This morning my wife and I visited a church we’d never been to before and then went out to breakfast afterwards. As we were eating I looked around the restaurant and commented to my wife that I imagined very few of the people around us had been to church. She agreed and then asked, “why would they? I doubt that any of them feel a real need to go. It’s just not relevant to their lives.”
I’m afraid she’s right. It’s not that churches aren’t trying to be relevant because I think they are. But, how can churches be relevant today? What do they need to do in order to be attractive to those people who would otherwise never attend? It seems that most people are really asking, “who needs church? My life is great without it! I’m a good person.” And you know what? They’re right. In so many ways and on so many levels they’re right.
So, how do we make the church relevant to people asking the question, who needs church?
November 4, 2007 at 9:20 pm
I think so many times we put the pressure on church to be all things to all people and then we can just participate in what we want of it. I believe what you had seen in the restaurant was nothing new under the sun. I believe people go through stages and sometimes they don’t find the need for God and His church no matter what. I think it’s up to God’s people to be there to make connections with people. At some point they will need a believer by their side. Then, I believe, they will find The Bride more relevant.
Just a thought.
Many Blessings,
Debbie aka The Real World Martha
November 4, 2007 at 9:22 pm
I think we make church relevant by living relevant lives as Christians. Remember we are the church not the building. If we live lives that are so contrary to the way the world lives, as we should, then people won’t be able to help but ask what we have that they don’t.
November 4, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Okay, okay, you got me. I’m responding to The Blog. You just asked such a compelling question – so here are my thoughts.
Could it be that the church (as in the people/body inside the builing that are the very definition of church) is lacking in passion? And I say passion for lack of a better word at the moment, but it seems like the early church grew so largely without any real marketing help from the outside.
When I think about the early church I think about their intense belief that Jesus was their one, true Savior. There is just something about a group of people that believe something so strongly, so intensely, and even more so intentionally that makes people around them want to join in. I mean, it happens in places all over our world unrelated to church. Celebrities going all out for a cause, whatever it may be, draws teenagers in flocks to that cause. As the church, I feel like we may try to lay low and out of the spotlight because in the past we had a bad reputation for getting in too many faces and pushing what we believe on people. But pushing ourselves on people is not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about being so full of Christ’s deep love for us and so overwhelmed by his faithfulness that it can’t help but pour out onto the world. Who wouldn’t be curious about something after seeing someone so devouted and renewed by a cause? I’m pretty sure I would.
So, I guess I’m just thinking that there may be something to being more outward with our belief. Living it out in louder ways than perhaps we are. Not loudly obnoxious however, because nobody likes that. People may not think they need church, but they may not want to miss out on something that is noticeably affecting many lives around them.
that’s it.
November 5, 2007 at 11:18 am
And here’s another question:
George Barna recently wrote a book called “Revolution”, and it is about a growing trend of people who claim themselves as christians, but find no need to go to church at all. Some people meet for coffee on sunday’s, some people meet during a game of sunday morning golf. Either way, this new genre of people are becoming thirsty for God, but have a huge problem with the church.
Now, the first side of this is that it is good. Barna’s general thesis is that “millions of people have left the chruch, and started becoming the Church themselves”.
But on the other hand, we have this problem that arises. Which was Mark’s orginal question: “Who needs Church?” My biggest fear for our “post-modern/emerging church” is that an entire generation might grow into lives of faith, but feel as if they have no need to “meet” as “a church”.
And then here we are; back at the beginning.
So here’s my stab at the question: Who needs Church?
Hebrews 10:25 says, “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”.
I highly doubt that this verse is talking about “church attendance”. In fact, if you read the context of the verse, you’ll begin to understand what is being said here.
V. 22 says “Let us draw near with a true heart”
V. 23 says “Let us hold tightly to the hope we affirm”
V.24 says “Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works”.
And now V. 25 – “Let us not give up meeting like this”.
“this”
refering to V. 22-24.
Let us not give up meeting with true hearts
Let us not give up meeting with overwhelming faith
Let us not give up meeting with the goal of stiring up some love
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I would like to think that if we found ourselves doing these things, we surely would find ourselves “living out loud”; which leads us to what Claire said – “Being so full of Christ’s deep love for us and so overwhelmed by his faithfulness that it can’t help but pour out onto the world”.
Man, that would be cool wouldn’t it.
November 6, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Ummmm…wow! Great post Mark! I’m one of those people that has found church irrelevant. At some point it became about what I could get out of it (always “I need…”). I still go once in a while (live right down the street from Matthew Barnett’s church The Dream Center) but it doesn’t really hold that much for me. I have found much more fulfillment in volunteering at one of our local homeless shelters, deliverying meals to shut-in and AIDS patients. I do participate in a weekly Bible study, but church somehow lost its relevance for me. Like you, I don’t think I’m alone in that.
j.
November 19, 2007 at 9:03 am
i live in South African and run a research agency. we are currently doing a project called Project Empty Chair. the focus is on low church attendance by women. We want to understand why certain women come very infrequently to church. most specificially what could be added to chruch to make it more relevant, what could be reduced or removed all together. any input would be welcomed.