Ryan Bolger, a professor at FTS, has this post on his blog. I thought his ideas were well put and do raise some questions.
As someone on staff for a church in rural middle Georgia, the Sunday morning worship gatherings are viewed as the primary program for ‘outsiders’ to come ‘in’. Ryan’s reasoning that “a focus on the church service as [the primary] connecting point perpetuates the idea that following Jesus is about going to church” is well put. For many around here, what is done on Sunday mornings IS church. His concerns about some of the perceived barriers that show up in typical, traditional American churches are also legitimate.
So how should church services be handled in regard to ‘outsiders’? To what extent is an ‘outsider’ considered in the planning of a worship service? Should someone who doesn’t know God –or even think there is a god– be expected to want to participate in a meeting that’s about celebrating that God? ( Is that like crashing a birthday party just because you saw balloons on the mailbox? …odd.)
As someone on staff for a church in rural middle Georgia, the Sunday morning worship gatherings are viewed as the primary program for ‘outsiders’ to come ‘in’. Ryan’s reasoning that “a focus on the church service as [the primary] connecting point perpetuates the idea that following Jesus is about going to church” is well put. For many around here, what is done on Sunday mornings IS church. His concerns about some of the perceived barriers that show up in typical, traditional American churches are also legitimate.
So how should church services be handled in regard to ‘outsiders’? To what extent is an ‘outsider’ considered in the planning of a worship service? Should someone who doesn’t know God –or even think there is a god– be expected to want to participate in a meeting that’s about celebrating that God? ( Is that like crashing a birthday party just because you saw balloons on the mailbox? …odd.)
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