that is what you are going with?

after i read an article about a church leaderships new campaign to market church as "church sucks" i didn't know what to think. i did want to comment on the article but i didn't want to be "one of those guys" who comments on public places. i realize i have in the last few weeks and i am strongly fighting the urge to do it. those people will never see me nor understand what i am saying, supportive or discouraging through a website. i hate, above most things, communication breakdown's.

this perspective of promoting reverse psychology is not the enemy of faith but does not steer one clear of moralistic deism, of which the american church is steeped in. i found the approach rather frustrating. not the whole ability to come up with something witty and market an idea but just how this particular church felt a need to use a perspective of the world to draw attention to themselves and the church. my thoughts were simply...why not use the gospel of jesus christ, no?

the desire of attention is what seems to be the root of the issue. an alternative to wanting attention might be to teach the congregation of a real perception of the church from outsiders that is not true. instruct those who have been transformed by the power of the holy spirit to go be jesus to these outsiders. this would change the ideology that we feel and are tempted to shape our church based upon what goes on in popular culture. preach jesus and the gospel (romans 1:16). words, persuasion, and gimmicks don't transform individuals (galatians 1:12).

i can remember programs that would go on in the duration of the church week that were not very popular and therefore would need to be scratched from the church machine of services. they could be revamped, altered, or discarded altogether. however, new marketing doesn't transform the people. if this is done out of fear of low attendance then your issue may not be that you need to pump more life into your church or program. quite possibly something needs to die in order for god to use it, like when he called us to die to ourselves in order to be disciples of his.

so the issue is NOT the outsiders. the issues are with the insiders. and that is ok because we can try and make things popular and cool all we want but the transforming power of the spirit is what insiders and outsiders need regardless of what you or they are doing at 10 am on sunday morning. without it you have a gathering of people who are prone to love themselves without the revelation that god loves them so they can love others.

this opened my eyes