The following is an excerpt from a Barna Group report. It got me wondering more about a hunch I have about todays church and it's bent for being trendy. Is the church too concerned with trends these days at the cost of true spiritual discipleship and outreach? Interesting how today, what we now call a worship "experience" used to be called a worship "service." Does it stand to reason then, that Sunday mornings have to be sadly worth the price of admission or risk a poor show? If you think that is far-fetched I would be willing to bet that the average church-goer does not give financially to their home church except on those Sundays they attend and that points to sadly the equivalent of the Sunday offering being reduced to an admission fee (payment for services rendered). Has Sunday morning become more about how we feel and less about our Savior and learning Who God is in an effort we get in better touch with our own inner being? Good grief! The pastorate does their best by and large yet I can't help but wonder if the tail hasn't been wagging the dog too much in today's church. Some reports I've read pretty much state that if Sunday morning isn't thorough in making you and I feel better about ourselves it's going to be a challenge to keep the lights on. I'm fortunate to be part of a church that delivers a healthy dose of scriptural relevance and teaching and I know many attenders are "getting it." That howver is not the case everywhere. Now for the report.
Barna Report:
Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life. When asked what matters most, teenagers prioritize education, career development, friendships, and travel. Faith is significant to them, but it takes a back seat to life accomplishments and is not necessarily perceived to affect their ability to achieve their dreams. Among adults the areas of growing importance are lifestyle comfort, success, and personal achievements. Those dimensions have risen at the expense of investment in both faith and family. The turbo-charged pace of society leaves people with little time for reflection. The deeper thinking that occurs typically relates to economic concerns or relational pressures. Spiritual practices like contemplation, solitude, silence, and simplicity are rare. (It is ironic that more than four out of five adults claim to live a simple life.) Practical to a fault, Americans consider survival in the present to be much more significant than eternal security and spiritual possibilities. Because we continue to separate our spirituality from other dimensions of life through compartmentalization, a relatively superficial approach to faith has become a central means of optimizing our life experience.
I find it absurd that a church cannot connect the dots of spiritual disciplines, make them relevant AND in doing so teach how THAT will optimize our life experiences. To avoid core teachings and principles of Christian living and substitute with the "warm-fuzzies" has a finite life that probably will find a church plateauing or declining before long. I think people still seek a deeper relationship with Jesus without so much circus. I'm interested to know what you think.
Barna Report:
Growing numbers of people are less interested in spiritual principles and more desirous of learning pragmatic solutions for life. When asked what matters most, teenagers prioritize education, career development, friendships, and travel. Faith is significant to them, but it takes a back seat to life accomplishments and is not necessarily perceived to affect their ability to achieve their dreams. Among adults the areas of growing importance are lifestyle comfort, success, and personal achievements. Those dimensions have risen at the expense of investment in both faith and family. The turbo-charged pace of society leaves people with little time for reflection. The deeper thinking that occurs typically relates to economic concerns or relational pressures. Spiritual practices like contemplation, solitude, silence, and simplicity are rare. (It is ironic that more than four out of five adults claim to live a simple life.) Practical to a fault, Americans consider survival in the present to be much more significant than eternal security and spiritual possibilities. Because we continue to separate our spirituality from other dimensions of life through compartmentalization, a relatively superficial approach to faith has become a central means of optimizing our life experience.
I find it absurd that a church cannot connect the dots of spiritual disciplines, make them relevant AND in doing so teach how THAT will optimize our life experiences. To avoid core teachings and principles of Christian living and substitute with the "warm-fuzzies" has a finite life that probably will find a church plateauing or declining before long. I think people still seek a deeper relationship with Jesus without so much circus. I'm interested to know what you think.
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