Church is like Superbowl Commercials

A couple years ago, I lived in an apartment with a good friend of mine.  Now, my friend is that guy that knows everyone.  I don't mean just the average, "I have 400 friends on Facebook" kind of guy, I mean the guy that can't go to the mall without running into 8 people he knew in high school, and 6 people he met last week.  Well this roommate/friend of mine decided that I needed to socialize and make some friends (mainly with girls), so he formulated a master plan to have a Super Bowl Party at the apartment.

Let's be clear.  When I have a get together, party, whatever, I invite 20 people, I expect 10 to show up.  When HE invites 20 people, 40 plus THEIR friends show up.

So I come home from a very long day at work, to...well...most of his friends.  In my house.  Apartment.  Whatever.  He gives me the silent roommate signal for "you're welcome, get to work.".  At this point I have 3 options:

1: Realize that I have to be at work in 8 hours, go to bed, and not think about what I am missing out on.
2: Socialize with some ladies, make some friends, and make not-so educated guesses at who will be this year's Superbowl winner.
3: Grab a "Mike's Hard Lemonade" (Cause I'm a baller like that), sit on the couch, and watch T.V.

After picking option number 3, (of course, right?) I sat down and watched the Superbowl, the mind-numbing commercials, and sipped on my cool tasty beverage.  It wasn't until the horrible halftime show that I stopped to realize...not only have I not been paying attention to this...not only did I have NO idea who was winning...I hate watching sports!


I am a child of technology.  Most people describe this as A.D.D., but I would argue with them until someone turned a TV on.  Many cases of this "syndrome" are not as bad or advanced as my own, admittedly, but this is the general culture the next wave of our society is being introduced to.

Our generation  has been accustomed to advertising, taking things in without paying attention to them.  Mindlessly zoning in and out of the "required" information.

This is where churches are losing people.

Cold hard fact.  Many, (some may argue most) churches are boring.  Honestly, look at it:  You have either hymns, accompanied by either nothing or an organ, or a praise team, which in many churches play the same "Awesome God" type of songs over, and over, and over, and to jazz it up repeat the same line 20x extra on good weeks until your feet are numb and you don't want to be the only guy sitting down before the proverbial "you may be seated".  Then, you have a guy, standing on a stage, talking.  For anywhere from 30mins, to an hour.

This is where many church officials and people that like to argue interject and say "Well hang on, it's not about making church like a roller coaster, it's about connecting and learning about God, and fellowship with believers."  This is a very valid and TRUE point, and it is important to note that structure in a church service and keeping to biblical guidelines when praising corporately is important.


Here's the point.  For the sake of argument, you don't have a firm faith in God, and you have questions.  You visit a church, probably dragged there by a girlfriend/boyfriend, friend, or family member.  Or maybe your faith is becoming stagnant, and you're not sure why.  Maybe you don't realize it, but you've been going to this same church so long, it's more about the routine than worship.  All the sudden, you are at a Superbowl party with people you don't know, watching something that is foreign and uninteresting to you.

You are there, but you're not.

Church has developed a stigma.  Wake up early to go to a boring service, with not-so-fantastic music, listen to a guy droll on for an hour, and feel like the only guy under 40 there.  Then maybe I can go do something real with my Sunday off of work.


As the Body of Christ, we have to be welcoming to all people.  We have a responsibility to the people that attend our churches to feed them truth, and to the people that don't attend church, or are being driven away from church, we MUST make it a place where they want to be.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23
¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³ I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.