This will never work. We need to be DIFFERENT from culture in order to offer something of value. People can get a BETTER concert at their local arena when a famous band rolls into town. What do they need from us? NOT a wannabe pop concert.
What if we all just stripped everything down?
Might that kill some of our ‘jostling to be on stage’ culture?
What if we saved ALL that money and used it for something else – like feeding hungry people?
I’m totally open to the other side of the story, too.
Perhaps it IS all ok. Perhaps we ARE on track.
Maybe we are providing something needed – to amplify sung worship, provide screens that show the lyrics, and lights so people can see the worship leader.
But I’m wondering…do we really need STAGES at all? Do they merely create a ‘them and us’ mentality?
Are they part of a modernist worldview, where someone up front ‘does something’ to the watching crowd? Isn’t post-modern participation all about community sharing, where everyone gets an equal voice? Would that bring more people into our churches?
Have we gone too far in our “church” production? Share your comments below.
