My earliest memories are of attending Sunday School in a low-ceilinged basement where good people used Flannelgraphs to teach me about Jesus. (Flannelgraphs are a flannel-covered board where the teacher arranges Bible characters cut out of felt…like pre-historic Velcro.) Church didn’t change much during the first thirty years of my life. We sang the same songs and followed the same routines my forefathers had followed for over a century.
Things started to change in the 70’s. On the outside, the changes appeared to be driven by the social and political unrest. Traditions became less important; they were ignored and eventually rejected. Ultimately, traditions were seen as a hindrance to sharing the Gospel. By the 80’s the discussion was focused on traditional church versus contemporary church. By the 90’s the battle was pretty much over. Boundaries were drawn in practically every church family. Churches were either traditional or contemporary. It had become a clear cut division between the traditions of the War generation versus the preferences of the Baby Boomers.
Contemporary church has, for the most part, won the day in houses of worship across the country. That’s not to say that there aren’t vital traditional congregations; however, the most common style among protestant churches today seems to include casual dress and a seeker environment. Stage bands have replaced organs. Casual dress and multimedia presentations have replaced stained glass and pews.
The basis for this form of contemporary church, in my opinion, has been an entertainment model. Like the Tonight Show, it uses a band, a studio audience, and a celebrity emcee who delivers the Gospel to the audience. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking it; I’m only attempting to quantify or objectively describe the culture of contemporary Praise and Worship style churches.
I believe culture is once again rapidly changing. In the 70’s and 80’s the media was controlled by three major networks and radio was simply localized FM stations. I don’t need to tell you how different things are today. Hundreds of channels on TV are being challenged by web based media that streams any video, any time, any place. It’s a Brave New World.
So what’s next for our church families? I believe we are moving quickly to a much more simplified form of church. Simple worship, simple preaching/teaching and simplified fellowship opportunities. Life Church is committed to this simplified approach to church life. We are committed to drawing people together for the simple purpose of worshipping together, sharing the Word together, and fellowshipping together. We want to be “Bigger than Life,” focusing our resources, energies and our lives outward from Life Church toward our community.
I’m excited about this trend in churches in general, and at Life Church in particular. We’re not after a slick presentation, just an authentic, sincere and natural church experience. I’m not sure exactly what it will look like, but I’m intrigued… and I’m ready.
Are you?