This video is absolutely not at all what the Church needs.
Church does not have a “cool” problem. There are already lots of ‘cool’ innovative churches.
Church does not have a “Hey, we’re relevant” problem. In the eyes of most of the world, ‘relevance’ was like six exits and 20 years ago.
The Church has a “Why Should I Go to Church?” problem.
And this video does not deliver an answer.
I can’t figure out what this video does deliver. If I go, can I laugh at them? Will there be more funny videos like this one? I can get a coffee. I can have old people. I can have a picnic. I can wave a hanky.
People don’t need Church anymore.
Church used to be information dissemination and community building.
Now, access to information is not a problem. MITx will give you a whole Ivy-League (non-degreed) education for free. There are a thousand blogs and podcasts out there that can give you a similar (non-degreed) theological education.
Community is not the problem. People have been building their own communities around work, hobbies and life together for thousands of years. They don’t need church to do it. They can join country clubs, civic clubs, Renaissance guilds, or just the neighborhood watch.
This video just reinforces Christian stereotypes of trying desperately to matter–and failing.
Besides–do you want to know something interesting?
This video is promoting ‘church’. Not God, Jesus, discipleship, salvation, devotion, worship, service, gratitude, or humility.
None of these are even mentioned once.
Not once.
Just church, church, church, church, church.
What the heck is ‘church’? And why in the world would I want to go there–if I ever went in the first place?
Can’t you just see viewers thinking:
Isn’t this video…Exactly. Why. I. Left. The. Church?
Tags: Back to Church Sunday
I partly agree with you David. I agree that there has to be more than this. However, your article only seems to claim what is wrong with this video, and not what it SHOULD say. Can you elaborate? For the simplicity of the video, I think a “back to church”/invite day is just fine. It’s not like we don’t have 51 other Sundays, let alone the other areas that offer more depth than just a Sunday service, to do whatever it is that you think the video should say.
Stephen (Fuller student)
That’s a fair request. Don’t complain if you don’t have a solution!
I’ll think about it.
David
It does sparks a great debate and tension though. As an extrovert, I love helping make these kind of funny videos. But the pastor inside me knows that we live in a culture that fuels the disproportionate need for this type of entertainment. I guess the question could be, “When are these videos too much?” And to balance that with “Have we lost the joy to laugh in church?”
I don’t think that we have lost the ability to laugh in church. If showing that Christians know how to laugh is the purpose of the video, that’s fine. I love funny videos, too.
But this one is kind of like giving a dishwasher to your wife for your anniversary. It makes one think, “Is this what they think I like? Do they know me at all?”
Or worse, maybe an old boyfriend/girlfriend pleading, “Take me back! I haven’t changed at all!”
I guess I would rather have seen a video showing the church saying they’re sorry. People stop going to church for reasons ranging from boredom to deep hurt. Starting the process of reconciliation in a position of humility and servitude would probably work better than, “We’re still here–and the same as always!”