new from Barna

Pastor Rick Warren from Saddleback Church is sharing 12 Convictions about Worship with his email list. (Or you can read it here.) He sent out the first six last week. Two that caught my attention:

2. You don't need a building to worship God.
"Worship isn't a place; it's a verb."

And all God's people said ... ("Amen.") We talk a lot about church buildings because what you do with your church building is important. Still, I don't know how many times I've heard/said/typed the phrase, "Your church facility is a tool for your ministry." Jesus is the Big Idea, worship is the key, and the building is a very helpful ... tool.

6. God expects us to be sensitive to the fears, hang-ups, and the needs of unbelievers when they are present in our worship services.
"Colossians 4:5 (NIV): 'Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.' It's called being polite. Whenever you hear people talk about being sensitive to unbelievers, that is not watering down the gospel. It's called love."

And the way to many suburban-American hearts is through their java.

Maybe not, but when I feel like I don't belong some place, I'm comforted by something familiar. On the way to India this past summer we had a layover in a German airport. I don't speak German. I don't know how to convert dollars to Euros. I'm clearly not European, and was dressed a little like a missionary anticipating 23 hours of travel. I felt out of place ... until I found the airport McDonald's. I never eat McDonald's, but I did that day because that's where I was comfortable. I knew McDonald's.

A lot of "unchurched" people in your community don't know God. They don't know what a tithe is, they don't know how to worship, they don't know if they should take communion ... but they all know how to order a cup of coffee.