My Thoughts on "User-Friendly" Church Pt. 2

At the outset I must say that seeker sensitive churches come in all sizes and flavors. They will vary significantly because the seeker sensitive philosophy is not limited to any particular denomination. I remember sitting down with a Sr. Pastor in which I mentioned the seeker sensitive bent and direction of his church, but he denied that the church was in fact seeker sensitive. It really doesn’t matter what one professes. What matters is what is in actual practice. I know for a fact that this particular pastor took his queues from a very popular seeker sensitive church manual. His Sunday morning speeches were theatrical. On one occasion he flew into the sanctuary during a message that had something to do with being a secret agent or something. I am not sure what that was all about, but I was present when he dressed up as a fisherman with wade suit and all. And he still had the audacity to deny that the church was seeker sensitive. Again one need only to see what is in actual practice to determine the ministry philosophy. I have been guilty of theatrics to be honest. My intention here is to simply look back and critique why I believe this approach is at best unwise, but at worst just plain wrong. It is not in keeping with the spirit of the New Testament.

I also believe that I need to clarify what I am mainly concerned about when it comes to the no holds barred marketing approach. What concerns me most is the method by which the man of God delivers the word of God by the God appointed means of preaching. This is my main concern and not so much creative billboards, mail outs, or any other means to get the word out about the church.

The concern is whether Biblical truth suffers from delivery methodology. I don’t know how many times I have heard “We don’t change the message, but we simply change the method.” I am not sure if people who say such things have actually thought this all the way through. Common sense tells us that the content or the nature of a message does call for an appropriate corresponding method of delivery. Imagine for a moment that a loved one is rushed to the emergency room after a terrible car accident. Imagine waiting anxiously in the waiting room when all of a sudden you receive a text message from the Doctor that reads, “Sorry, but your loved one didn’t make it. They’re dead.” You see, the Doctor delivered the message alright, but he just changed the method. Was that appropriate? This isn’t the greatest illustration. In fact I just made it up as I was typing here, but my point is that we ought to have the wisdom to determine what method of delivery best fits the nature of the message. What if the doctor would have sent a singing telegram to inform you of the death? He didn’t change the message only the message. I understand these are extreme examples, but I think my point has been made. The manner in which you communicate something reflects one’s attitude or disposition about the very thing that is communicated. Is it really necessary to have the praise and worship band perform “Hell's Bells?”

Ok, so I hate to leave you hanging, but you’ll just have to wait for my next post for for the rest of my thoughts here.