Every now and again I like to stir things up a bit. I have been thinking of this for several months but hearing Ross King's "Happy" has given me the courage to speak out and prove myself a moron. So here goes...
I do not agree with the video church service. It doesn't make sense to me. Here's why:
1) There are those churches that must by volume have 83 services during the weekend. Of course the Pastor can not preach all of those Duh!. However usually those very churches also have 14 paid associate pastors and qualified staff to preach the service in the pastor's absence. Why can't they do it?
2) What about the church that is huge and decides to open up a downtown campus? They put on the entire show but then pipe in the sermon via Tivo. WHY? Isn't there usually a "campus pastor" on sight? What is he... a glorified custodian? Let him do the very thing you hired him to do... pastor!
3) Why is the sermon the only thing broadcasted? Why don't we duplicate the worship team? Is it because they are MORE important than the sermon or LESS important than the sermon (showing only the sermon by video means that it has to be one of those in my opinion).
Listen pastor man, I understand wanting to have control over the entire enchilada... that's common, however it is also peppered with much pride and selfishness. You may be a great communicator but you are really NOT the reason your parking lot may be full.
Someone who actually experiences video sermons on a weekly basis... defend this setup please. I'm not saying i'm totally right, just really don't understand the purpose of it.
10 comments:
robert--
perpare yourself for one of two options:
a)this post will either be entirely ignored.
or
b)people are going to be way defensive.
Of course, i'm probably the wrong person to ask.
hey, glad the song got you thinking/writing.
by the way, i passed thru Sanger on the way back from my OK/KS tour the other day, and i thought of you. i mean, in a totally plutonic masculine way.
i should go now...
You're exactly right. The video service is nothing more than trying to export a brand. You're trying to hold on to your thing, while making sure no "satellite" can supplant the main campus, because we've got him live. It's an attempt to be a diocese without all that messy episcopacy stuff.
I was once flown in on a Saturday to play four songs in front of a TV guy and then flown home. It was surreal.
IMO, you get more than two, three hundred people, it's time to plant a new, independent (of you) Church. If there's no one ready to assume the pastorate of the new body, your Church has its priorities off.
Ross, stop next time. This little town has some of the best restaurants in the state... no lie!
Unfortunately, many people go to church to hear "the man." If someone else was assigned to preach, they wouldn't go. If "the man" could figure out that he is an idol, assuming he had any snap, he would step aside and let someone else take over. But they can remember a slick illustration out of a sermon from "the man."
I think all this has come about because we haven't taught people to read the Bible and hear from God--some call it discipleship--but the word conjures up a series of classes where people have a shelf full of workbooks and can't remember what was in any of them.
We need to prayerfully read God's word and ask for His leadership. Sorry for the rant.
So far, so good, Rob. Nobody hates you yet. (Regarding THIS issue, that is.)
I figured Ross and Johnny might have a thing or two to say about this, but, then Mimi comes in with some very smart stuff, too!
I, too, have trouble with this video church thing, too, and for most of the same reasons listed by Ross, John and Mimi. To be honest, though, I've never worked at a church that even considered doing this. I'm sure that if I did see it from the inside out, I might understand better why so many people do it. I'm not saying they're justified, but sometimes I wish I could have been in one of those meetings just to hear why a church opts for THAT instead of so many other options that really do seem much healthier.
I went to one video service with sean at Cross Timbers and it just wasnt the same. The worship was great. It was live of course. Then down came this huge screen that showed a video.
I was actually wondering about the same thing the other day. all the campus pastors do is go pray at the end off the service. i mean they were called to be pastors and all they do is pray. I have never seen one of the campus pastors preach.
I like the chuch and enjoy the pastor when he is actually there. but i have been there several times and seen him in person once.
I would have to say that i would agree with you.
Robert...did she say "CrossTimbers?" I thought you were going to forbid your students from attending there...
She's going as a spy Todd... Keep it quiet!
I think the video-driven services make church feels almost as "on-demand" as the red booth DVD rental stations they have at Mc Donalds now. Relating to your culture is one thing, but creating a generation of media-addicted followers of Christ is a little different.
The last time I checked the NT church was all about having everything in common. How can you have something in common with 3,000 other people gathered around a jumbotron?
But then again, my church doesn't look too much like the NT church either.
But the NT Church was selling their stuff and holding it in common because they knew for a fact their city was going to be destroyed and they would have to flee....
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