A Big Church
Ive been drifting around a few blogs recently where big churches in the modern world have come in for some criticism and I really am struggling to make my mind up about it /them.
The criticisms aren't particularly very clear to be fair but one is about a rock "culture" and if anyone is familiar with Hillsongs and so forth then you will be getting somewhat of an image of what I mean. So I will use Hillsongs as a reference point although in truth don't have any gripes about it.
I read somewhere recently that Hillsongs London have a team of a 1000 people (a 1000 - really??) simply dedicated to transforming the London Dominion theatre into a church and back to theatre at a weekend. Wait a moment, I will try and find the link....
Here we go .... http://www.hillsong.co.uk/london/home.asp.
Neither am I sure I have a problem with this in truth, but I struggle why church has to be done in a theatre like this, possibly at great expense (maybe not) and at great effort.
Thinking about it, my main issue with a large church is being established and maybe its a selfish thing. I lead worship in a church and consider it a priveledge - and I do it a reasonable amount. However I know that if there were lots of other competent worship leaders around, then I would be doing it less. If I were to join a large church where people were very skilled I suspect I wouldn't cut the mustard and not be able to be part of the worship, simply because I am not good enough in terms of skill.
I would hope then that my skills would be used in cell group / home groups or something like that, but in truth I am a person who likes performing in front of a larger audience. Not that leading worship is performing in a sense of "hey look at me" but there is a greater amount of pressure and nerve needed as the audience size grows. So leading worship at a smaller level, although good, possibly wouldn't hold the attraction it has. I guess that could be wrong of me and not very humble, but its honest.
I do enjoy leading worship at a small group, thats cool. But if thats all I was doing then I think I would slowly become frustrated.
The other thing (and the last thing as I am horribly rambling) is that a large church means you never get to know a majority of people as its impossible. The people at the "top" running church become somewhat divorced from the people at the "bottom" making tea and coffee. (I use top and bottom in a heriachical format because its easier to demonstrate although I don't like classifying people like this. In my mind someone who cleans the toilet is just as important as the preacher - one cannot do without the other). But there is a seperation occurs I believe from the leader and the non leader.
Anyway enough there for a pyschologist to examine and probably determine some issue of leadership and self righteousness or something. Champion
The criticisms aren't particularly very clear to be fair but one is about a rock "culture" and if anyone is familiar with Hillsongs and so forth then you will be getting somewhat of an image of what I mean. So I will use Hillsongs as a reference point although in truth don't have any gripes about it.
I read somewhere recently that Hillsongs London have a team of a 1000 people (a 1000 - really??) simply dedicated to transforming the London Dominion theatre into a church and back to theatre at a weekend. Wait a moment, I will try and find the link....
Here we go .... http://www.hillsong.co.uk/london/home.asp.
Neither am I sure I have a problem with this in truth, but I struggle why church has to be done in a theatre like this, possibly at great expense (maybe not) and at great effort.
Thinking about it, my main issue with a large church is being established and maybe its a selfish thing. I lead worship in a church and consider it a priveledge - and I do it a reasonable amount. However I know that if there were lots of other competent worship leaders around, then I would be doing it less. If I were to join a large church where people were very skilled I suspect I wouldn't cut the mustard and not be able to be part of the worship, simply because I am not good enough in terms of skill.
I would hope then that my skills would be used in cell group / home groups or something like that, but in truth I am a person who likes performing in front of a larger audience. Not that leading worship is performing in a sense of "hey look at me" but there is a greater amount of pressure and nerve needed as the audience size grows. So leading worship at a smaller level, although good, possibly wouldn't hold the attraction it has. I guess that could be wrong of me and not very humble, but its honest.
I do enjoy leading worship at a small group, thats cool. But if thats all I was doing then I think I would slowly become frustrated.
The other thing (and the last thing as I am horribly rambling) is that a large church means you never get to know a majority of people as its impossible. The people at the "top" running church become somewhat divorced from the people at the "bottom" making tea and coffee. (I use top and bottom in a heriachical format because its easier to demonstrate although I don't like classifying people like this. In my mind someone who cleans the toilet is just as important as the preacher - one cannot do without the other). But there is a seperation occurs I believe from the leader and the non leader.
Anyway enough there for a pyschologist to examine and probably determine some issue of leadership and self righteousness or something. Champion
posted by monty at
7:13 AM
3 Comments:
I've been thinking along some similar lines recently. In York I go to a very small church of about 9-10 people. In worship we just have one guy playing guitar, but actually most of us have some musical talent and would like to be used - this is an issue of our own.
Last Sunday I went to the biggest church in York. Last year I went to it regularly for a number of months, but I haven't liked it for the reasons you've described. The worship is good, but it's extremely slick. I finally plucked up the courage to ask to join (even though I've sung at the front of church loads of times). I went along to a practice and every one was so good, and they wanted us to sing in four part harmony, and it was all just so perfect that I never went back. Where was the freedom for people of any skill to have a go? Where was the freedom for God to work through his spirit? It was so exclusive - the cream of the crop.
Also, on Sunday, my friend and I went into the church, sat through the service and went out again without anyone saying hello and stopping for a chat. Yes there were smiles, but nothing more. The lady next to me only spoke to tell me when she had to get out to serve communion!! This was the case during the few months that I was there last year too. I stopped going because it was isolating and unfriendly, even though I was in a small group. Even these people didn't speak to me on a Sunday, one reason may have been because there were so many people they didn't see me. But when I left, no one chased after me. In fact I left without a word and no one even called!
Now it's not all negative, the church is big, great and does some amazing things, but it's just missing some vital parts in my view
That's odd... i blogged on something very similar recently ;)
First off, I wouldn't argue a culture is a dangerous but: when the extrapolations of a means to worship lead to such danger, then the exception can be bought back to the culture itself for perpetrating such conservative zeal.
In my church where I used to live, I drummed which wa sreally cool. We all accepted my short comings, all turned a comical blind eye to when i missed thebeat at the drum fills, and generally, the mood in the band was that the point in its being was to accompany the songs (which would have been played anyway). However, it's apparent in certain churches that the music becomes the culture and worship becomes synonymous with it.
As for the issue of super-perfection, I once heard a Christian say `if you find the perfect church, leave it alone`. I don't agree with that at all, but Like Helen just said, the persuit of perfection can lead to elitism which IMO) is contrary to God's nature.
Ben
Your clearly more educated than me as I sometimes struggle to understand your words and meaning.
Most of the people that play in my band do so not because they are perfect - in fact I am probably the worst singer player of the lot and yet I lead.
There is a church in Norwich that you must sign a three page declaration to not do certain things, one of which is drink alcohol. This means if you like a glass of wine, or you enjoy a beer after work - then you cannot be part of the leadership team.
To me this is neither engaging nor real. In my mind it elitism and takes into no account skills of people to any degree.
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home