Back to Church - Part 3

My journey through high school was fairly uneventful. Life in the youth group was fun, and gave me a sense of belonging. But not all was roses.

My brother was 2 and a half years younger that me. He got involved in youth after the choir thing had died down and disappeared. A new youth minister or two, neither of whom was musically inclined. Basketball became one of the next big things. We even had enough players to have 2 teams. The "A" team was the older, better players and the "B" team was the younger, less experienced players. 

When one of your major draws to church is sports, you pick up people who are there just for the sports. I think that the hope is that being with strong Christians will help draw you in to a relationship with Jesus. I am not sure we had many strong Christians. I do know that we had those there who were only there for the sports. The group that was a few years behind the group I was involved with had a lot of those kids. That would be the group my brother was mostly involved with. I think the adults assume the best, and turn a blind eye to some of the worst.

I believe my brother was in a time of life that would shape who he would become. 

But here is my question: When we use things like sports (or any other activity for that matter) as a means to draw people in to the church, is that an acceptable approach to evangelism? I know that this is a widely practiced method, but is it right? As someone who has been in ministry, and has used activities to draw people in, I now stand and question this tactic.

Perhaps the answer is found in the way it is done. My fear is that we use some events to get people to come to church to see that it is not that bad a place, that we are not the bizarre weirdos they might think, and if the opportunity arises to sneak in some Jesus, great! But what does that teach about Christianity, and about the salvation that Jesus offers? (I will ask lots of questions, but really won't present many answers, mostly because I don't know them.) Perhaps at least a part of the answer lies in the idea that there is a right way and a wrong way to do this. 

I think back to my high school days. One of the teams in our softball league had several members arrested as part of a chop shop operation. How did that witness work out for the church? 

Perhaps a part of the issue is the idea that we have to sneak Jesus in to stuff, like getting used to the water one toe at a time rather than diving in. Which approach is best? Again, just a question for thought. Yet it is a question that should be asked when planning such methods.

I like what I heard Matt Chandler say about why they don't have a coffee bar at their church. He said (not an exact quote) that they don't offer coffee in church to encourage their people to go out and buy coffee on the way to church and interact with the people they meet as they do. Tip the barista. Say thank you and don't cause a scene when the order is wrong. Seems to be in line with Matthew 28:19-20. Jesus said GO, he didn't say, Bring them in with cool activities and nice buildings and etc. Of course, this approach has its drawbacks too. It might take longer. In some instances, the desired result might not happen. And, of course, it takes mature and grounded Christians to pull it off. Whereas the other approach puts the task mostly on the church staff. Did the preacher give a good sermon? Did the Youth Minister give a good devotion? Does the Music Minister look good in skinny jeans and a knit cap?

One of my greatest concerns today is that we have an audience of people who think they are Christian because they go to church. It is as if God is taking attendance. Just as in the days of Jesus, only instead of looking to the scribes and Pharisees, we look to those on stage. Is there any depth? The pool goes on for miles, but there is no need to part the water because if you walk across, only the bottom of your shoes gets wet. And no one wants to get their feet wet.