Darryl Dash Moving Beyond Church Services
Through Jordon Cooper, a good article by Darryl Dash on “Moving Beyond Church Services”
Dallas Willard, author of books about Christian spiritual formation, writes, “We must flatly say that one of the greatest contemporary barriers to meaningful spiritual formation in Christlikeness is overconfidence in the spiritual efficacy of ‘regular church services,’ of whatever kind they may be. Though they are vital, they are not enough. It is that simple.”
This drives pastors crazy because we know it’s true.
Regular church services are most of what some churches do. Close to half of my week as a pastor is spent preparing for services. Most congregations structure their buildings around space for services. When we say that we’re going to church, we’re really talking about attending a service. If we cut back what we do as a church, the last thing we’d ever cut is our regular church service.
For a long time, many of us thought that the world needed better church services. We produced services with better music, drama, and practical sermons. We built our entire evangelistic strategies around getting people to come to our church services. It hasn’t worked.
Hey Tim,
I agree. In fact I’ve been thinking a lot about this very thing lately. I think the greatest unaddressed sin of today’s church is consumerism. We manufacture and dole out programs and experiences then rebuke our members when they act like consumers. We encourage even guilt them into consuming our products but when they conusme the products of others our gitch becomes knotted.
Perhaps the point is – they’re not meant to consume anything. Except Christ.
What’s that mean for church? Still thinking. . .
John
Today, in my previous church in TBay, my best friend was dealing with a crisis. I was talking to her this morning over the phone and she said she needed to go to church… I don’t think she was talking about the service. She needed to be with the people who will love her and help her through anything.
That is what she got.
Sometimes, I have found more of what I see as “church” in a small group or a very small church. People who are willing to drop the program or the lesson to sit with you and help you through the crap.
Yes, I enjoy a great worship service – and I appreciate one that is really well planned – but I think we are missing something if, when lightning strikes, we don’t want to be with our church family.
Good point John, sometimes it seems like we set up and run “church” exactly like every other club or team we are a part of, then try to convince people that somehow this club is better… see “lighthouse/country club sermon illusration”
I also appreciate your comment Erica, maybe the reality is that healthy churches, big or small seem to find ways for people to “connect”, whatever that means. When it’s healthy it has very little to do with the “form” of Sunday morning.
I think one of the main problems for smaller and medium size churches (which is most of them the world over) is that putting on the show/event that Sunday morning has become, including music/sermon/children’s classes etc. etc, takes up so much energy/time/money/talent that there is little left for anything else. The percentage of the average churches money that pastor’s salary takes and the time commitment pastors usually give to Sunday morning (willing or unwilling) is an indicator of where the emphasis is…