OK I give up. I'm going to puke.
One way to combat this tendency is to do an Environmental Impact Report on your church.
I have some missionary friends who frequently go to minister to the poor churches in Africa. There the people think nothing of attending church for 6-8 hours without air conditioning in very primitive conditions. "Comfy" churches are a pretty poor testimony to us.
God forbid that we should actually let Him be involved in the worship service.
Was it really necessary to put that ugly mug on the web? It's not as if he never gets any free publicity... LOL!
He left out the need for a Starbucks and a McDonalds. /sarc
OK I give up. I'm going to puke.
One way to combat this tendency is to do an Environmental Impact Report on your church.
MAJOR ECCLESIASTICAL INTREP
Yes, worship is all about our feelings. We wouldn't want to have anything in our churches put us in a bad mood.
I'm sure everyone was just as happy as can be at Calvary.
Paul and Silas managed to do it in a filthy Roman jail cell, after having been whipped. I think we're really missing something if the quality of our worship is determined by our circumstances.
This is the Onion, isn't it?
Please tell me this is the Onion.
Please tell me this is a satire.
Thank God for Rick Warren threads. Right now I go through 23 1/2 hours a day without thinking about him. Without threads like this, it would be 24 hours a day. Why, I would NEVER think about Rick Warren.
I mean, that would be bad, right?
I'd be happy if our church backed off on the air conditioning some. That building is so stinkin' cold year round that I have to always have a jacket with me.
Warren is a very controversial figure and I do not agree with many of his methods. My cousin and his wife attended Saddleback for a brief time.
It's Christianoid feng shui!
WHAT!?! A Rick Warren thread and I'm not invited!
YBPDLNPL Ping
**Yeah, you know, worship has to be comfy!**
NOT!
These people need to get on their knees!
I can understand if Warren was a false prophet, or a heretic but he is simply a minister that leads people to Christ in a different way than you do. Give it a rest already.
That explains these "venues:"
Two of the above venues are in tents. Just like the circus.
The "mood" I look for in a church in coming into the presence of a Holy God. it's not about me, but Him.
1. Lighting
Lighting has a profound effect on people's moods. Inadequate lighting dampens the spirit of a service.
2. Sound
Invest in the best sound system you can afford. If you're trying to cut costs, do it in some other area. Don't skimp here.
3. Seating
Both the comfort and the arrangement of your seating dramatically affect the mood of any service.
4. Temperature
As a pastor who has preached for years in un-air-conditioned gyms and unheated tents, I say this with the utmost conviction: The temperature can destroy the best planned service in a matter of minutes
5. Clean, safe nurseries
If you want to reach young families, you've got to have sanitized and safe nurseries.
6. Clean restrooms
Visitors may forget your sermon but the memory of a foul smelling restroom lingers on ... and on ... and on! You can tell a lot about the morale of a church by checking out the quality of the restrooms.
Can't really disagree with much here except for the seating. The "personal space/comfort" is not necessary. Wooden pews or even sitting on the floor in a missionary location suffice.
What's sad is how much time and effort he clearly spends on this stuff. If only he spent that much time picking the scripture citations he used in Purpose Driven Life.