When My Likes Interfere With Evangelism

In this article, Earl Creps discusses what we risk by focusing on the

• production values,
• branded sermon series, and
• studio quality worship music

that we need to attract the kind of Christians who can supply our financial base. In particular, we risk having newcomers in our church.

Personally, I like well-produced services. I like branded sermon series. I like studio-quality worship music.

I like what I like, and I pretty much do church the way I like to do church. As a pastor, I led the services the way I liked to lead them. As a layman, I enjoy services that are led the same way.

The trouble is, these services are customized to me. They attract people just like me -- white, middle-classers who have been saved 20+ years.

To get somebody different, I have to do things I don't like as much, but that's OK.

What sort of things?

• Explaining what the offering is and why we're doing it.


• Explaining why one person stood up and said "Shondai, shondai" and then someone else stood up and said, "Thus saith the Lord..."


• Explaining what communion is and why we're doing it.


• Preaching about David and Goliath instead of Abishai or Jabez.


• Sticking to the pre-set worship list because there's no powerpoint slide for the old song that just popped into my mind.