Jesus? Yes. Church Attendance? Not so much...?

Here's a link to the study (scroll down) we talked about this morning.  It explains that, while "unchurched" young adults are more open to traditional Christian belief -- like the resurrection of Christ -- church attendance just ain't happenin'. 

This is in spite of millions of dollars of marketing lessons, conferences, advertising budgets, multi-media expenditures, and consumeristic here's-what-they'll-like approaches, in addition to just plain good intentions.

What's going on?  We hope you caught some of the show this morning.  Discuss this for long, in a public way, on a Christian radio station, and two things will become apparent:  1)  Many are not interested in the cultural, traditional, American trappings of "church", even though they love Jesus, and 2)  Many others consider those trappings to BE the church, itself.  

Anyway, it was a great discussion, and I appreciated the honesty from everyone.  For those who consider the discussion, and the ensuing honesty, out-of-bounds ("We shouldn't ever be critical of how we 'do church'...") I've, below, posted something I wrote awhile back. 

I believe it's a high opinion of the church, a love for the church, that lends us to healthy self-examination.  It's a low opinion, indeed, that says, "No matter what she does or looks like or, for that matter, whom she loves...say nothing."

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On "Being Too Negative" About the Church

It's called "Beauty Control".  Man, did they name THAT thing right.

Nothing against Beauty Control (TM) products and/or services and/or salespeople and/or legal representatives preparing a defamation suit at this moment, but at least that one night, BC wasn't cool.  Carolyn went to this "Ladies Night" thing at church, years ago, and the Beauty Control rep was there to do a demo make-over-thing-deal.

They picked Carolyn as the make-over-ee, which made no sense, because she didn't, and doesn't, need a makeover.  I wasn't there, but, apparently, they did a bunch of...stuff...to her face, and then everyone got to see how great she looked, and she was showered with compliments the rest of the evening!  You look great!  Wow!  Beauty Control did that?  Wow!  Awesome!  Look at you, girlfriend! etc., etc. etc.

Then she came home.  I couldn't believe what I saw.

They made her look like Bozo the Clown.  Without even the dignity of the floppy red shoes.

I was stunned.  Uh...I didn't know what to say.  But I said something.  Turned out, she hadn't had a chance to see herself all evening long.  I told her to go look in the bathroom mirror.  She broke up laughing.  No exaggeration:  This makeup job was mind-blowing.

"Beauty Control", indeed.  What was their motto?  "Controlling Beauty Since 1942"?

It was ha-ha funny, but you know?  Deep down, it bugged me.  It's hard to explain.  It was sorta like -- I don't know -- someone messing wtih your wife's face.  Yes.  It felt JUST like that.  And Carolyn was, and is, beautiful. 

Two rules I've always had:  #1: No one messes with Carolyn's face, especially if this violates #2: No one makes her look like she should have a sidekick named "Mr. Slappy" or whatever.

We thought it was bizarre that all her friends would go through the evening as if nothing was amiss, nothing was painfully awry, but, hey, they were being nice.  Nice to her, nice to the Beauty Control Lady.  No feelings hurt.  Just a little charade.

But she got home, where any loving husband would say something, and I did.

Because I love her face.  Her real face.  So we talked about it, looked at it in the bright light, had a good laugh, and then she cleaned off the silliness and went back to the beauty she is.

It's called "Beauty Control".  Man, did they name THAT thing right.

Nothing against Beauty Control (TM) products and/or services and/or salespeople and/or legal representatives preparing a defamation suit at this moment, but at least that one night, BC wasn't cool.  Carolyn went to this "Ladies Night" thing at church, years ago, and the Beauty Control rep was there to do a demo make-over-thing-deal.

They picked Carolyn as the make-over-ee, which made no sense, because she didn't, and doesn't, need a makeover.  I wasn't there, but, apparently, they did a bunch of...stuff...to her face, and then everyone got to see how great she looked, and she was showered with compliments the rest of the evening!  You look great!  Wow!  Beauty Control did that?  Wow!  Awesome!  Look at you, girlfriend! etc., etc. etc.

Then she came home.  I couldn't believe what I saw.

They made her look like Bozo the Clown.  Without even the dignity of the floppy red shoes.

I was stunned.  Uh...I didn't know what to say.  But I said something.  Turned out, she hadn't had a chance to see herself all evening long.  I told her to go look in the bathroom mirror.  She broke up laughing.  No exaggeration:  This makeup job was mind-blowing.

"Beauty Control", indeed.  What was their motto?  "Controlling Beauty Since 1942"?

It was ha-ha funny, but you know?  Deep down, it bugged me.  It's hard to explain.  It was sorta like -- I don't know -- someone messing wtih your wife's face.  Yes.  It felt JUST like that.  And Carolyn was, and is, beautiful. 

