Sometimes I am quite slow in the realization department. I went to a church service one time where the preacher was getting quite worked up, raising his voice, slamming his fist on the pulpit.
That’s not my personality type. I said something to someone around me. “It’s so important,” they said. Yes, I thought, but is that effective? I realized later that that was just part of the schtick. Performance.
One of the original megachurches started with an idea that didn’t work out as intended. Let’s start a church that attracts people who don’t want to go to church. Let’s have rock music. Lights. Fog machines. A polished speaker who wears $200 shirts. We’ll call it a Seeker service. Then we’ll have member’s evening on Wednesday for teaching. And small groups for depth and encounter.
The Seeker Service caught on. People like to be entertained. It’s the modern version of the schtick.
Really changing and helping people, though, is harder work. It involves listening. Listening with the whole mind. Then responding to the needs—expressed and unexpressed. It’s not glamorous. You won’t make headlines. But one person at a time will live a better life.
(I forget the chain of thinking that got me to this post. I think it is in a book I’m reading about the history of assembling and interpreting a Christian scripture where the author gently suggested that people of the different traditions should try listening to each other. I thought—what a revolutionary idea.)
Enter email address on the right and click follow to receive updates via email. I will never spam you. I’m not in that business! Thank you.
Faith Venture 
Leave a comment