Human nature will express itself in contemporary western culture by exchanging legitimate activity for busyness.
At mgpc we’ve been trying to ensure that our activities all serve aspects of our core mission and ministry. Sometimes we’ve felt this effort has, in itself, just become an added burden. But we’re carrying on.
Jared Wilson provides ’10 Reasons to Under-Program Your Church’ which sum up why it’s good to leave space and then resist the temptation to cram a new program or activity into any openings that you can see.
Here’s a few of the ten:
Over-programming runs the risk of turning a church into a host of extracurricular activities, mirroring the “Type-A family” mode of suburban achievers. The church can become a grocery store or more spiritual YMCA, then, perfect for people who want religious activities on their calendar.
Over-programming leads to segmentation among ages, life stages, and affinities, which can create divisions in a church body. Certainly there are legitimate reasons for gathering according to “likenesses,” but many times increasing the number of programs means increasing the ways and frequencies of these separations. Pervasive segmentation is not good for church unity or spiritual growth.
Over-programming is usually the result of un-self-reflective reflex reactions to perceived needs and and an inability to kill sacred cows that are actually already dead. Always ask “Should we?” before you ask “Can we?” Always ask “Will this please God?” before you ask “Will this please our people?” Always ask “Will this meet a need?” before you ask “Will this meet a demand?”
mgpcpastor's blog 