Religion, like marketing, has its funnel. And many evangelical megachurches have spent the past quarter-century focusing on the rim, attempting to get spiritual “seekers” just to sample a service — and hoping that they will at some point join the faith. These churches have grown by staying away from hard-core biblical teaching and instead have lured the curious with slick multimedia presentations and skits, sermons with the cultural relevance of “Saturday Night Live,” and maybe an iced cappuccino for the trip home.
But now the leading exponent of this approach, Willow Creek Community Church near Chicago, has plunged its Sunday-morning services much deeper into the faith funnel. More music is provided for worship, not just ambience; and more messages target “mature” believers, not just new ones. One recent sermon challenged listeners to publicly show their commitment as Christians, an appeal that would have seemed strange a year ago. For a business owner, that might mean talking about Christ with employees, it was suggested; for a teenager, it might involve risking status with peers.
“We can start at the top of the hour saying, ‘Here’s the deal,’ and get right at it — as opposed to having to demonstrate the fact that we’re conversant with the culture,” explained William Hybels, Willow Creek’s founding and senior pastor.
Also now, Sunday-morning visitors are more likely to be greeted than to be allowed to slouch in anonymity. On Memorial Day weekend, for example, Mr. Hybels invited those who were struggling with some life circumstance to stand up where they were. Then believers nearby placed hands on them while Pastor Hybels prayed.
It sounds like they have ‘grown up’ a bit and found out what the mainlines (those who have stayed faithful) already knew: Preach the Gospel and they will come. It’s more than just a flashy show.
“What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces.”
what did you go out to see? slick multimedia presentations and skits, sermons with the cultural relevance of “Saturday Night Live,” and maybe an iced cappuccino for the trip home.
“Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.”
“hard-core biblical teaching”!
They came to see John because he PREACHED the truth and didn’t sugar-coat it. And he pointed them to — his cousin, The Messiah!
Yep, it sounds like the megachurches have realized this. May their ministries be blessed in their proclamation of the Message!
Peace
Jim Elliott <><
I went to Willow Creek once. It was a truly bizarre place. There were parking lots with buses running back and forth. They gave you a ticket to remember what lot you were parked in. It felt like you were at Disney World.
No stained glass windows, no crosses, nothing. The coffee bar was nice, but I must admit the sermon, if you could call it that, was one of the Baldwin brothers coming out and doing skateboarding tricks.
The thing that disturbed me the most was a conversation I overheard from two folks sitting in front of me in the…uh…auditorium.
One turned to the other and said, “Are you new here?”
The other turned and said, “Oh, goodness no. I’ve gone here for 10 years.”
“Really? Me too!”
I was uncomfortable with the happenstance that two people could go regularly to a church for 10 years and never lay eyes on each other in all that time.
Archer – yeah, it’s strange. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. It’s no weirder than Saddleback, Elmbrook, Southeast, blah, blah, blah…. yet somehow the Gospel transcends the trappings – ours and theirs. I used to hop first on the ‘slam Willow’ bandwagon [not accusing you of that, by the way] but perhaps as I’ve moved away from mega-evangelicalism of the 90’s to liturgical loveliness that transcends decade, the Lord has done a work in me – and somehow I can see the good in the place[s] past the … stuff. I pray that people can see past the messes in our own churches and see the Risen Lord at the center of the story!