Article: When God Left the Building

when-god-left-the-building-posterOn Wednesday night 40 of us gathered at Bethel and watched the documentary “When God left the Building.” (For those of you who call Bethel home, you can check the video out of the library at church.) The documentary talks about the decline of church attendance across the United States. To help the watcher understand what is happening in churches; the documentary also told the story of the Kodak Film Company.

Kodak went out of business (declared bankruptcy) because they did not adapt to the changing market and technology advancement. They were so consumed with being in the film business they failed to adapt when digital photography became the “new normal.” Instead of being in the “picture business” Kodak over focused on the “film business” that eventually became a niche market. The most ironic part of the story is that a Kodak engineer developed the first digital camera in 1976 but the company did nothing with it.

Kodak failed to see the changes that were happening even though they were quite obvious. They wanted to hold onto what they had (film and film processing) and ignore what was staring them in the face.

The point was made that when we try to hold on to the past and/or institutional stability we will not have the ability to hold on to Jesus. If keeping the church doors open another year is more important than knowing Jesus and being Jesus in the world there will be decline.

As I watched this documentary it became clear that some people didn’t even knew why the Church exists. We are not another service organization or a social club. We have been entrusted with the best news humanity has ever heard and this is it— “There is a God and God loves us unconditionally.” How do I know that to be true? Jesus came to us and showed us the extent of God’s love.

As a church, not only am I glad that we know what we are about (Hospitality, Christ Centered Community, Spiritual Growth, Generosity and Responding to Needs) but why we are doing these things (Love God, Love People, Share Jesus— a condensed version of the Great Commandment and the Great Commission). With that knowledge we should continue to think about ways we can connect with people in the community in a way that shows God’s love and that we say it is the love of God (not just our own).

Jesus told us that “the gates of Hades will not overcome the Church.” He was saying that the Church will continue on until His return. That doesn’t necessarily mean individual churches will. I am strengthened by the words of Jesus because it is a promise and God keeps His promises! Let us continue to be the Church out in the world and imagine new ways of being the Church for the sake of the world!

God bless,
Pr. Ben

9Shares

6 thoughts on “Article: When God Left the Building

  1. Hi Pastor Ben….It seemed to me that the contrast between traditional worship services and staying relevant in today’s world was quite evident. How do we balance those needs or interpose them? There is a need on both sides. It was evident by the age of attendees that we need to have some youthful input and perspective. My own son and family seem to have such busy lives that there is just time enough to do the daily activities and commitments and maybe an hour on Sunday. I think this documentary was a great start to a conversation we will be having for quite some time. Thanks for your efforts to educate and serve us….you do it so well!

    1. Thanks Mona,
      I do not think being “traditional” is the problem within the church. The issue is when traditionalism becomes the “golden calf.” There is nothing wrong with finding comfort in hymns and ways of doing things until the people who find comfort in them say things like, “We have always done it way before and we are not ever going to change” OR “Everyone is welcome but they are going to have to adjust to our way of doing things.” People become stuck when they lose sight of what is most important and then work extra hard to keep things as they are (think Kodak).

      The issue isn’t being traditional, the issue is how we love people and tell them about Jesus. If they don’t find our way “doing church” appealing, then it is up to us to figure out a different method of engaging the community. As I said to another person– this isn’t a dichotomy of either/or, this is a both/and situation. However, the people in the documentary saw the same issue in black and white terms (our way or the highway).

      Think of Martin Luther who kept the same Roman Catholic order of the Mass in worship. Yet he also wrote “contemporary” hymns and translated the Bible into German so everyone could read it. He employed tradition and made room for new things too. It is when we become too rigid and not make room for new ways of connecting with people in Jesus’ name that we have most likely crossed a line of no return.

      Thank you for your kind words!
      PB

  2. Having a difficult time getting this article in a pod casts. A friend told me I could get it in a podcast. is there any help out there thanks.?

    1. Sorry! This is “just” an article. My sermons are podcasts, but sometime I post articles with no audio. This is one of those posts.

Comments are closed.