Taco Bell Church

Ecclesiastes 1:9
"What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun."

Taco Bell is the epitome of this verse. I don't think they have created anything new for their menu in years. Just about everything they serve has the same core ingredients: ground beef, refried beans, a tortilla of some sort, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese. Let it be their burritos or tacos or their tostadas, they all consist of the same ingredients.

I think church is the same way.

I have been to Baptist, Lutheran, emerging, charismatic, non-denominational, missional, Catholic and even biker/gang-banger churches.

These churches have meet in sanctuaries, warehouses, hotels, theaters, libraries, schools, old supermarkets and even pubs.

The people in these churches have been old, young, clean, dirty, poor, rich, single, married and every thing in between.

The size of these churches has been small (30-40 people), medium (200-300 people), large (500-700 people) and x-large (6000-7000 people).

However, they all consisted of the same core ingredients: music and songs, a teaching from the Bible, prayer, announcements and don't forget the offering! The basic elements found within these worship gatherings are identical. Oh, they may be arranged in different ways, called something new and maybe even have some spice thrown (dance, readings or drama), but in the end you are still consuming the same meal just in a different wrapper.

You can guess these churches have some what different theologies, but they all fall within the pale of orthodoxy.

So, what is it that truly makes one worship gathering different from the other choices on the menu?

I think has to do with intent, purpose or to be technical and snobbish-sounding, the philosophy of ministry.

It is not so much about ingredients that get mixed together, but what is the reason or point of a gathering being mixed with its particular ingredients.

Here is an example: What is the intent of having most of the musical worship front loaded before the teaching? Most would say to prepare our hearts and mind to be receptive to what is about to be taught.

What would be the intent of having most of the musical worship after the teaching? Most would say to offer a time for mediation and reflection on what has been taught?

What would the intent be if musical worship and teaching were interwoven throughout the entire gathering? Hmmm....

I think it is necessary to think through all the ingredients in a gathering to make sure they will add to and not detract from the purpose of worship. The same is true in the set up of the gathering in general.

By doing this we may find we replace some core ingredients with others not usually found in our recipe (interactive stations, silence, confession, dialogue, etc). This may open us up to us new and undiscovered ways of worshiping, expressing our faith and relating to God.

What is the purpose of a gathering? You decide.