Monday, September 15, 2014
A Bit Too Practical
Thom Rainer looks at "
7 Reasons Why Church Worship Centers Will Get Smaller"
I would argue that they should not be, but often are. The church is driven by God's guidance. Now, truly budgetary and demographic concerns must be consider when we seek God's guidance, they shape our understanding of the call we receive from the Lord, but they do not, cannot drive our decisions.
My reason for this is straightforward. If we allow those things to drive us, they become our goals. We are then reduced to chasing culture rather than defining it, and the church has thus given up it's place in our society. We seek to change culture, not conform to it.
shaping culture
- Decreasing frequency of attendance among church members.
- The growth of the "nones."
- The growth of the multi-site and multi-venue church.
- The Millennials' aversion to larger worship centers.
- Governmental agencies are increasingly unfriendly to church building plans.
- The shift in emphasis from the big worship event to an emphasis on groups.
- The desire to spend more on ministry and less on facilities.
I would argue that they should not be, but often are. The church is driven by God's guidance. Now, truly budgetary and demographic concerns must be consider when we seek God's guidance, they shape our understanding of the call we receive from the Lord, but they do not, cannot drive our decisions.
My reason for this is straightforward. If we allow those things to drive us, they become our goals. We are then reduced to chasing culture rather than defining it, and the church has thus given up it's place in our society. We seek to change culture, not conform to it.
shaping culture
