In my recent post Pursuing Good: The Backstory, I wanted to begin to process what makes something good. I ran into a couple of articles that really helped propel this idea forward. I even started to address the bad press we give good as opposed to great or excellent.
More on that later.
In this article I want to tackle the first in my master list of what makes something good:
A service is good when it is…
authentic.
surprising.
exposing vulnerability.
interesting (with a by product of engagement).
appropriate.
complete or full (delivers on the expectation).
special.
smooth in transitions.
purposeful (or communicating a point).
impeccably executed.
A service is good when it is authentic.
Don’t just read past this one as something that you already know. There is more to the story here.
When is something good? How do we know we are doing good work?
Is there an objective standard that church technical artists can use to make sure the effort that we are putting in is paying off?
How do we know if our transitions are good? Or the infrastructure we are adding to the word and worship is good?
Ultimately, it’s really about the service itself, as an entity, how do we know it is good?
The longer I live, the more I serve Christ, the more I am compelled to take a long view of history and an eternal perspective toward the few small years comprising our life on earth. I love the emphasis I often hear calling for increasing the Church’s role in societal restoration. These are big issues and range in areas diverse as long-standing nationalistic enmity, to racism and racial disagreement and distrust, to environmental awareness and care, and the list goes on. This adjustment seems to me to be the right track. After allowing the pendulum to swing too far to individual evangelism, it is appropriate to look at the church’s role in the world that goes beyond just trying to get people to say the sinner’s prayer.
I also recognize that this is perhaps uniquely an evangelical problem. And an American Evangelical problem at that. Mainline churches, for all of the flack they catch from others in the evangelical community, are now being seen as a source of some stabilizing and “successful” practices: liturgy, comprehensive catechism, and this stance of social restoration that I am talking about. It’s almost as if the younger brother is just now waking up to the family business that has been going on for hundreds of years. At least that’s what it feels like in the church circles I move in.
With that caveat in mind, I must confess, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about indulgences. You know, those things we were taught to protest against as Protestants. You know, those things that caused Martin Luther to nail 95 Theses to a door.
1. Open to others. Not a fort against the world, but a thanksgiving table with an open seat for anyone.
2. Expanding the government of heaven. Not trapped in politics — not preaching the values of the religious right or the left, but contending for Christlikeness that is both a higher demand and a lighter burden.
3. An active part and participant in the community extending neighborly generosity and working for the common good and human flourishing.
4. A place of community and conversation. The Sunday service is less school and more family gathering.
5. A place of diversity. Not a church that is primarily led by and for one race, one generation, or one class; but empowers all, because the Spirit empowers all. A church that reflects the demographics of the entire community but also gives special place and care to the downtrodden and disenfranchised.
6. A church that values the arts and is artistic and creative in worship and in creating a worship space and environment.
7. A church that contends for the presence of God in passionate worship and prayer.
8. An ancient / future faith. A church that values the traditions of the past—that actively incorporates liturgical practices and weekly eucharist—while implementing the opportunities of new media to make mature disciples (people who can hear God’s voice for themselves, and obey it).
What’s your dream?
I’d be interested to know what you think. Do any of these resonate with you?
Even if you choose not to share it here, I encourage you to dream away. And then pray about the things that God is speaking to your heart.
And knowing that 8 out of 10 people will say yes to an Easter invitation to church is a great statistic to build promotions around.*
One area of promotion is inviting the community to your Easter services. But the other one, a very important one, is mobilizing the congregation to invite their friends and family to church on Easter. For the last few years we have attempted to leverage this through a targeted campaign. Here is a campaign we did a few years ago. Afterward, if you’re interested, I’ll talk about the video and how it was made.
Technically Thinking 