Church Shopping

In 45+ years of pastoring, I have spoken to many visitors in our worship services who informed me they were church shopping. I really didn’t appreciate the term. It sounded too “consumerish” for me. What I heard was, “We are looking for a church where our needs are met and we are made to feel comfortable. There needs to be convenient parking, a quality nursery for our little ones, programs for our older kids and the sermons need to be, short, entertaining and stress-free.” One day a fellow firefighter told he was attending a certain, well-known church in the area because the pastor commenced his sermons with 10 minutes of stand-up comedy. I’ll admit that I often say funny things during my sermons. I don’t plan to, it just pops out – it is who I am. But my humor is not the point of the sermon. They seem to be seeking a comfortable Christianity with a generous, problem-solving God. In my view, a consumer Christian looks like this. (Click for video)

Now my wife and I are looking for a church home (church shopping). So far, the results have been disappointing. I guess we could be called consumer Christians, too. But I’m pretty sure our “Shopping List” is unique. At least I haven’t heard of anyone else using one like it. Before I share my list, allow me to share some background information that may help make the list more understandable.

I grew up in the church. It was a nice church filled with nice people. I made many friends, but none of them was named Jesus. After seventeen years of attending worship services, Sunday school, youth group, and youth retreats, I went off to college without God. I wasn’t rebelling against my upbringing, I was just clueless about God. Who God is and what He is like was a mystery to me. It never occurred to me to read the Bible or pray before I made a decision. God was just not on my radar.

While in college my older brother shared with me a different look at Christianity, one I had never heard before. I believed there was a God, but I was sure He was pretty ticked. The only way I could please Him was to follow His rules, and that wasn’t happening. I envisioned God as a celestial killjoy, waiting to catch me having fun and telling me to stop it. All He had in mind for me was to make sure I had no fun.

Much like angry parents, God was to be avoided. Brother Bob explained to me that God, in fact, loves me. My sin had created a barrier between me and God which God wiped away through the death and resurrection of His son, Jesus Christ, And now I can have a relationship with Jesus. Thus, Christianity is not a religion but a relationship with God. That changed everything for me. It was the beginning of my journey to know God and to allow God to know me better.

The next experience that impacted what I am looking for in a church, happened while I was attending seminary. In the spring semester of 1970, a revival broke out. When I say Revival I mean, instead of being a special series of sermons preached to motivate church members, this was a spontaneous outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It was amazing and life-changing. I saw and experienced first hand the presence and power of the Spirit of God. I saw peoples’ hearts changed, others physically healed, and others emotionally healed. These were people I knew and thus knew their changes and healings were real. As Tommy Boy would say, “That’s going to leave a mark.” (Click for video) And it did. I could not deny what I had seen and experienced. (Worth watching.)

It was during my time serving Beargrass Christian Church as Youth Minister in the early 70s that God showed up again. I started that ministry with 12 high schoolers that had just returned from Expo 72, and they were on fire for God. We prayed together, we worshipped together, we studied the Word together, we hung out together, and we believed together. And God powerfully invaded our space. It was awesome and life-changing, and some of those young people, who contacted me later in life, told me it ruined them for church. I knew just what they meant. When the group grew to 150, other youth leaders in the Louisville area asked me my secret. I had no secret or plan. Just go after God with all you have and hide in the bushes and watch. All I knew was that God showed.

The last time I saw God show up in power, love and answered prayer was the last church I pastored.  By then I had finally discovered “the secret” of leading a church into the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Don’t think I’m smart because it is so simple. The secret is: pray for the church; preach from the Bible so the people fall in love with their Father God; give people opportunities to grow and encourage them to take advantage of those opportunities; only allow spiritually growing people in leadership positions and them get out of God’s way. It is scary, but fun. One never knows what God may do, but it will be good.

So, we are church shopping and I am doing it encumbered with all of my amazing experiences. It sure makes looking for a church difficult. We’re not looking for “the average church”, where one must muscle one’s way in. Where worship is made up of three lifelessly sung hymns or praise songs, a short non-challenging sermon or a message on politics (Like, I don’t hear enough about that all week and the government is going to save us – remember one of the world’s greatest lies, I’m from the government and I’m here to help.), confined within an order of service that God is not invited to interrupt. Where the “Plan for Discipleship” is made up of a couple of poorly attended Sunday school classes and a mid-week Bible Study led by the pastor. Where missions consist of giving money so someone else can go do mission work for us.

