Yesterday I had the rare opportunity to attend a worship service for which I had no responsibility. I had the morning off and one of our sons had asked us to check out a church near their home that they are considering attending. They've been there a couple of times and wanted my take on it. We weren't church shopping per se. More window shopping. We certainly weren't going to "buy" anything ourselves, but we wanted to take a peek!
To begin with, I knew that the church was non-denominational, and what would be characterized as "evangelical." Like so many first-time visitors I had gone to their website before I went to service. It was a very polished website--and, if you were willing to dig, one that conveyed a fair amount of information about the church, including it's statement of faith. If I had not been on my particular mission, that would have stopped me right there. It was theologically very, very conservative.
It spoke of biblical inerrancy and substitutionary atonement, though it used much more accessible language.
That said, the website gave very clear directions, and had a very inviting look about it. As did the parking lot when we pulled in on Sunday morning. Balloons marked two clear signs pointing to the children's wing of the church--and a number of parking spots were reserved for parents with very young children. Clearly they were aiming for the younger crowd. And it appeared to be working!
When we entered the foyer, the doors were held open for us by cheerful greeters. We were welcomed at least three times. Everything was clearly marked--I noticed the worship space was labeled "auditorium"--not "sanctuary." A tip of the hat to those unfamiliar with churchy language.
The music was loud. Very loud. It was a so-called contemporary service, and it began with a rock band and light show. The song lyrics were projected onto three large screens--though it seemed that it was mostly the band members who were singing. And it was loud. Very loud. I love good rock and roll. And I can handle volume being turned way up--but it was loud.
We stood for the first twenty minutes as the band played on. The auditorium was full of young families. Very few older folks--and virtually none from my mother's generation. She would not have been able to stand for so long, I suspect. They say one of the secrets to church growth is to have a very closely targeted audience. They did. And clearly it was working.
The sermon was piped in from another location. It was well-done and shown on a very large screen which had been lowered for the presentation. It was well-thought out, with a fair amount of humor--and reflective of the church's theology. But I missed having the preacher in the room.
I was struck by how little we had to do as worshippers. The room was fairly dark--more like being in a theater than in a traditional sanctuary--and it was very easy to close in on yourself and your own concerns. The sermon was targeted that way as well. I may have missed something, but I don't think there was a single mention of any outside event. No mention of Israel and Gaza, no mention of flooding across the country, no mention of gun violence erupting again. A very well crafted cocoon had been prepared for us--granted one with very loud music--and we could simply sink into the experience and let our troubles go.
Are there things for old fogeys like me to learn from such an experience? Sure. The use of technology was awesome--and if we are going to connect with younger folks we need to use it more expertly. The welcome was genuinely warm--always a plus. Laughter is good. And at least for some of our worship experiences we need to recognize musical tastes vary widely.
But that said, worship--for me at least--needs to be more inclusive of the worshippers. Worship needs to reflect our commitment to serve others. I'm a trained actor--I love a good show--and bringing a measure of theatricality to worship is not a bad thing--in fact, I would suggest it is a good thing. But worship needs to be more than a show.
And finally, the church is one of the last places where one can have an intergenerational experience. I for one think that is one of the real gifts we offer to the world. I would hate for us to become stratified by age.
I'm glad I had the opportunity to go. And I appreciate that while the church I visited is coming from a very different space than I am, it clearly is meeting some needs for folks trying to understand their place in the world and their relationship to God.
But did I tell you the music was loud?
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