Ok, be honest. When was the last time you attended a church service, concert, conference, etc. … and were able to engage? I mean really engage. If you’re like me, I can’t remember the last time I was able to do that because it’s been so long. If you are reading this, you are likely a creative, production director, worship leader or another title your church created to sound cool. And if that is the case, you likely can’t attend a live event without those critical lenses on that say “let’s see what you got” while internally comparing it to the last big event you were a part of or produced. Am I right? C’mon, you know I’m right.
All joking aside, what we do in the church is awesome. We create moments and environments that connect people to Jesus. On a great weekend, people can come into a space with their arms folded, maybe even dragged in by a friend or spouse, and we get to play a part in unfolding those arms. Sometimes, we actually get to see a hardened heart become just a little bit softer. How cool is that?!? We get to potentially change a life by setting the stage for an encounter with Jesus. There is no greater privilege or honor.
But here’s my problem. Over time, the role has shifted for me. Twenty-five years ago when I started doing ministry in this area of the church (I’m getting old), I was committed to creating environments in which all my lost friends would want to come. I pictured friends from high school and thought, “What would they respond to? What would make them think, ‘Wow, I had no idea church could be like this. I’ll be back.’” It drove me to innovate, refine and do all I could to create “Wow” experiences. And here’s the thing, it worked. People have come to our church and thought just that. Not a couple people, thousands of people.
And then … COVID. I mean, it was happening slowly before COVID, but COVID sped up culture about 10 years in a two-year timeframe. Culture shifted and all of the “Wow” started to feel different. What once was “attractional” started to feel like salesmanship to the outsider.
Here is the current reality. What was moving the needle of creative moments and environments in 2010 is not moving it the same way today. It’s not so much that haze and lights and “Wow” are bad. It is, however, telling a different story today than it did back then. People are searching. That hasn’t changed. But people are skeptical at a level they haven’t been before, and that changes things.
Enter … REAL.
Modern culture is growing at a rapid pace away from “Wow.” The show is just that to them, a show. And quite honestly, the quality of the show they can see at the touch of their fingertips doesn’t compare to what a lot of churches can produce with even the most dedicated volunteers. What’s the alternative? They need real. They need tangible. They need deep, hard truth that will get them out of the mess their lives have become. They are wide open to hearing that hard truth when delivered effectively and with grace. They want roots more than ever before. They want a faith with a backstory, which has withstood the test of time, a faith that has faced trials and persecution. Because for many people, that’s what they see their lives becoming, a trial to face day in and day out and longing for a life they once knew.
Here’s the best news. We have all of that! Here’s the bad news. If our minds are still fixed on the “Wow,” we may be distracting from what people really need. How does this play out in our church?
It’s not a huge change. It’s not like we have moved from great lights and video to a pipe organ. It’s not a 100% change. It’s one hundred 1% changes. It really comes from a mindset shift. We don’t come into a service with a “Wow” mentality. We come to it with a “Real” mentality. We ask questions like, “Does this feel like art or a used car salesman?” Let me give an example. We used to average about ten light cues a song. We now have about one. Lights used to sweep through the crowd, but they rarely do anymore. Sound was louder and camera shots were like a ‘90’s MTV video (for that one hour they actually played music videos). Is any of that bad? No. But for us in our context, it was starting to feel manufactured and manipulative. We love color, beam shape and bass. We love to use all of the tools to tell the story. But we want to make sure that in the end, the story feels real. People are desperate for something real. We have that. We just can’t get in the way of it.
So, here’s a request from me to you and your team. As you’re programming Christmas and you’re feeling the pressure to create those “Wow” moments to beat last year, maybe you can loosen the burden on yourself a bit. There is nothing wrong with art. Art is meant to move people, but pick your moments wisely.
Overall, be aware that people are more sensitive to manipulation than ever before. There is a good chance people are coming into church for the first time during this season because our world is getting shakier. They are looking for a solid foundation only God can offer, but they may be skeptical and waiting for you to confirm all of their suspicions about church. Don’t give them any fuel for that fire. Simply give them the real, authentic, grace-filled story of the birth of Christ. Remember, Jesus was born not with huge fanfare but in a whisper, and that silent night has been wowing the world for more than 2,000 years. Let the beauty of that message shine this year.
