A friend of mine just sent me this video. It is made by media folks at North Point, which I believe is North Point Community Church. Essentially, it is a downright mockery of their own liturgy. And it would be funny, if it weren't so sickly, sadly true. They seem to be saying that the form of worship they engage in is manipulative, consumerist, slick, and trite. My question is, who's going to get fired for this? And, what are they going to do about it?
Have a look:
"Sunday's Coming" Movie Trailer from North Point Media on Vimeo.
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8 comments:
The video was made for and shown for a conference that Northpoint Community Church hosts called "Drive." The conference is a conference for people in leadership in like-minded churches. No one is getting fired over it.
I find it refreshing that people are able to be smart enough to poke fun at what some of their weaknesses may be.
Thanks Jason for the information.
The difficulty is that this is not funny, from this outsider's perspective. It is just unbearably sad. Worship does not have to be like that, and the fact that for so many people it really is like that just makes me want to cry. That's all.
I agree. I thought it was far more sad than it was funny.
I'm 24 years and have been playing in worship bands for the past 8 years, so I feel like I can at least talk about the music part of the video.
It's hard, especially in Nashville, to not let the worship band turn into U2 Fantasy Camp. You have talented players on your team and a congregation full of people you might want to impress.
As a worship leader I have, fallen prey to the after church compliments. I started to figure out which songs were getting the band the most praise and making sure that didn't go away.
I think the best worship experiences are produced by the invisible band. The congregation needs to be supported by the band, not the other way around. Church is not a label showcase for the the next Chris Tomlin. For the longest time I know the Village Chapel's website said, "Church isn't the place to pass your demo tape around."
I'm not going to get in the business of saying the right way to do church music. But if you're unsatisfied with your worship experience in Nashville, I think Church of The Redeemer, City Church East and the Village Chapel all do music worship really well.
As an re: to Jason's comment about it being refreshing that people can make fun of themselves. Hand to God, when I first saw this video I told my friend, "The next video is just gonna be a facebook comment section of a bunch of Christians showing how well they can take the joke".
The joke's not funny.
I find my cynical side can "see through" the sheen of contemporary worship, but I often envy those who don't see through any of it and just seem to worship in blissful...worship.
I propose renaming this post, "Engineered Irony" or "The Business of God." I always say it's funny cause it's true.
Something about digital attendance counters on the walls makes it hard not be cynical about commercially driven enterprises that sell religion. I believe, but the church is in for a wake up call. This has obviously been produced and consumed by people that within the church. Maybe it's time to leave the million dollars churches and hit the streets. WAKE UP.
I believe that this is exactly how shallow the real cynics of the western church believe Christian worship to be. It's sad the money and time were invested in even making the video, which, I'm afraid, clearly portray the "real" environment of many Kristian gatherings.
I agree. It's sad.
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