Church & Definitions
Does today’s Church have a problem? I think all would answer with a Yes. But what is the problem? There would be widespread disagreement about that. Let me propose the answer lies around definitions!
Church: Definitions Determine Direction
Change Makes A Difference
It won’t take much to make this point. And keeping with the shared article below, maybe humor is in order. Let’s look at some familiar items and metaphors.
The Church has been commissioned by the Lord. What is the Commission and how does the Church define it:
Commission: Go make disciples (Matthew 28:19)
Defined approach: Y’all come hear!
Song and pen has called the Church the Ship of Zion. How does the modern congregation see that? There are two options:
Biblical View: It’s a battle ship!
View From the Pew: It’s a cruise ship!
What about the old hymn Onward Christian Soldiers? And does anyone still sing Am I A Soldier Of The Cross? The soldier metaphor is well developed in the New Testament. But is that how most congregations see themselves? The second hymn contains this verse:
Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize, and sailed through bloody seas?
It’s easy to make a case that the focus is now on those beds of ease! And for those who doubt these brief comments, see if you can laugh your way through the following piece from Babylon Bee. I needed the laugh this article provided.
But I couldn’t laugh too long. Because things like worship-service concessions is what we get when we have faulty definitions of mission and purpose.
Soli Deo Gloria!
Lakewood Church Concession Vendors Set For Big Sunday Debut
HOUSTON, TX—The biggest church in America is stepping things up a notch in the service department. Lakewood Church will be unleashing its well-trained, mobile concession vendors into the stands of the former Compaq Center Sunday morning, according to a Friday press release.
“Lakewood Church has always been dedicated to convenience and comfort,” a church representative wrote in the statement posted on the church’s website. “And now our guests will be able to enjoy a variety of snacks like hot dogs, popcorn, and sodas during the service, without ever leaving their seats.”
If various trial runs conducted throughout the past year are any indication, the concession vendors will be a hit among churchgoers, while adding “something like mid-seven-figures” to the annual bottom line, according to sources.
Among the snacks on the menu are “Victory Vanilla Cones,” “Champion Chips,” “Name-Em-And-Claim-Em Nachos,” and “Destiny Dogs.”
In addition to the roaming concessions, Lakewood has plans to roll out cheerleading teams and T-shirt cannons by the end of the year, sources confirmed.
View article on Babylon Bee site
I agree and I suggest a step in front of “Go make disciples.” That is a people who know what they believe and why, who understand basic Biblical theology, and who have themselves been discipled. Without that foundation we get frustration, haphazard results and people who don’t see a problem with hot dog vendors at the church service.
Amen, my brother!