So, here is my shopping list:

• Vibrant worship centered on glorifying God: God Is GLORIFIED; Christ is EXALTED; The Holy Spirit HAS THE FREEDOM TO MINISTER; The Believer IS ENCOURAGED IN HEART AND MIND; The Unbeliever is DRAWN TO CHRIST).
• Ministries led and supported by the church’s laity.
• A clearly understandable system of discipleship that leads to individual spiritual growth.
• High expectations of member’s participation in a healthy small group.
• A loving and welcoming atmosphere for ALL who attend, with as many barriers as possible to newcomers removed.

If you know of such a church, save me some time and tell me where it is.

Copyright © 2019, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved

Bill McConnell is an Interim Minister, a Church Transformation consultant and a Christian Leadership Coach. He is a frequent speaker at Church Transformation events. His latest book on church transformation is DEVELOPING A SIGNIFICANT CHURCH and is available at Westbow Press. He can be contacted @ bill45053@gmail.com. Connect with him on Facebook @ William T. McConnell or on Twitter @billmc45053 or visit his Amazon Author Page @ Amazon author page

Worship in the 21st Century Church

The church I presently serve has had a contemporary worship service for almost 15 years. They

have done this type of worship well for a very long time. The contemporary worship services at this church are some of the most deeply spiritually moving I have ever been in. What is different for me is having professional musicians as worship leaders. They have a completely different way of expressing things than I am used to hearing. Last week I heard these phrases during worship prep: “I will change instruments when I feel you ramping down.” “Don’t use a bunch of worship jargon.” “While you are praying I will be grooving in the background.” “Back out of the prayer time gently.” My favorite was when we were talking about opening the service and the praise leader said to the minister, “Just say something profound and spiritual.” Gosh, I thought everything I said was profound and spiritual. It is an interesting bunch to work with. I love them.

Several weeks ago I was engaged in conversation with one of our senior members who attends our wonderful traditional worship service. She was sharing with me about how much she enjoys the worship and music in the service she attends and really can’t understand why anyone would want to attend the contemporary worship. To her ears, the music is just noise. I am thinking she feels about contemporary Christian music like I feel about rap music – that’s not music. She was shocked and amazed when I told her that some of the deepest spiritual experiences I have ever had were during contemporary worship.

I have been involved in what is known as “Contemporary Worship” since the early 1970’s. I have seen it move through several changes and the genre has morphed in many ways. Each decade has fostered a change in songs and musical approach – a generation of praise music. When I was first involved there were no publishing companies involved in the movement and songs were passed around the church and the nation through word of mouth. If I heard a song while worshiping in Kansas City, I would write it down and take the song to my church in Louisville. It was cool to watch that happen. It felt a little 1^st Century.

Slowly publishing houses were established that started providing songbooks, chord charts, music tapes and then CDs and then worship DVDs. There was Maranatha Praise and Worship, Vineyard Music, Hosanna Music, Integrity’s Praise! Music, Brentwood-Benson, Word, Hillsong and the list goes on. It has grown from nobody publishing that “new stuff” to a multimillion dollar industry.

Contemporary/Praise worship has been exciting to me because it was a great opportunity to move from doing worship as I had known it to something very different. The greatest change needed was not in music style but in the basic intent in our worship and what it accomplished. I know, because I was there, that for most of the 20^th century the church became proficient in developing what could be called the consumer church. People came to church to consume; to have spiritual their needs met; to develop networks of friends; to have a place to marry them and bury them; to have Christian education provided for their children; to hear a good sermon (whatever that is) and enjoy some good music. People often bluntly state that they are church shopping. We came to church to take, not give. Mission and ministry opportunities were extremely limited. The emphasis was on hands-off missionary work. We paid someone to do it for us and prayed God never called us to the mission field. Not us – we had lives to live.

Sunday morning was the ultimate consumer experience. We went to a worship service. There was little emphasis on worship and a great emphasis on consuming. The average family went and occupied a pew and felt we were doing our Christian duty and doing God a favor by just showing up. We sat and watched and observed and critiqued. It wasn’t that blatant but it was close. After worship we gathered with family and friends and critiqued the sermon. Was it interesting? Was it understandable? Was it doctrinally correct? Was it too long? What was the theme? Next we moved on to the choir. Did you like the selection? Could you understand the words they were singing? Did anybody hit a wrong note? Next on the agenda were the Elders. How were the prayers? Too long or too short? Did they wander from the subject? Sunday dinner was critique time.

