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Credo April 2014 Cosby Slider

Church Gimmicks and the Idol of Success (Brian H. Cosby)

In the new issue of Credo Magazine, “Churchy Gimmicks: Has the Church Sold Its Soul to Consumerism?” Brian Cosby has contributed an article called, “Church Gimmicks and the Idol of Success.” Brian H. Cosby (Ph.D., Australian College of Theology) is pastor of Wayside Presbyterian Church (PCA) on Signal Mountain, Tennessee and author of Giving Up Gimmicks: Reclaiming Youth Ministry from an Entertainment Culture (P&R).

Here is the introduction to Cosby’s article:

As the bass drum rattled my insides, cannons shot confetti over the sea of cheering fans.  “Are you ready to worship!?!” yelled a twenty-something hipster from center stage.  Christian lyrics to Lady Gaga music graced the screens up front, and off we went, though I found myself still reeling from the previous series of skits, which were hil-arious!

A verse was read from some Relevant, Non-Offensive, Gender-Neutral Version of the Bible, and that’s the last I heard of it.  The rest of the “sermon” was brimming with anecdotes and heart-warming stories.  It reminded me of some twist on a Home Depot ad—“You can do it; God can help!”

Whatever we were doing that Sunday morning (worship?), one thing was certain: I was witnessing the greatest show on earth—complete with circulating lights, fog machines, artistic backgrounds, and dueling DJs.  I almost missed the communion stations that outlined the perimeter of the assembly for anyone who wanted to partake when the Spirit “moved them” to do so.

ENTERTAINMENT—THE NEW NORMAL

Following America’s lead, churches around the globe are spending through the roof trying to attract the greatest number of people into their worship gatherings.  Success is the name of the church-growth game.  “Whatever it takes to get them in the doors,” one older pastor recently told me.  “People just want to be real and to be accepted for who they are.  And that’s what we do in worship.”

The trend of making worship and ministry entertainment-driven is certainly nothing new, but it is becoming the new normal.  From “Christian” magicians and bodybuilders to skit guys and shock-factor eating contests, to piano drops (yes, dropping a piano from a crane onto a parking lot) and iPod give-aways, churches across America are using gimmicks to scale the heights of ministry success.  And who doesn’t want large numbers flocking to their stadiums chanting Christian slogans that one might see on a bumper sticker?  It makes you feel good.

I attended a para-church organization’s weekly youth “Ignite” meeting (or some similar name), which was invariably filled with all sorts of entertaining gimmicks.  Again, I could have guessed the rationale: “We only do these things to get them in the door,” the speaker explained.  “Then (and get this) we tell them about Jesus.”  Sneaky.

If you are thinking about charting this course of a “do-whatever-it-takes” approach to ministry and worship, please consider this maxim:  you keep them by how you attract them.  If people are coming to your church because of your funny, light-hearted stories, you’d better not stop because they will leave.  If you’ve attracted teenagers into your congregation through your blue-haired rock star worship leader, you’d better not let him go.  Ironically, those who have told me that they do these stunts only to get people in the door never stop.  What begins as an evangelism tactic quickly becomes a regular method of ministry.

Pastors and church leaders are constantly battling the pressure of ministry success from other church staff, church members, competition with the church down the road, and the ever-present drive to “engage” the culture.  In fact, one of the most frequent questions a pastor receives is, “How many did you have in worship?” or “How big is your church?”  It seems like buildings, bodies, and budgets sideline Christ crucified, a stumbling block and offense.

But is this approach the kind of worship and ministry our God has prescribed?  Does God not also care about our method?

Read the rest of Cosby’s article today!

To view the Magazine as a PDF

The Evangelical church in the twenty-first century has in many ways absorbed the consumeristic mentality that is so prevalent in the culture. Churches approach worship as if they were selling a product and the attendee were the consumer. Since the product is up for sale, churches must show that their product is more entertaining than anything else the world has to offer. Therefore, churchy gimmicks are the name of the game. Whatever keeps people coming back for more takes first priority and becomes the controlling principle for all things church-related. The preaching must be relevant, the music must entertain, and church events must keep people on the edge of their seat. If the church doesn’t sell itself, then it will be out of business.

In this issue of Credo Magazine we hope to pour an ice-cold bucket of water in the face of the church. No longer can we turn to the culture to decide what the church should be and do. God, his gospel, and his bride are not products to be sold. And those who walk through the church doors on Sunday morning are not customers to entertain. Such an approach makes man the center and treats the church like a business. In contrast, our aim in this issue is to draw church-goers and church leaders back to Scripture, which we believe should be our final authority and guide for worship. In doing so, we must recover the ordinary means of grace that God uses to equip the saints and transform us into the image of Christ.

Contributors include: Brian Cosby, Dennis Johnson, Harry Reeder, Mark DeVine, T. David Gordon, Heath Lambert, and many others.

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