Two rules I've always had:  #1: No one messes with Carolyn's face, especially if this violates #2: No one makes her look like she should have a sidekick named "Mr. Slappy" or whatever.

We thought it was bizarre that all her friends would go through the evening as if nothing was amiss, nothing was painfully awry, but, hey, they were being nice.  Nice to her, nice to the Beauty Control Lady.  No feelings hurt.  Just a little charade.

But she got home, where any loving husband would say something, and I did.

Because I love her face.  Her real face.  So we talked about it, looked at it in the bright light, had a good laugh, and then she cleaned off the silliness and went back to the beauty she is.

Comments

[Zack]

I spent this weekend at the Advance 09 conference, sponsored by Desiring God, The Resurgence, and Acts 29.

I believe with all my heart that things are about to change.

Buckle up!

[Jason Coker]

The link doesn't work.

I know I don't want to go to church, and I'M a church planter. Since I stopped going to church a year ago I've become a far better follower of Christ, my kids have become more interested in Jesus, and I have a lot more time, energy, and money available for the Kingdom.

I'd be really interested in hearing more from Zach (above) about what exactly Acts 29 is gearing up for that will cause real change. I'm pretty familiar with them, and to this point, frankly, it all seems like warmed-over come-and-see, consumer ecclesiology to me. Am I wrong?

[Diana Arroyo]

"Beauty Control?!" This is hilarious! Funny thing, we were discussing this very thing over dinner with friends from church last night. The topic of our discussion was telling the truth in love, and timing is everything. As business people, we get approached by Christians all the time who want to "partner" with us in some way. But, we have developed keen "fruit radar" - on investigation, 9 times outta 10 we find some kinda rotten fruit. On a personal level, regarding relationships with other believers, the question is the same. When someone we know, either closely or remotely, is doing something that gives God a bad name, do we tell them? We go to the Instruction Manual for the answers. It says, "tell the truth in Love". Our conclusion: if we resist telling the truth in love, we may rob someone of an opportunity to grow in understanding and move forward in their Christian walk. If someone you loved was drowning, wouldn't you yank 'em outta the water? My best friends are those who will tell me when I have spinach in my teeth!

[Laurie]

I think that traditions of "man" are destroying the church. Church is not a building. We need to get back to GOD and seek HIM and not what some man is telling us to do because it's his(the pastor's) church supposedly. Christians don't belong to a church building or to a pastor. We belong to GOD and we should walk with Him daily.

[John H]

I'm not believing what I'm reading. Some of you have stopped going to church? Church is not about you, it is about worshiping God. I've found that on the times I didn't want to go to church turned out to be the times I went anyway and received the greatest blessing by simply being a blessing to someone else. It's not about what you get; it is all about what you give. Furthermore, we are emphatically told in Hebrews 10:25 to "not forsake the assembling of yourself together."
Like myself, maybe others should realize "it's not about me, it's all about Jesus."

[Brant]

John -- Is it possible to not attend a 501(c)3 institutional gathering/worship service, and yet still be in accord with Hebrews 10:25?

Honest question. I -- and, I can say, many others we've heard from -- would say, emphatically, "yes".

To be sure, some find it easier to "be a blessing" to others in a non-passive setting, where everyone is allowed to use their own gifts to build others up during the gathering.

[John]

I'm not trying to be argumentative, but in being amongst the fellowship of believers, I feel as though that is the more biblical approach to worship. What scripture can you back up your comment with? You grow as a Christian with other believers, then you can go out and make a difference where God leads you. How can you more effectively go and "teach them all things whatsoever I have commanded you" without the fellowship and discipleship of other believers?

[Brant]

No problem, John. You don't seem argumentative.

No one is saying, so far as I can tell, that we aren't to get together with others for mutual building-up. And regularly. And deliberately.

That may not mean, "going to church", which isn't a phrase you'll find in the Bible, for instance. It may mean eating with one another, sharing lives and even possessions, allowing people to speak into each others' lives, etc., rather than a service/event that one attends. We are to admonish one another (I Cor 3:16) and that's difficult to do at a theater-style setting. Check out Paul's explicit instructions for "when you come together" in I Corinthians 14:26.

Coming together like this may not meet an idea, for many, of "going to church", absent the organization, building, staff, clergy, etc. but I would argue it's certainly not abandoning *being* the church.

[Jamie]

"When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power." "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power." 1 Cor. 2:1-5; 4:20 We wonder why people aren't coming to church. When's the last time we rested on the demonstration of God's power to bring people in? We try so hard with our schemes and ideas and planning meetings. The answer is right in front of our face in Scripture - God's supernatural power and the bare hardcore Gospel that is a scandal to people. This is shown all throughout the book of Acts.