In all of the critiques I sat through, I never heard the most important, necessary and critical question asked: “Was God pleased with our worship?” In fact, mention of God never showed up in those sessions. It is not because we didn’t care about God, it was because we were a part of the consumer church and in that church those kinds of questions never came up.

My excitement about and hope for contemporary worship was that we could move from watching worship to participating in worship. And, for me, a few times in a few places that has happened. And when it does, it is awesome. God shows up and it is a powerful, moving, empowering and life changing experience.

Christianity in America still tends toward being a spectator sport that is watched and enjoyed but is rarely participated in. But I see a trend in the church of the 21^st Century of a church that is becoming more missional, more participatory, more hands on. And that is happening some in worship. Lately many have been saying, “Don’t go to church; be the church.” May I add this: don’t go to worship; be the worship.

 Copyright © 2014, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved

 Bill McConnell is Senior Minister at Lindenwood Christian Church in Memphis, Tennessee and is a Church Transformation consultant and a Christian Leadership Coach. He is a frequent speaker at Church Transformation events. His latest book on church transformation is DEVELOPING A SIGNIFICANT CHURCH and is available at Westbow Press. He can be contacted @ bill45053@gmail.com. Connect with him on Facebook @ William T. McConnell or on Twitter @billmc45053.

There Is a Reason Life Is a Mess

As a pastor and as a friend, it is troubling to talk to church members and friends that I care so much about and have them report that they feel that: their relationship with God has ended; that God seems a million miles away; that they are in a very dark and lonely place; that their marriage is coming apart at the seams; that they have lost their passion for God and for life.

I hate to see anyone suffer and feel alienated from God and the people in their lives that should be the closest and most important.

Another dynamic in almost every one of these situations it that the people involved have made some monumental choices that have led them to be where they are. At the time they made those choices, the choices seemed inconsequential.

Choices like skipping worship for a family outing or kid's sports or some time away or just some down time. Choices like going out with the girls or the guys instead of hanging out with the spouse or spending time with the family. Choices like taking on another extracurricular activity or buying something extra and having to work overtime to pay for it. Making the choice to get deeper in debt instead of saving to buy whatever caught their eye and then living with the added tension of unpaid and un-payable bills. Deciding that life is too full and tiring to continue to attend Life Group or to continue doing the ministry that God has called them to.

We make small choices that, step by little step, imperceptibly draw us away from the things we need to do to keep our relationship with God and our relationships with the people that matter most in our lives strong and healthy. And then, when everything collapses, we wonder what happened. In almost every case people have failed to follow the very simple plan we, as a church, have given to help maintain a healthy and growing spiritual life. When you are a part of Legacy Christian Church, you are urged to consistently do just four simple things: to follow and exercise four spiritual disciplines. We don't guarantee that life will become problem free, but we do believe it will be better and you will be a stronger Christian. These are those four things.

In an effort to help us give our lives the meaning, purpose and direction God would want for us, Legacy Christian Church proposes that we simplify our lives, live them purposefully and with discipline. At the core of this concept is the idea that we do four simple things (Disciplines) consistently and well.

1. WORSHIP - Spend time each week in corporate worship. There is something powerful and life changing about worshiping God in a Body of Believers.
Jesus said, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24

2. PERSONAL QUIET TIME - You are encouraged to set aside a few minutes each day to be with God. This time could include Bible reading, meditation, silence, prayer and listening for God to speak truth into your heart. Personal spiritual growth happens in this time of study, prayer and reflection. We believe each individual believer is ultimately responsible for his or her spiritual growth.
Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, "Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest." So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place... Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to Beth-saida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he (Jesus) had taken leave of them, he went up on the mountain to pray.
Mark 6:31-32, 45-46

3. LIFE GROUP - Everyone is urged to actively participate in a healthy, vibrant Life Group. It is in the intimacy and trust of a Life Group that lives can be changed. In a Life Group we worship, study, share life and do ministry together. A Life Group can be a great entry way for a person to come into the life of the church. In a Life Group life is truly shared, truth can be spoken and accountability partnerships can be formed.
"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

4. MINISTRY - All Christians are called to live lives of purpose in serving others. That service can be done in serving follow Christians in the church - we can that ministry. Or we can serve those who do not yet know God, bless them and connect with them to help them come to know and experience God's love.
You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself. Galatians 5: 13-14

As someone who cares deeply about you, I encourage you to just do these four things. Please.

Copyright © 2010, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved