I helped out Mission Trails Church today in their annual community parade. As you can see, my Bus was the "float" and it was decorated Hawaiian style. This is the third year in a row I've volunteered my Bus for the parade and somehow this year it hit me that as churches we have a tendency to do our best to present ourselves "cool." As the church members walked beside my Bus they were dressed in Hawaiian/beach gear and passed out beach balls. I heard one of the ladies say to an onlooker, "We're a really cool church, the service is only an hour, no pressure."
I have to admit that for many years I promoted our church in Pacific Beach with similar verbiage. It struck me today though that it's a bit sad that we feel like we need to convince people that our churches will be cool, brief and lite on the pressure. In reality, God calls us to a radical life of non-conformity to the world. If we truly seek to live a God-honoring life then there will be pressure from both God and man to live as a Christian that accurately represents Jesus Christ.
I have to admit that there are times I long for a church service where being cool and relevant are the least of our concerns. I long to worship with a group of people who's only concern is true repentance before God, deep worship of him and authentic community.
Please God, help me be a pastor that can leave the coolness factor out of the equation when it comes to promoting our church. Give me the nerve to ask people to come and worship a holy and righteous God as we are humbled in his presence.
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