Jan
11
2012

When Churches Try to Be Cool

An article by Matt

I love watching trends in the church. I really love the fact that part of my job depends on my ability to see what is going on in local churches across the country, learn from them, and help make churches stronger. Earlier this week Geoff Surratt shared the first of five trends that concern him in the church, and I think he might be on to something.

Geoff’s first concerning trend is what he is calling “Multi-Site Mania”. While it is easy to write off people who say these sorts of things as being old-fashioned or too traditional, I think it is important to note that Geoff is the author of The Multi-Site Church Revolution, and co-author of A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip, both books supporting the multi-site movement.

So why is Multi-Site Mania a bad thing? I believe it is the same reason that the seeker-sensitive model flamed out, as did the church growth movement, etc., etc.: it is being done for the wrong reason.

Many times in our churches we lose sight of the fact that church is not a methodology, it is not a program to be replicated, and it is not something that can be easily reproduced from one context to another. The local church is a very context specific organism, one that requires different things in different environments, yet is anchored in the truth that is the Gospel message. When we try and force a methodology in a context where it doesn’t naturally fit, it fails.

When forcing a methodology fails, people are hurt.

The warning that Geoff Surratt is offering the church is one that I think needs to be heeded in more conversations than just those on multi-site. Knowing why you do what you do, what makes it uniquely suited for the vision that God has called your distinct expression of the local church to, and how it is serving to change lives is the responsibility of all church leaders.

One of the tools that I use with churches making significant strategy decisions is called The Five Whys. This exercise challenges a leader to answer “why” at least five times before making a decision that will significantly alter the strategic direction of a church. The idea is that within the first three “whys?” you will have stripped away the fluff and begin to wrestle through the true meat of whether you are making a good decision or not. In case you were wondering, “because it is cool”, “because Willow Creek is doing it”, “because I read an article on it”, and “because I want to” aren’t valid answers.

Why does YOUR church do things the way it does them?