Evangelical churches must understand that making the Church relevant through trying to “meet people where they are” is a valid philosophy to attract numbers. But, it is a flawed approach when numbers become the end in and of itself. Relationship should take precedence over the spectacle.

(via RELEVANT Magazine – Church Shopping)

Apparently I saved this quote a while back so I could write about it. And now, here I am, writing about it, I guess.

Numbers don’t make for a good church. You can have a big church that is good, but it gets harder and harder as it grows. I’m a missionary’s kid, so I’ve been to my share of churches. And, let me tell you, the big ones where they buy up a city block to run all their programs and services were almost always the ones that frustrated me. And the small ones with a loyal, long-time congregation were the ones where you felt like a family.

I don’t know what the evangelical fascination with numbers is all about; especially with its lack of hierarchy, it only opens up the possibility for trouble once leadership is too small to manage everyone on a first-name basis.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

The other day a friend related a story to me of a man he knew who had been caught cheating on his wife. And not just any man, but a priest (in a denomination that allows marriage, of course).

The idea of infidelity has always bothered me. Now that I’m in a serious relationship, it bothers me even more.

I wonder how many of the men who cheat on their wives once thought what I do: that I’d never cheat and don’t know how anyone ever could.

I’m not suggesting that I feel like I’m unaware of how capable I am of cheating. But it does scare me. What slippery slope do these men go down that leads to dirty deeds behind their wives’ backs? Certainly something else had to come before the cheating. And, of all people, it seems as though a priest should have the character of passion, fervor and devotion that would hold him back even more so than many people.

I don’t have anything else to say, really. I guess I’m just shocked that this happens, and probably more often than I’m aware of. The more I grow, the more I realize how different we are from each other. Much like with murder, it’s clear that we all have different shortcomings that we struggle with.

Yet another Scott Hahn book. In other words, another book arguing in favor of Catholicism from a guy who used to be a Presbyterian minister and theologian.

This one is an examination of the Catholic Mass, explaining many of its parts, but mostly looking at it from the context of the book of Revelation. He argues, rather convincingly, that Armageddon is the current time we are in and that, while we are in the midst of Mass, we are actually in heaven, and not just symbolically. Instead of looking at political events in search of the end times, he matches up almost every key aspect of the final book of the Bible with an aspect of Mass. I won’t list those things off here because, well, there’s a lot of them. Plus, I’m no expert at Catholicism or the book of Revelation so a lot of it was new to me.

This book will be surprising to most evangelicals, who try to draw parallels with current events while they flip through Revelation, but (this was surprising to me) many educated in the Catholic tradition won’t find much of this new at all. It became clear to me as I was reading that Revelation was written with the Church and Mass in mind, not as some wacked-out prophecy about how the world will end. Sure, it was written in a strange format, but it’s impressive how much of it lines up with the procession of Mass and the overall structure of the Church.

Like I said, I won’t try to argue in favor of the ideas presented in The Lamb’s Supper because I’d fail quickly. But if you’re interested in end times theology, the Catholic Mass or finding heaven on earth, this will be an eye-opening book for you.

Apparently Scott Hahn is “that guy” to people who, like myself, are transitioning out of evangelicalism into Catholicism. I did not know this until I began the process myself, but I suppose that makes sense.

Reasons to Believe: How to Understand, Explain and Defend the Catholic Faith is a decent read. Lots of good explanations and biblical justifications for fundamental aspects of the Catholic faith.

The only part I didn’t like so much was the fact that he tried to cater to too many audiences. The entire first third of the book is geared towards those that don’t believe God exists. While I have dealt with that at times in my life, I was hoping it was more of a book for those that already had some foundation of belief.

And the last third was mostly a focus on Old Testament justification for the Catholic church. Probably relevant to people who know a fair amount about the Bible. Also known as: not me. I suppose I can’t fault Hahn for trying to make the book as useful as possible, but it still was frustrating.

I recommend this one, if only for the middle third of the book, as a way for evangelicals to gain an understanding of the Catholic faith, whether or not you’re interested in taking the plunge.

I just finished watching the documentary American Hardcore, which covers the six-year span of punk’s first (and some would say only) wave in America. It covers the rise and fall of Black Flag, Bad Brains (pre-reggae), Minor Threat and pretty much all the bands I wish I’d been alive to appreciate. (Yeah, I was definitely two years old when Black Flag broke up. Oh well. I’ve seen Henry Rollins do a speaking gig. Does that count?)

Anyway, I noticed something at the beginning of the film, when all these punk icons are explaining how and why the punk scene happened. As many know, it was in large part in reaction to a poor economy, Reagan and the Sex Pistols. But most of the big names on the screen had something else in common: they came from DC, the OC and any other place in the country that is or was a pinnacle of suburban American life. The men and women on screen talk about discontent with a world of order and institution. Many of them had parents who were heads of corporate and political America. And all these kids wanted to do was hang out 7 days a week in a grungy club and beat each other bloody to music that was 1% order and 99% energy.

Sounds familiar. Kind of exactly like the feelings the people in So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore had about being trapped in the institutional church. Not that I expect those of you that are discontent at church to start beating the crap out of each other and yelling into microphones but, you know, at least they were doing something they enjoyed rather than wasting their life following the straight line.

Punks getting tired of the scene getting uber-violent ended the whole thing. Black Flag quit, Bad Brains went reggae, Ian Mackaye started Fugazi. Maybe it’s human nature to fluctuate between order and chaos and to react with a drastic shift in the other direction when things go too far.

(Side note: I’m currently listening to AFI’s The Art of Drowning: one of the better hardcore punk albums of my generation that kids in ’84 probably wouldn’t have hated. Someone please verify.)

