"Contemporvant" Worship Video--Funny? Offensive? Satirical? Mean?

Love the video! But then again, I love satire. It helps us to see what we do from a different perspective. It should cause us to examine our motives for doing what we do.
This is what the video tells me. Church is about worshiping God-Father, Son and Holy Spirit-but are we really doing that? The video suggests that worship has become less about God and more about the people in the pew. We've all heard about the need to be relevant, engaging, etc. But in the end, it is God's Word and God's Spirit who grabs people. Authentic worship, regardless of style, will be exciting. Let us all worship in spirit and in truth!

I can very much appreciate this video having been there and done that as worship pastor and musician.

I wonder still as the CRC ventures further into contemporary if we shouldn't offer a little more in the way of training to help with the transition. I've watched CRCs try to make this move and do it poorly trying to turn worship into something like the video portrays and no one trained well enough to even remotely pull it off. How do we make worship genuine and not manipulative so that the vertical and horizontal movement glorifies God and draws people into deeper relationship with him and each other?

I noticed that it seems in my area we are about 10 years behind in most things including clothing styles. There is the mentality especially among our youth to have the "hip" worship like the video as if that is the only option. And there are many here who believe if we change to more modern worship like that we will attract more people. And while I have worked hard with our church to develop a more "well done" blended, but slightly weighted toward modern, style of worship, I stress that God uses devoted followers of Christ to grow the church.

I'm not going to lie, I'd love to have David Crowder or Chris Tomlin or Blue Tree as my worship leaders.

This may rub some people the wrong way, but of course the gospel needs to be marketed and targeted to demographics. Paul knew it ("I will be all things to all people"); Moody knew it ("If ponies in the parking lot bring in the kids, I will lead the ponies around the parking lot"); and today's mega-churches know it. That's why they're so successful. And I have no problem with that. We draw tons of kids into our youth ministries because they are FUN--it gets them in the door. If they don't enter the doors, they can't hear about Christ.

The problem comes once we get them in the doors--will the Gospel be watered down? Will I serve those kids a "dumbed down" version of Jesus and the church and their place in it? Or, on the other hand, will I cram dry, memorized catechism questions down the kids' throats and expect people to step into a time warp--archaic language and songs that have words and music I don't understand--in order to join me in worship?

This is where many churches drop the ball. I have no problems with the loud praise bands, and the "hip" speaker, or the solemn pastor or the old-style choir, if they're sincere about what they're doing. The main thing is that the Gospel be presented to people, where they are, in all its glorious freedom and liberty. We truly need to emulate Paul and be all things to all people.

(RE the video: I have not yet seen a church that does "blended" worship really accepted by the members of its congregation. People want one or the other. It seems to me the churches that are successful at the moment are offering all traditional or all contemporary or separate services (one of each). Not saying that's the best way, but it's what I see in my area. "Blended worship" is a little like taking both Pepsi and Mountain Dew--each with their defenders--and putting them together to make everyone happy. No one's happy.)

I loved the video too! As a traditional kind of guy, it scratched a particular itch that I have. Something has always bugged me about contemporary worship but I have been hard-pressed to put it into words exactly what bothers me about it. This video gets at a lot of it (the anthropocentric tendencies mirroring our consumerist culture). Presentation is part of the content. I recommend David Wells' book "The courage to be Protestant".

Now in fairness, I would like to work on a video that shows where my side goes wrong. You could have some fun there too (some lumbering tune with words praising tradition for tradition's sake etc.) Looking out for eachother's specks and logs.

Hi, Rob. I don't necessarily agree with your take on Paul. When he stood in the public square and called everyone's attention to the "Unknown God," he WAS relating to the pagans from a pagan standpoint. He knew where to start with those folks and how to guide it to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And isn't the point of sharing the gospel with others ultimately to bring them into the church? As a GEMS leader, my goal wasn't simply to have a smashing GEMS program, even though that introduced them to Jesus--it was to bring them (and their families) into the life of the church. Of course, they can hear the gospel in the workplace or in their school or through our GEMS or Cadet club, but Paul re-iterates over and over the importance of being part of the church ("Can the toe live by itself" and all that).

I agree absolutely that we can't re-form the Gospel to meet the needs of the individual. These evangelists who promise no problems, no worries, abundant wealth and prosperity, etc., drive me nuts. But the gospel always has a hook we can use to present it to those who are looking...a way to get a foot in the door.

I guess my biggest problem with the traditional church is that we have for so long expected people to come in to our fellowship--IF they clean up their act, and IF they know the unwritten rules, and IF their kids know how to behave and IF they know how to dress, etc., etc. My congregation is going through a culture clash right now. They love the concept of missions and evangelism as long as it's WAY out there. The minute these kids start coming through the door with all their baggage (through the youth programs) it's not so fun and it's not so cute anymore. We have actually lost families who don't want their kids "rubbing shoulders with the non-covenant kids." It makes me weep.

That's where the contemporary worship/dress/atmosphere does a much better job. Jesus always met people where they were and didn't expect them to "clean themselves up" before they came to him (woman at the well, Zacchaeus, pool of Bethesda, etc., etc. He healed them first and THEN told them to go and sin no more, not the other way around.

Thanks for a good laugh this morning.

This is where it strikes me (coming from a church planting situation): sometimes we try too hard from our own efforts to make the worship gathering flashy and meaningful and emotional and...contemporvant.  Like if we just try harder then we'll see the life transformation we're hoping for.  But we forget that no matter what we do, no matter what style we worship in, it is the Holy Spirit who works to do the transforming.  I am reminded of this everytime I think a worship service- or a sermon- flopped, and yet God uses that broken attempt to do amazing things.