for that to take place. If the church is only trying to reach younger people, why should the older people fund it? The 50+ crowd has needs, too. If lots of churches are going to focus on reaching people 30-50, then we need more churches for people 50+. I realize that doesn’t jive with the whole intergenerational church thing, but maybe that’s what we need to do. (I had a Christian leader suggest I start a church for people 50+ recently.)
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