the same but different

The more things change the more they stay the same. Gen Z is leading the way in church attendance these days. I’ll add some Barna research that was pretty stunning. Gen Z and Millennials are the most likely to attend church at the moment. For decades baby boomers led the church. Every time the church transitions from one generation to another there’s a transitional handoff.

When baby boomers took over the church they fought some worship battles. They were determined to see more than hymns, organs and pianos in the service. They embraced a more relaxed atmosphere in aesthetics, architecture and overall ministry approach. This of course was a reaction to the rigidity they’d seen in the generation that brought them up. It was also influenced by the music and culture of the day.

For the last few years there’s been another major shift taking place in the big c church. You can see it especially in the newest churches being planted and the influential worship movements online. There’s a move away from black rooms and overly produced perfection to raw open ended services. See Zoe Church, Bridgetown, Upper Room and others I’ve attached for visuals. These are young influential churches at the moment.

Some of this is just a response to a younger audience that is tired of planned moments and longs for actual spiritual encounters. Some of it is that black ceilings in churches are approaching their 20 year life cycle at this point and it is just time. I saw Brady Shearer (he’s got his finger on the pulse of the young church at the moment) explain why choirs, bright rooms and plants on stage (yes, think 1991) are coming back to churches thanks to Gen Z. Personally I don’t have convictions about wall colors or plants. It’s all just funny if you’re paying attention. One generation fights for change. Only to be fought by the next for arguably the same things. One day you’re young and hip. The next you’re lame and outdated. Lesson there if you’re teachable. Also skinny jeans are out and baggy is back in I'm being told. This plays out every 20-30 years in fashion, design architecture etc.

If you don’t think things are the same thing, follow me for a bit:

One generation used stained glass windows and sunlight to paint the space and tell a story. The next used led lights and fog to paint the space to tell a story.

One generation embraced Sunday School. We all know groups are way hipper… right!? They’re the same thing. It’s merely a rebrand. They have differences, but at their core they’re the same thing: community and Bible study.

Boomers built platforms on the radio and TV. We have podcasts and YouTube now. Whether you sing hymns or praise songs, most congregations sing, read, listen and offer communion somewhere in their schedule.

I’m not downplaying differences. My point is we often love to be different for difference sake. The older I get the more I enjoy attending services that aren’t exactly like my church. It’s foolish to believe we have it figured out, or that more people should listen to me.

I’ve also seen a recent documentary about a church that fought against some change agents from within. Who knows what actually happened there, but in general I’ve noticed lots of guys my age feel called to go into established churches and run them like church plants right away. They come in with solutions they’ve heard at a bigger church or conference. No knock on either. I attend trainings and conferences religiously. I’m for getting better. Politely though, to assume the kind of authority to make huge changes will cost you one of two ways. Either you plant and build it from the ground up or you serve faithfully for a few years and earn trust. There’s no skipping the trust part. Everybody wants authority without responsibility.

I’d also argue if you need to be different just to be different you’re betraying a desire to be the center of attention. You’re just another artist, pastor, leader in a tapestry of artists, pastors, leaders who’ve gone before pointing to the Creator. History will forget us and that’s healthy. We can’t bear the weight of being necessary, only Jesus can. If you can’t stand how average or boring your church is, the problem is likely you, not your church.

Some of this stems from porn. Church porn is killing our churches. My church can’t compete with the hip internet version of my church that’s readily available online. Just like our spouses can’t be asked to outperform porn stars readily available online. The online version is always a fantasy. It can’t actually be attained. Stop trying to compete with someone else’s highlight reel. This is also not new. My grandfathers generation all embraced wood paneling, a specific style of preaching and outreach programs because that’s what they saw in ministry magazines, conferences and the big churches. I’d argue the more your church embraces its unique history, specific community and spiritual gifts it’ll be healthier and actually standout appropriately in a sea of copy and paste churches.

I’m not anti-change, to be fair. I just want to be careful when I make changes to an institution that was here before me and will outlast me. Sure, there should be changes as we pass on what we received. We should let go of unnecessary hindrances to the gospel. The changes aren’t the point though, the faith is. There’s nothing wrong with your church never leading the way creatively. That’s not the point of your church. It’s ok for our churches to go largely unnoticed, as long as they’re passing on the faith from one generation to the next. Your kids don’t care about the aesthetics nearly as much as they care about you delivering the faith well.

So here’s to another transition as we pass on the faith. May we embrace healthy changes and reject the notion that we are somehow better than those who passed on the faith we are called to deliver. Focus on the delivery. That’s where the Lord is moving.