Methodology wins the day

Jesus said that the church would be noticed by the world (Matthew 5.14, also Philippians 2.15), but what the world notices is very often disappointing. When my kids see the Christmas presents around the tree in eight days, they will be very excited, but if they come downstairs in the morning wearing a pair of my made-for-the-seriously-nearsighted-glasses, their excitement will be muted. They may be filled with mistaken delight because the packages look larger than reality, or they may be tragically deflated because all of the packages look like wrapped Tic-Tac boxes. Disappointment is all you can count on.

Tim Keller got more press in USA Today this morning in an article by Cathy Lynn Grossman (“Multi-site churches mean pastors reach thousands”). But rather than noting anything about the worship service, the message of the cross, Christ’s engagement of the city, the love and gratitude and graciousness of the congregation, Tim’s love for God’s people, etc., etc., methodology gets all the attention.

Admittedly, Grossman’s focus is church “methodology.” However, one can’t help but think that, as the world dismisses the church (John 15.18, 17.14; 1 John 3.13) or, more appropriately, dismisses the Head of the church (John 7.7), it would seem that one of the forms of this dismissal is . . . missing the point. This merely echoes the experience of Paul, for whom Festus said, “I have nothing definite to write . . . about him (Acts 26.26).” It is as if Paul is a shapeless phantasm in which all that can be noticed about him is that he is disrupting a people group (the Jews), and the content of his message goes by the wayside. And all we hear is . . .

“That congregational model is suffering . . . Young adults change churches often as they move from job to job, marry and relocate. Older churches are costly for older members to maintain. And new pastors like the flexibility and evangelical energy of multisites.”

Here is a worthy question: Is the creativity of our methodology contributing to the dismissal of the world?