Missions is the new worship.
That?s what a friend said to me the other day. I think he said he?d heard it from someone else. Since what this phrase meant to its originator is lost to us, I?m going to engage in some postmodern meaning making and tell you what it means to me.
In the last two decades, as non-denominational community churches have flourished and as denominational loyalty has given way to consumerism, church hoppers and shoppers have usually been attracted to the churches with the best worship “event.” This event would include both the music and the teaching. Both have proven to be essential to growing a large church.
Now I see things changing. Missions is becoming the new worship. What I think this means is that those in search of a new church are placing just as high a priority on the “missions” segment of a church?s life as they are on the worship event. It?s not enough to have good worship anymore, you?ve also got have a dynamic missions program. By “missions program” I don?t mean simply having a bulletin board in the lobby featuring all the foreign missionaries your church supports. It?s much more than that.
It starts locally. Have you adopted a local elementary school? Does your student ministry regularly volunteer at a soup kitchen? Have you built any Habitat houses? Are you collecting coats for the poor this winter? How many of your people went to New Orleans to help out in the aftermath of Katrina?
While traditional foreign missions is still important, it?s not enough to be sending money over to an American who is trying to plant a church in Kenya. You also have to demonstrate participation in some of the more trendy mission/social justice projects. Have you adopted a village in Africa? What are you doing to address the global AIDS crisis? How many water wells have you drilled?
It doesn?t matter how good your band is or how inspired the preaching is, if you can?t demonstrate some of the above mission activity, then church hoppers and shoppers aren?t going to take you seriously.
In our American consumer church culture, missions is the new worship.
Discuss.
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons
Funny, there is a church in our community that has always been a little edgier than most, and I don’t mean cooler or more seeker, I actually mean progressive. Lots of artist types and plenty that are very difficult to pin down theologically, yet very thoughtful and articulate. It’s an interesting place…a good place. I have many friends that work or go there. Anyway, the church started out because of a split over gifts (con’t vs. cess.). It was on the contiuation side of that argument, and rode that wave to shore for a good number of years. After that, it dove headlong into the house church movement. It beat that drum to death, and in the last few years become very missions minded. There are remnants of those other two focuses that remain, but one can tell that missions has become the new priority.
I would say that missions becomes the new worship, or community the new evangelism, because when your center is a method it has to change. When your center is a person; namely Jesus Christ and the glorious gospel that saves us, then things will endure.
I agree with the previous post that is is about continual growth in the person of Christ that transforms us into who we should be, so that we may become informed as to what we should do. I’m becoming more and more convinced that it is this “symbiosis” of spiritual formation and missional activities that makes us more like Christ and that enables us to do more in his name for his kingdom. Thus, our worship becomes a continual event, like waves upon the shore. Sometimes stronger and bigger, at other times low and rolling. But, always, endlessly impacting the shore.
I?m not sure about that in this neck of the woods. I get more questions about charisma than any other with music selection coming a close second. A recent visitor told me that she guessed it was okay to laugh during services.
I am actually surprised at how few people ask. Maybe the trend hasn?t drifted to our shore yet. People are always glad that we are doing ministry beyond our walls they usually are just not interested in getting involved with it themselves.
I hope you’re right, Wade. I don’t think we can compete for bodies by doing more and newer and wilder worship… or quieter and more contemplative worship. Just as during our dating days — there was always somebody more handsome, somebody more athletic, and somebody richer. You had to work with the personality and gifts you had and get who you got.
Our mission work is the focus of our congregation’s worship and personality. Cass Park (central Detroit), God’s Helping Hands, outreach to the tattooed and/rockers (we have a tattoo shop run by members!), along with our long term and successful missions in Africa, Brazil, and northern Michigan all combine to help us take the gospel to the streets AND develop a congregational personality that works for us and the Lord.
Wade,
It seems like you are saying that those who are seeking to be more missional, more a hands on representation of God to their community are doing so out of a consumer mindset (what is in it for them). I don’t see it that way at all. I think that God is at work, not just in the C of C but all over the map. That the cultural changes are allowing people to rethink what it means to be a part of a local church. Many are seeing/ feeling/ being led by the Spirit toward a joining in of the good that God is willing for those around them. When faced with a fellowship that either sees no need or flat out discourages such they wish and look for a place where they can work alongside others.
It seems to me that God has always had a bodily representation on earth (his people) they showed the rest of the world what he was like. People may be searching for this instead of arguing over music but to me its not an consumer driven issue… Ok, I’ll shut up now.
Just another opportunity to keep equipping people – transcending and including as you’ve said.
Wrong Question: How do we develop ministers?
Tough Question: How do we develop missionaries?
The idolatry or “worship” as you’ve stated – is so close to the heart of God – as most idolatry is.
This is the role of leadership to transcend the cultural craze and include others in the beauty at hand – “worldwide communication, unlimited resources and opportunity to be and do, and a worship community that regularly engages spiritually and emotionally.”
