Do you remember when ice cream came mainly in vanilla and chocolate? If you got a bowl of strawberry, that was special. Today, ice cream stores like Baskin Robbins and Cold Stone draw ice cream fans by offering a slew of flavors. I wonder if more people eat ice cream today because there are more options?
What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? What flavor would you go out of your way to get?
When I go to my freezer (and the wife is not home) I’ll eat vanilla or chocolate ice cream, if that is what is there. But I would prefer and would go back for more if there were some caramel rocky road, chocolate chip cookie dough, or some Moose tracks. How about you?
Let's assume (and not a perfect correlation) that the worship services we offer are like ice cream, each with its own flavor and distinction. Think with me for a minute. Are there other flavors of worship that might attract more people to Jesus? What if we offered Moose Tracks flavored worship? Would some of us attend more often if the flavor were more to their liking? Would we invite more folk to join us? Could we draw more people to Christ if we offered additional flavors of worship?
What if we offered a flavor of worship that used the music of artists like Michael W.Smith, Rich Mullins, Stephen Curtis Chapman, and others? And then, instead of trying to create a worship service was Neapolitan in flavoring we could offered a service that predominantly used music along the lines of Hillsong, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, AMPED and more. Would we keep and draw more people to Christ by offering different flavors?
What is we offered a Quaker flavor, a Spanish speaking flavor, or a number of other flavors? What about making worship available on other days/times? What about going off-campus for worship? What about linking with other churches to offer a unique flavor?
I need to make something clear if you have lost your way. Ice cream is ice cream. Any worship service we offer will be about Jesus and the truth found in His Word. We will not offer yogurt, sherbert, or low-fat ice cream. Full flavored worship all the time, high calorie!
Having said all of this, I have a question. Is the only reason to start a new worship service (flavor) because we have too many to fit where we meet?
Something to think about today as you go on your way - lol. How about some helpful thoughts?
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5 comments:
Linda Cov.
My favorite flavor is "other" not found on the list. Word of mouth attracts more people to the word of GOD. Did you hear what happen recently with the new KFC grilled chicken? Everyone was talking about it, even Oprah. It was the flavor of the week. Trying to change or add many different (flavors) worship service is like plugging the damn with gum, it's a temporary fix. Any church that delivers a message that contains the real truth of GOD will be the vanilla, chocolate rocky road or any of the other 100+ flavors. I think each person comes away with their favorite flavor each time they hear the true word of GOD.
Linda Cov.
Very insightful Linda - thank you.
The Word of God, the word of truth, is of utmost important. Like I said, we will never offer fake ice cream - it will always be the truth.
You are right, some will be drawn to the truth more than the flavor. Like I said, I will eat ANY ice cream. But I do have my favorite flavors.
Good stuff Linda - thank you...
We're worshiping in Prince George's county, MD, and we need to include more Gospel music in the service. Contemporary Christian is popular with a demographic that does not represent most of our neighbors. Awanna and VBS attracts a diverse group, who mostly do not join us for worship, and I believe music plays a large part in that. I would like to have gospel music during the offering, or maybe in beginning of the service - or change up weekly, or just mix in some more choral gospel music. (Bryan Bontrager)
I agree the truth is truth and we will never stray from the truth of God's Word in whatever worship service we might offer. I fully understand Paul's warning to a young pastor some 2,000 years ago.
2 Timothy 4:1-4 - In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.What I am talking about is style (flavor) of worship. I know that people will "put up with" a style of worship that isn't to their preference if the Word is rightly divided. What if we could offer several services (flavors) that would not only rightly divide the Word of God but would reach folks in ways that the current services don't?
Examples of what I am saying...
--A recent blog showed there is a strong preference for worship that is contemporary-lite (36%) along with a strong appreciation for our current 10:30 worship style (33%). The blog is still in the early days and only has 30 responses to date but still, there seems to be a strong interest.
When we strive to bring about blended (Neapolitan) worship we can reach a number of people with one service. But some folks would appreciate something different. Complaints I have heard in just two years...
--the music is too loud
--the music seems restricted
--the service is too long
--we shouldn't end the service so soon
--I would like a choir
--I would like gospel music
--I would like a different time
--I would like a longer service
--I would like longer sermons
--I would like shorter sermons
--I would like more prayer time
--I would like more expressive worship
--I would like less expressive worship
--I would like...
I know we cannot or should not try to please all people. Worship is not about me or you it is about God.
Having said that, could we reach more people, for God, with different options? I'm simply asking the question. Could we reach more people for Jesus by offering different styles, times, and/or days of worship?
Maybe some don't want to try. Maybe some are satisfied with what we are offering. Maybe we are reaching the people God wants us to reach by offering the two styles of worship we offer.
I'm not suggesting I have the answer. Nor is there a plan in the works. I'm simply asking.
Well I am an old reliable kind of guy so give me the old reliable vanilla as my favorite flavor my ice cream goes. However, I like to mix things up a bit to keep it from getting to stale and keep things fresh so I will eat chocolate and even rocky road. I try and keep to the natural brands too because once you start adding things the true flavor gets lost.
As for my church flavor preference I prefer a bit of a mixed flavor. Some Traditional and some contemporary, but always Christ centered, and never a weak or watered down flavor like those cheap brands that are out there.
Mike
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