Every time I make a pile of books to read over a given period of time, a book inevitably pops up that I must read right away (for one reason or another) that isn’t in said pile. This is one of those books. It was given to me in Thailand by my new friend Doc, who does ministry in beautiful Krabi via his muay thai (Thai boxing) training center. We had just talked about me leaving my old church and he perked up and said I had to have his copy of it.

So You Don’t Want to Go to Church Anymore is about exactly what it sounds like. It tells a story based on true events in a pastor’s life when he got burnt out and frustrated with church and his spiritual life and, through the guidance of a friend, ended up leaving church entirely. And when I say “church,” I mean the institutional, structured form of church that tends to squeeze the life out of… life by making it an obligation, thus putting the horse before the carriage of faith.

I found that this book was mostly stuff I had already realized on my own as I left my own church of 15 years. But it would certainly be a very fitting book for someone who perhaps isn’t as much of a free thinker by nature who feels trapped by their church setting.

So mostly it was nice to hear other people talk about how much they thought church was sucky and ineffective. I didn’t agree with anything, but that’s mostly due to the experiential and personal revelations discussed.

If you are dying on the vine, this is a book for you. Just make sure to talk to someone a step or two ahead of you when you’re done.

And if you’re too cheap to buy this one, let me know. The first person to ask gets the copy that Doc so graciously gave to me. Or you can download/read it for free on the website.

Somehow (I wish I could remember where) I came across this interesting slide show that outlines the parallels between histories of the megachurch and the corporate complex.

It’s especially intriguing that they are able to draw these comparisons without any explicit judgment on either the church or the corporate world. I, personally, wouldn’t be able to do that easily. In fact, even without their judgment I began to pass my own.

The main question raised is this: is it healthy to have the Church (big C) looking a lot like a business, especially a business much like that in western consumer-focused culture? I can’t say “no” confidently, but I certainly lean that way.

Side note: I’ve always wondered if, instead of huge megachurches, we aren’t supposed to be growing people up enough in smaller churches in a way that they long to branch out and start their own small churches. Thoughts?

As I’ve been growing and learning more about the Catholic church and the liturgy, one of the biggest things I’ve learned is that every action taken and item present in the service is a direct reminder of some aspect of the Gospel. It’s as though, over time, we’ve come to realize that us humans need to be continually pounded in the brain and heart with the facts about how and why we are saved.

In contrast, the evangelical church is all about teaching. People want a message, they want it to be compelling and entertaining and they don’t want it to be something they’ve heard before. It’s no wonder evangelical churches have had to become business-savvy marketers.

And you know what’s funny? Just like marketing ploys and advertising are losing steam (or, as Seth Godin says, the “half-price sale on attention is now over”), I’m starting to see evangelical churches bottom out when it comes to our generation. They can’t keep our attention and we’re left disillusioned and unsatisfied.

Perhaps it’s because the marketing is getting in the way of the constant reminder of sacrifice and forgiveness, of the fact that going through motions is sometimes what we need to do to remember. Maybe we were trained to look for a “good church” only to find the ones we go to are never good enough — rather than taught that the Church is still a collective of imperfect humans. And rather than stick around unsatisfied, we peace out before we get tied down. And many of us will never go back.

This post is in response to comments I got about my entry about the book Four Witnesses. The following responses aren’t things I’m saying with full authority and 100% belief, but ideas I’ve been introduced to through respectable sources. I’m still processing all of this. I’m not jumping into it without knowing what I’m getting into, so read on, explore and ponder with me.

1. Concern about the Catholic opinion of the pope’s position

For no one can be in doubt, indeed it was known in every age that the holy and most blessed Peter, prince and head of the apostles, the pillar of faith and the foundation of the Catholic Church, received the keys of the kingdom from our Lord Jesus Christ, the saviour and redeemer of the human race, and that to this day and for ever he lives and presides and exercises judgment in his successors the bishops of the holy Roman see…

Therefore, whoever succeeds to the chair of Peter obtains by the institution of Christ himself, the primacy of Peter over the whole Church. So what the truth has ordained stands firm, and blessed Peter perseveres in the rock-like strength he was granted, and does not abandon that guidance of the Church which he once received.

-Vatican I, First Dogmatic Constitution on the Church of Christ

Four Witnesses also pointed out that the Catholic church sees the pope as infallible (without error in his judgment) rather than sinless. It seems like a small distinction to me, but a distinction nonetheless. I’m still not sure how I feel about this.

2. Why the focus on “getting back to the early church”?

Because, if the keys of the church were truly handed to Peter we should follow in his footsteps. Also, the early church gave us the Bible organized as we read it today. If this church predates the Bible we know, trust and use for guidance for our Church model, shouldn’t we also look at their example alongside the Bible they compiled as our guide?

So that’s two significant objections and their responses. Like I said, I still have doubts and questions about both. I’m still in the dark about a lot of things here. I’m sure plenty more will come up.

Jesus never said anything about how many people you should cram into your church building. Jesus didn’t tell us to set attendance goals. Jesus didn’t tell us to pray that a church (small c) will grow so big that it runs out of folding chairs and has to build a separate campus. However many people come to your church, fill out their attendance cards, and/or come forward at the altar call is completely, completely irrelevant to actual change in their lives and whether or not they actually experienced the person of Christ.

Stuff Christian Culture Likes does it again!

I have little to add here; Stephanie said it better than I could ever hope to. All I have to say is that the small-c churches that shoot for big numbers have, in my experience, done as much harm as good to their congregations’ well-being. It’s unfortunate to see pastors with good intentions but that are slightly misguided in the search for tangible stats for something entirely intangible.

I would even say that, to some extent, I’ve been a victim — both directly and indirectly — of this goal.