The times are good! Warren caught on to this 4 years ago with the transition from the Purpose Driven Church model – to the Saddle Back P.E.A.C.E. plan. The PEACE plan addresses ways to transcend the cultural demand for experience with an actual strategy for including people in Way of Christ within the culture’s move toward globalizing charity.
nothing’s new here – Foster says this pretty clearly in Streams of Living Water. Sweet calls it Embodied Apologetics. It’s a great move – yet leaders must transcend beyond the cultural aspects of it and include others in the whole picture of the Spirit.
you’ve answered your discussion with your former subtitle: “Transcend and include”
To me, it sounds like more “gift colonization”. People are gathering with people who are like them, and that’s been going on for a long time.
If you’re really into good music and art and all that, you’ll find a church that expresses those things well. If you’re into deep study, you’ll find a church that majors in that. If you’re a touchy-feely person, you’ll find that church, and if you’re a door-knocker you’ll look until you find a church that does that.
Most people who walk into a church for the first time immediately look around to see if the people there look, act and think like they do — especially the folks up front. I don’t mean that in a “Stepford” sort of way; I just think birds of a feather tend to flock together.
What I think we’re seeing societally is a return of activism among many people. That’s probably why many people are gravitating towards churches that engage in more incarnational ministries. And many people are more comfortable with their doubts and skeptical of absolutes than they have been before. They resonate with someone who gets up and talks about doubt and draws more fluid boundaries during the sermon time.
I’m not sure where Darin is from but I agree with him. I’m in NYC (Brooklyn to be exact) and the trend in numeric church growth still revolves around churches who have good, dynamic worship and whose speaker is captivating. New churches are popping up in NYC all the time. Most of them are of the SBC persuasion. They come with lots of money and spend it on their Sunday worship time. And guess what? They are growing like crazy.
I’m wondering what it would look like for a new church to pop up in Tulsa, D/FW, etc who decided not to spend money on a projector, screen, sound equipment but instead started an after school program in the midst of a housing project? I’m guessing that church wouldn’t see a whole lot of numeric growth…
wade, thanks for the discussion thread. it’s good. joe, i agree with you on the new-church-helps-community-as-its-identity idea. what a concept. i can think of maybe 5 assisted living units within 5 miles of my church building, great candidates for church-level identity-building. don’t remember how i found this link, but in the current context, it bears mentioning: http://www.theofframp.org/Detox.html
I think local missions is a vital part of any church ministry. Garnett really took off growth wise when we launched a church bus ministry and began to reach out to divorced and other disenfranchised people (in the 70’s to affirm divorced and singles in the church of christ was a step forward). It came with many problems and we didn’t always do our best, but we grew and reached many otherwise unchurched folks. The bus ministry led us to then develop the ISWW which was more of a regional/national outreach to help other churches and missions grow. For us in the pew, so to speak, we need good teaching and good worship for growth, motivation, and congregational identity (or familiness). This enables us to go forth and do missions. Thanks, Lynn
I guess the only real issue I would have is if it were simply “armchair” missions – “I don’t want to be involved, but I want you and the church involved”. It’s an individual thing – not a “my church” thing.
It seems like the church will always need balance. A balance between assembly and ministry. Come to the assemlies for worship, edification and to be equipped and then leave to preach, teach and to be involved in various ministries of compassion. Also never overlook the obvious. Every Christian can do good works in an everyday context. The cup of cold water Jesus teaches as very significant.
Here’s a really late comment:
For many of us it’s really hard to draw the line between worship and service/mission. Where does one end and the other begin? My hope is that our focus on worship (corporate and planned) for the past 20 years has now resulted in resurgence of service/mission for the world. So these trends that we’re observing are hopefully not isolated, but interrelated and a result of spending time with God. I feel the Spirit is reminding us again (we are forgetful) to love our neighbors.
If Russ’s comment was late…
Here’s the real issue, what has worked in most churches (of every conceivable denomination or non) is all dependent on what society needs. Sunday school programs were a brilliant invention at a time when kids worked and got very little schooling. Preachers who taught the word were desperately sought in an age of illiteracy when few people could afford more than a famliy Bible, and many couldn’t read it.
But…here’s the thing, our society has changed, we are, if anything, over-educated. We are swamped with “educational” even before we are born! Check out the infant toys, and all you will see is “educational” products. Kids don’t feel like they need more school (Sunday school included). Adults often feel smarter than the preacher, and very few absorb even the barest points from the best sermons. So, our churches, following society, turned to the “what feels best about this” approach. Worship. Jazz it up, dim it down, add a beautiful video that won’t leave a dry eye. Add a praise team, No! A band! NO! an ORCHESTRA! Bigger and better!!
Now, we really can’t compete with Universities and the internet on education or with Hollywood, American Idol, or Broadway on entertainment, but for years that is exactly what some of us have tried to do.
See, it is so much easier for us to dump evangelism on a preacher. “Preach! Bring them to Christ!” Or church attendance on a worship leader, “Bigger and flashier! Bring tears to their eyes!”
But what people NEED, and filling those needs, shows them Christ and how much they need HIM. In this electronic age of e-this or that and instant everything, what people need is us. They need a hug, they need someone who remembers their name, they need to know they are also needed.
Missions is the most important role of the Church, how much of Christ’s own ministry was feeding, healing, and just loving? But we have to be cautious that it is not our goal to simply promote our church and its long list of fabulous works. The goal is, “…that they will see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven…”
When we can bring people in and put them to work, there are no limits to what God can do with so many willing hands.