We’re all familiar with it. Even if you are not a “Christian” you can look down the street and see that there are a lot of churches to choose from. What I am wondering is, was this Christ’s great call to the people he left behind to follow him? Did he want there to be a choice for every age group, personality, ethnicity, socio-economic group and community service personality?
In the United States I see roughly 3 kinds of churches. There are more than this of course, but I believe many of those could be listed into subgroups.
1. The old pair of jeans church: this church has community together and they do something called outreach. This is where your body remains fully inside the church building but your arms ocassionally “reach out” to give soup, hand out clothing or even money to a foreign land. The old pair of jeans is comfortable. They feel good because they reach out but relaxed because they know where they’re going. So, they usually sing the same songs all the time, the messages are usually bland recitations of scripture, and the same prayer is prayed. There are a couple of people who seem to really enjoy it, but for the most part you look around and wonder who is really worshipping. Is anyone here standing face to face with their maker, truly worshipping and calling out to Him.
2. The Calvin Clein jeans church: This church used to rock! I mean, you know, like Celine Dion style rocking. Calvin Clein jeans are really nice. They are not too expensive but definitely not cheap. Back in the day they were really trendy but now they are taking their place among the grandfather of trends. Because CK is such a big company, they can do a lot. They offer goods, services, and Jesus!!! Can anyone give me an Amen. Oops, I forgot, inappropriate! Because CK is not that churchy, well….They say that but don’t forget your offering, at least wear khakis, and only come as you are if you have a shower. Don’t forget: big company = lots of Jesus opportunities. But would Jesus really like the pastor’s SUV? Are the 25% of people who serve outside the church spreading Christ? Possibly. But not probably.
3. The Trendy Jeans: Oh, this one is great because it can be cheap Forever 21 style or higher end like True Religion. Even the name sounds fabulous, right? This kind of jean has the most subgroups: skinny (not high tech), wide leg (too high tech), and antiqued (enough tech offerings for the family)! These churches do a lot. But if you’re sitting on the outside, looking at the cars, and the clothes, you might start to wonder if they do a lot for the kingdom or do more for themselves. Because they look great, don’t get me wrong, but the thing about trends is most of them don’t last and some of them come in really poor quality material.
Now, this is my opinion, and some facets over-generalized and mocked. Yet, if there are facets that can be mocked and over-generalized, is there a problem? Is this what Jesus was speaking of in Matthew 28 when he says “Go and make disciples of all people.” Should any comforts or trends matter? How much should we matter? Before or after others?
I honestly believe true followership of Jesus would bring people in harmony. It would wipe away the trends and wash out the forced praise. It would result in fall on your knees or lift your face to heaven worship. It would be concerned about charity but even more so about being involved in the fight for justice. It would know that individuals matter but as a body we are better. Are “types” of churches necessary to bring people to Christ, or would a church that just displayed Christ, no matter the technology or resolution, be best. Do we get distracted by our own cool gadgets and movie clips and lighting techniques so much that we would not know how to lead worship without it? Do the types separate us so that we cannot act as a body and fully be Christ to a world so seeped in pain it seems more and more people are noticing. God did not come into a world of stuff, he created a world of humanity. So what about taking it down to a raw level? Bad idea or good starting point?
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