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Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them (Romans 12:6, ESV).
While traveling outside the U.S.A. over 80 times and visiting churches in many countries around the world, I noticed one thing: an unusual “sameness.”
In the U.S.A., Italy, Mexico, Cambodia, Russia, Belarus, the Philippines, and other countries, when attending a protestant church, you encounter similar vision/mission branding and mission statements, worship areas looking similar with lights and electronic instruments (some more sophisticated according to wealth), and a preacher who dresses like Steven Furtick.
I remember visiting a church in Siberia and hearing them singing Rich Mullins’ song Awesome God in Russian.
Agreed, church services should have content similar to that found in Scripture.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42).
But just as Christians have differing gifts that need integration into a local body of Christ, should churches look and blend into a multi-faceted worldwide body of Christ?
The “sameness” began with the Church Growth Movement in the 1980s, teaching young pastors like myself how to be “seeker” friendly and that our services should be oriented toward unbelievers, often at the expense of already attending believers.
I remember traveling to a conference at Willow Creek Community Church, close to Chicago, being awestruck by multiple services packed by thousands, with door attendants who cleaned the door glass between services and a Broadway class sanctuary.
Then, I came back to Springfield, Ohio — with more limited resources.
In fact, according to Pew Research, Springfield had the worst economy in America for about 16 years, starting in the 1990s. I had difficulty in my city doing anything “Willow Creek,” but imagine the difficulty of pastors with churches in socialistic despoiled Russia back in the 1990s and third world countries today.
The church that I pastored adopted some seeker-friendly aspects, but without the budget of a large mega church, we also did two other things:
First: We trained those who attended our church in one-to-one disciplemaking. Our outreach would be Great Commission-based — a command given to all — releasing our members to experience God working through them to impact the spirituality of others.
Second: We developed a vision and mission according to the gifts of our members. The passions of our congregation developed our vision. Our church service had electronic instruments and released church members using their gifts to start ministries and develop. . .
The largest food pantry in our community, a school in the Philippines (now attended by hundreds), and an intra-church men’s ministry impacting thousands — and many other ministries!
Our church grew not from a top-down vision but from bottom-up church members who were released to serve God through their gifts and passions.
I have this concern. . .
Only a few churches can compete with a megachurch in terms of impact, quality stage production, and influence. However, statistics also indicate that larger churches lack effective disciplemaking and the development of individualized spiritual gifts.
Smaller churches can do better in many aspects of maturing in Christ because they can release the individualized gifts and ministries of members.
I pray for churches to be “releasing.”