Admit it the title caught your attention didn’t it? You might be wondering, what does football or baseball have to do with the church? In short, very little yet a little something. It is really a question about tradition or innovation. Major League Baseball for the most part is a sport that is stuck in times gone past. They are starting to catch up with some things, but it is still largely a game driven as much by the unwritten rules as the written rules. Whereas the National Football League seems to rewrite the rule book almost monthly. The NFL has been on the leading edge of change for the past several years. There can be no arguing the that NFL is the most popular sport in America, while baseball is struggling to reach the younger generations. Now before you think this is a slam against baseball and a glowing report of football, let’s understand that there is an upside to baseball and a downside to football as well. So what do these two leagues have to do with church?
In America there are competing views on how church should be “done.” You have those who sit back glowing in the glory of the church of yesteryear. This church loves their traditions. When it comes to embracing change and new things, generally this church is of the attitude “we’ve never done it that way before.” So that is one side, but there is another.
In the 90’s and 00’s we saw the surge of seeker friendly churches. These churches were all about helping the lost feel comfortable within the church. This church rejected many of the traditions of the church for fresh innovation. When it comes to embracing change in this church, the attitude generally is “we haven’t tried it that way, but why not try it.”
Just like the NFL and MLB, there are good points to both and there are detractors to both. To the traditional church I would say, while you have kept the main thing the main thing in pointing people to and pursuing Christ, you must realize that we live in a very different society today. We live in a very technological society. The truth is, those looking for a new church to visit are most likely going to research the church online before coming. Therefore, it is imperative that we have a web presence and even a social media presence. Today’s younger generation is interested in engaging the culture around them and the community they are in. They want to see a church that not only is biblically faithful, but also a church that is active in helping the community with the problems present in the community. Therefore, there needs to be a little give and take and an evaluation of what you do and why do it. There must be some embracing of change if you want to reach the lost of today. On the other hand, to the church who wants to be on the cutting edge of innovation I would caution you not to change simply to change. Like it or not, most people in society do not like a lot of change, and they surely don’t like change to be sudden. I would also say to make sure that you are spending as much time on the present as you do the wrapping. What I mean by that is sometimes it appears you care more about making the people feel comfortable in church with secular music with Christian words, light shows, and the “come as you are” mentality. It is great that you want to reach people, but at the end of the day it is about pointing all people to Christ. If all you do is attract a crowd of 10,000 people, but they never hear the truth of who they are and that the Gospel is their only hope, what have you accomplished? So what is the answer?
Well let me say this, I am not an expert on this issue and truthfully I am still trying to work through this myself. I believe that the answer lies somewhere in the middle. Although I am in my mid 30’s, I like some of the traditions of yesteryear. I like my Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, and other contemporary artists as well. I am an introvert, and so sometimes reaching outside of myself to others can be difficult. But I also know that we have been sent by our Lord and Savior to reach out to the lost. This isn’t anything new, but I think we need to be reminded of this truth. If you do things the same way you have always done them, you will continue to get the results you have always gotten. A church needs to know the trends of the day, they must be intentional about reaching the lost. But I do not believe we need to “sell” Christ with lights, glimmer, and glam. With all due respect, why are we trying to make the lost feel more comfortable at church? It is not about them, it is about Christ! Truthfully, if we are being biblically faithfullly, the lost and the saved for that matter, are going to be uncomfortable in the church, because the Word of God confronts our sin and the Holy Spirit convicts us of it. We want to be careful that we don’t try manufacture a work of God with man-made things. The issue really is not what you do, as it is why you do it. Whether you are a traditional church or a more modern, trendy church, what is your ultimate goal? I am reminded of an interaction between some of Jesus’ disciples and some Greeks in the Gospel of John. The Greeks said, “sir, we would see Jesus” (John 12:21). Every day of my life and in every service we do, our ultimate goal should be to point people to Christ. Whether for salvation or sanctification, people need Jesus! Whether you are a traditional church or non-traditional is an issue best left up to the leadership and congregation of the church, but we must all strive to glorify God in all we do, and point others to Christ.
By His grace and through His strength, may we live for Him