Friday, April 20, 2007
Programming
Al Mohler looks at the over-programmed church and comes down more heavily on secular "competition." He looks at the fact that families are choosing Little League over church. I'll be the first one to admit that that's a huge issue we see at our church all the time.
He also takes a little time to comment that when church programming immediately separates families when they arrive church creates some competition too.
Lawsuits and insurance costs have had a lot to do with churches getting out of the community service provider business, but might it not be more effective to raise the needed money, or lobby for protective law, or something besides punt?
And then there is the fact that some churches simply over-program for kids. Every year, Mrs. Blogotional and I have to struggle to find a place in the youth ministries schedule for the small group meeting we lead. Our church programs these kids down to the half-hour. In order to participate in any "secular" extra-curriculars, the kids have to punt on some church program.
Mohler has hit on something here that runs much deeper than just family time management. That is the confusion of ministry with program.
Churches today do so much programming - they offer so many "services" for the religiously oriented consumer. But is that ministry? Does it change lives or just give them something to do? In many cases it is just taking what people would be doing anyway and pulling it into the church to give it the appearance of sanctification. Now that is not necessarily a bad thing, if we populate it with people transformed by God and being His ambassadors in the midst of the activity.
You see, as those people interact with other people - that is where the program turns into the ministry. But we seem to forget that so much anymore. We work on the program at the expense, or at least ignorance, of the ministry.
Maybe if we thought about the minsitry first and the program second...
Related Tags: church, program, ministry, time management
He also takes a little time to comment that when church programming immediately separates families when they arrive church creates some competition too.
When "church time" is seen as a competitor to "family time," something is wrong at church. When family members hardly see each other at church activities, the congregation needs to take a quick inventory of its concept of ministry.But I think this is a very superficial look at the problem. For example, when I was growing up, our church was active in Little League, etc. Property was used to host games, the church sponsored teams, and so forth. Most of those kinds of activities that, for example, take place on Sunday morning do so because it is the only time facilities can be obtained. The shortage of facilities is often due to the fact that churches have quit providing them - now it is all public parks.
Lawsuits and insurance costs have had a lot to do with churches getting out of the community service provider business, but might it not be more effective to raise the needed money, or lobby for protective law, or something besides punt?
And then there is the fact that some churches simply over-program for kids. Every year, Mrs. Blogotional and I have to struggle to find a place in the youth ministries schedule for the small group meeting we lead. Our church programs these kids down to the half-hour. In order to participate in any "secular" extra-curriculars, the kids have to punt on some church program.
Mohler has hit on something here that runs much deeper than just family time management. That is the confusion of ministry with program.
Churches today do so much programming - they offer so many "services" for the religiously oriented consumer. But is that ministry? Does it change lives or just give them something to do? In many cases it is just taking what people would be doing anyway and pulling it into the church to give it the appearance of sanctification. Now that is not necessarily a bad thing, if we populate it with people transformed by God and being His ambassadors in the midst of the activity.
You see, as those people interact with other people - that is where the program turns into the ministry. But we seem to forget that so much anymore. We work on the program at the expense, or at least ignorance, of the ministry.
Maybe if we thought about the minsitry first and the program second...
Related Tags: church, program, ministry, time management
