Church has changed a lot since I was a kid. At least it has in some churches. (The one my family attends is virtually unchanged from the church of my youth – which is exactly why we go there.) The new trend in churches seems to be to have a rock concert (with “Praise Team” musicians) with a sermon attached. The theory goes that if you can change church into something that will get the muddled asses…um “huddled masses”…yearning to see free bread and circuses, you can get them to attend church. The problem with that idea is that when you take all the mystery and majesty out of a church service, you remove what really appeals to worshipers. As a professional musician, I’ve got nothing against rock concerts, especially concerts where the lyrics are positive and uplifting. But a rock concert is no substitute for worship. A concert can be a religious experience, but I’ve yet to see a concert that can rival the Sacrament of Holy Communion from the Book of Common Prayer (1928) for a way to get closer to God.

Back when I lived in Dallas, there was what was dubbed a “MegaChurch” by the media – a church so big it practically had it’s own zip code. Natives referred to it by a different name – “Six Flags Over Jesus.” (“You’ve parked in St. John the Baptist. Please keep your arms and legs inside the tram until it comes to a complete stop. Please exit the tram to the left. We know you have a choice in worship organizations, and we appreciate you worshiping with us today.”)

I’m all for marketing. I appreciate spectacle. But when it comes to substituting spectacle for substance in worship, I’m less enthusiastic. As for me, I vote for a meaningful worship experience, with tradition, mystery,  and a beautiful service with classic language.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 at 9:46 pm and is filed under marketing.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.