I'm Not Going To Party Like It's 1959

"The church which effectively reaches people is willing to sacrifice its preferences for God’s passion." - David Wilson

I'm going to open the rant valve just a little tonight.

Holding onto those preferences means that you are stuck in time as culture moves forward. Again, we are not talking about the Truth changing, but what we are talking about is the methods we use to communicate the gospel effectively. Music has changed, folks. Today's artists are bringing great songs to the church. Drop the "choruses" label please and give the writers of today their due. Will all of their songs stand the test of time? No, and neither did the Wesley's or Sankey's. We should appreciate the past but we cannot live there.

Do you want to reach people for Christ or not?

One of the biggest changes occurring right now in the culture is the shift from print media to electronic media. What began as an email trickle has become a virtual flood of information delivered both wirelessly and across the internet.

One example of that change would be the proliferation of the access of Bibles on smartphones. A person used to be identified as tech-saavy if they were using a PDA for Bible access, but more and more people are using their phones to work with Scripture. YouVersion, developed by Lifechurch.tv has 3 million users and is adding them at the rate of 300,000 a month. Add in BibleGateway, Bible.org, the Logos site, and all the others, and it's clear that millions are accessing the Scriptures in a way unheard of just 10 years ago.

It makes it hard for people like this preacher who can't tell whether they just discovered a great truth in Genesis 3, hit 10,000 in Farkle, or got word that their girlfriend or boyfriend is free for lunch. Compelling and interactive teaching has to come to the forefront if we are to compete in the agora of today. We can do it, but the same old same old will not get it done.

The church of today has more tools than ever. And it needs them all to reach existing and emergent generations for Christ. So please don't ask me to pastor the church as it exists in your memory. 1959 wasn't all that.

Remember those old Chevy Belairs? Built like a tank, right? Can't find cars built like that today, right?

GOOD!