Be intentional NOT boring

The good stuff keeps coming at me. The following is from Tony Morgan of Granger Community Church. Read with gusto … if you know what I mean. It is TIME for the church to do whatever it takes to be heard shouting out and living out the message. That means: be intentional. Help me, Orchard family. Read on…

10 Easy Ways to Make Your Church Services More Boring

I've been sitting on this one for a couple of weeks thinking I might discover some insights to make it better. Instead, maybe you can help me figure out how to improve the list. One of the most frequent reasons cited for someone not attending church is because the services are boring. I think the only place there should be boring churches is in Boring, Oregon where I've identified, with the help of Google, that there are actually 25 Boring churches.

If I was intentionally setting out to create another boring church, though, this is how I might do it. Here are the:

10 Easy Ways to Make Your Church Services More Boring

Don’t worry about when you finish. I’m sure no one has plans after the service.
Straight Scriptures. No stories. Jesus didn’t teach that way, but you’re a better communicator than Jesus, right?
Television. Movies. It’s just a phase. People don’t really need visual stimulation. They prefer talking heads.
Use the same service order…every week…no exceptions…ever.
Make more announcements.
Encourage your elementary school kids to sit through your services. They love lively 45-minute sermons. It’s good for them. It builds character.
Talk more about the past and the less about the future.
Play the same Chris Tomlin song every week. And, try the chorus one more time.
Use lots of big words that no one uses in normal, everyday life.
Forget relevant topics and life application. People are really only interested in hearing what you think, not why it matters to them.

Ok, you probably get the point. The question is this: What are you doing to make your services memorable and impactful? Or, do you believe unchurched people, people who aren't in a relationship with Jesus, should just be expected to show up and put up with something they perceive as boring?

Have you heard of EDITH BURNS?

Edith Burns was a wonderful Christian who lived in San Antonio, Texas . She was the patient of a doctor by the name of Will Phillips. Dr. Phillips was a gentle doctor who saw patients as people. His favorite patient was Edith Burns. One morning he went to his office with a heavy heart and it was because of Edith Burns. When he walked into that waiting room, there sat Edith with her big black Bible in her lap earnestly talking to a young mother sitting beside her. Edith Burns had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people would be saved. Dr. Phillips walked into that office and there he saw the head nurse, Beverly. Beverly had first met Edith when she was taking her blood pressure. Edith began by saying,"My name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Beverly said, "Why yes I do." Edith said, "Well, what do you ...

wash feet, sharing hope

John 13:4-5,14 NLT So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, 5 and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him… 14 And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. Jesus set the example we follow. He served. He valued and gave value to others. That is why we choose to serve. For 18 years our church has shared an outreach called back2school, and for 16 of those years we have chosen to give students brand new shoes and socks as well as washing their feet. It is one of the most important parts of this event. Washing feet is a humbling experience where both the give and the receiver learn how to share some moments that might change their lives. Jesus said we should do this. See the verse above. Follow His example, do what He did, and give far more than you will ever know....

Catalyst ticket arrived

My ticket to the Catalyst Conference, in Atlanta Oct 8-10, just arrived. I'm excited!

Michael Harrison's e-devotion

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