I joined LifeChurch five years ago when what ya’ll were doing was so different from anything else I’d seen. It was the first Warrior series where I turned my life over to Christ. Craig, your messages are always relevant, engaging and often life changing. I can’t think of a single thing you should do to change that part of it. In fact, I’d be disappointed if you did. As far as weekend service, everything else is more or less window dressing.

Here’s where LifeChurch and churches like it are lacking; Discipleship, leadership training and personal relationships. If the church doesn’t enter my life the other 6 days and 23 hours, the act of going to church, very simply, becomes a weekend chore. Craig, you’ve brought me in and built me up. Now train me and send me out. I think that’s where much of your attrition comes from. Folks reach a point in their walk with Christ and then move on. There’s simply no avenue to reach that next level.

You can not unless it is God Centered and not being done to tickle their ears and give em a show.People say the “religious” churches are bad or boring, but for example those churches are God honoring, and the services have nothing to do with the people inside. Also the church is not used as an evangelism tool, the members are. So now you are left with believers who need to be weaned off milk to meat.

Also we are too self centered!
I do not mean to be rude. But most people leaving Lifechurch.tv are walking out in their flip flops thinking about where they are going to eat, or what “they” got out of the service, when the worship was for God and the reading and honoring was for Him, the edifying was to grow us closer to Him. We should be asking Him what He thought of the service! God-Centered, no lights, no smoke. A pulpit/stool :), Pastor, Bible and some chairs God can fill.

You know this may be too much, but I even think the worship band should be off to the side and not in front to keep focus on God.

And I just turned 27 yesterday, so Im not old!

Jesus was creative… and He was a creative communicator. He used illustrations, told stories and parables to communicate the deep truths of God. He spoke in plain language that everone could understand; using such terms as vineyards, wells, plows, planting, farming, birds, etc., and other common everyday objects that people could relate to. Once when a crowd gathered to hear Him speak, He had Peter push the two of them out in a boat a little ways from the bank so that the surface of the water and the hill in the background could serve as a natural amphitheater (they didn’t have microphones in those days). Pretty creative, I’d say. But on the other hand, He never offered anyone a free camel ride if they would come to the Jordan River and get baptized!

At the church I pastor, we have a simple meat-and-potatoes kind of church service each week, and it works very well for us. The main two compentents are the music and teaching of God’s Word. Of course we have modern aids such as projectors and screens, sound system, etc. But we don’t go overboard with graphics, cool videos, or cheesy contests. We don’t do drama, and have neve had a cantata. Our atmosphere is casual, relaxed, and revrent. We are in-touch with our community, but we don’t market ourselves as being the “coolest church in town.” I think that approach has run its course.

We simply offer a meat-and-potatoes kind of service… and it feels real to us.

Use what you felt for good! Fight to make it unique…continuing the goal to preach the gospel of Christ!

I’m a creative junkie too. I almost fell into the trap of focusing on what font best expressed the amazing title I came up with rather than keeping a sensitivity to the beating of God’s heart for his church that time… Praise God! He shook me out of it.

What I learnt was real creativity in ministry was about being able to see and define the needs of the community and be able to become a vessel of God’s movement to answering that need.

The Gospel is a sure shot proven succesful product! The Word is powerful on it’s own! It does not need repackaging and rebranding!

In the Love!