Thursday, May 15, 2014

Passionate about apathy

I read a couple of completely different pieces of information on the ol' Internet highway this morning. But they are related, I believe.

First, I read a very smart piece talking about the growth of the "nones," that group of people who are saying they have no part in religion, at all.

Then I read a funny little piece called 10 things that Christians get mad and and probably shouldn't.

1. Loud music; 2. People using iPads instead of real Bibles; 3. Coffee in the Sanctuary; 4. Youth group attire; 5. Long sermons; 6. Church parking lots; 7. Pastors asking for money; 8. Women in leadership; 9. Overly happy greeters; 10. the much feared meet-and-greet.

The two have some connection, I think. But let me clarify first that I believe anyone can worship any way they so choose to. I believe in loud music, people using whatever device or mechanism they need to read the scriptures, and I see nothing wrong with wearing whatever you want in church and drinking coffee while you're doing it. That's me. I completely understand others who don't agree with that, and that's fine. It really is.

However, what I do think is that we all have to take a deep breath and understand that once we become a disciple of Jesus Christ, our job, our mission, our commission is to bring others into the fold. We must recognize and respond to the fact that what brought us in x number of years ago, might not be conducive to doing that now, at best, and might indeed be prohibitive to those who are being sought by the Lord.

Here's some personal categories of churches I've seen or heard about:

1) They want what they want and what they want is what has always been. They are where they are in terms of growth, and if anyone else wants to join, they join with the understanding that this is a traditional church and it will always be one.
2) They're very interested in growth, but, man, it's hard to get used to all the new things. Still, they're interested.
3) They're ready for anything, actually welcoming in seekers.

I'm not judging any of them. Just saying.

But there is a whole new world out there that we're facing now that in many ways we've never addressed before in the Christian church.

And that's the none.

That's the person and/or persons who don't care at all. They're not atheists. They're not lost sheep wandering around looking for the shepherd. They're not necessarily anti-religion as they are apathetic-religion.

That's a whole new Diet of Worms if you get my drift.

Will it help if we match music to demographic and neighborhoods? Yes. Will it help if we allow use of phones and tablets during church, even encouraging texting and such? In the right environment, yes? Will it help if ...

Whoa, Romeo.

Let's remember the beginning so that we can explore the future. In the second chapter of the Book of Acts, that telling of the birth of a church, we read this: "Therefore let all Israel know beyond question that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ. When the crowd heard this, they were deeply troubled. They said to Peter and the other apostles, 'Brothers, what should we do.' Peter replied, 'Change your hearts and lives.'

Now, this was a Jew talking to Jews. Still, the response is an amazing one.

"Those who accepted Peter's message were baptized. God brought about three thousand people into the community on that day."

No coffee hutches. No nice tables at the back of the sanctuary. No band playing. Nothing but one thing and one thing only and that was the Gospel of Jesus brought by a sincere preacher.

I believe that those folks out there that the church has lost to sports and to recreation and to sleeping in on the weekend and to apathy in general are missing the point of all this.

We the church have broken this. The vehicle was supposed to be able to stop on every corner and open its doors and carry us all toward Him.

Instead, we've locked our doors and made it self-contained.

Our job is to give up on what WE want and try our best to pray the resolution to the question, "What do YOU want?"

And live accordingly.

Someone who isn't so apathetic that they can still be moved might just see who we are more than hear what we say.

That's our mission.

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