A friend of mine placed this YouTube video on Facebook a few days ago:
As a person who has been “raised” in the contemporary church, I find this video to be a number of things: entertaining, surprising, and sad. I’m not sure what the original intent of the video was, but if you attend any church that is purposely “contemporvant” (Contemporary & Relevant), you’ve seen some of these characteristics.
So here are my scattered thoughts:
- We shouldn’t be in the process of mocking any form of Christian worship, as long as it is honest and gives glory to God.
- Cookie-cutter Christianity has always been the case…in the 1950s, in 2011. Churches want to reach the unchurched, and they want to do so with contemporary and relevant methods and music.
- That said, every church shouldn’t model its ministries off of other ministries. Innovation and relevance can be found within the walls of any church.
- There are churches that are not “contemporary” or “relevant” that are being used for God’s glory, too.
- We need to make sure that our churches are not so “seeker sensitive” that they are also places of “no growth.”
- Churches, when healthy, should be multi-generational. Generational churches either need to become multi-generational or they will eventually burn out.
- Churches should be focusing on the actual meaning of the music they are singing and making sure that the lyrics are theologically sound. We should make sure that God is at the center of music we use to worship Him and avoid songs all about “me” or “I” unless the purpose of the songs are confessional or based on making a commitment.
- And if we’re in the process of perfuming gimmicks instead of serving God, we need to stop what we’re doing.
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