Rethinking Church Anniversaries

At the request of an urban pastor, I agreed to worship with his church with the stipulation that he not announce my presence nor tell people why I was there. The goal was to provide the pastor some “third party” feedback about my experience. Some of which I am sharing in this blog in hopes of helping other urban churches change their direction. Before I get to how the members reacted to my “intrusion” into their service (I will save this for a future post), I want to share how this church celebrated their seventy-fifth anniversary.

The church had no screens, so the Sunday I was there all announcements were made verbally. The young pastor spoke of their approaching anniversary with special guest – a Barney Fife impersonator. Now for those who do not know, Barney Fife was a town deputy in The Andy Griffith Show and later in Mayberry R.F.D. covering 1960-1971. Since I could not be present for the church’s seventy-fifth anniversary, I asked a younger friend and colleague who lived in the community to attend, and then share with me how she was received by the church membership. She had never attended this church and I felt she could give me honest feedback. She shared with me that the worship service started with a few announcements, a welcome to the visitors, and one song sung acapella. Then the worship of our Lord was turned over to the Barney Fife impersonator. A secular impersonator (which my colleague rated as “not that good”) took the place of the preaching of God’s Word.

Nothing should ever replace the preaching of God’s Word! Worship is not about being entertained. It is not about remembering a better time. It is not even about celebrating our accomplishments. Church anniversaries are about celebrating God’s faithfulness and provisions, and for painting the vision for the church’s future obtained through the congregation’s obedience and faithfulness. If this church was going to have an impersonator reenact past history, it should have occurred in the afternoon or a weekday portion of the celebration. It should not have taken the place of preaching God’s Word. It is time that churches rethink Church Anniversaries!

According to the demographics for the neighborhood where this particular church is located, the aforementioned television shows had ended before 79.7% of the neighborhood residents were old enough to remember Barney Fife and 64.3% were not even born when the second show ended in 1971. The median age of this community is 34 and ethnically a very diverse artistic district. The truth is that the church is not reaching outside their walls into the community, and I am not sure they want to reach their community.

Here is what I would have recommended to the church, and will recommend that they do it for their next anniversary. I would urge them to have a church sponsored art show and music festival highlighting a diversity of musical groups and styles of music covering the lifespan of the church to the present. I would have community artist, vendors, and foods covering the main ethnic groups within the community and arranged for all proceeds from the festival to go to support a need in the community (e.g.: struggling single parents). I would pull neighborhood groups into supporting the event to help meet this community need. On Anniversary Sunday, I would make sure Sunday morning worship had youthful greeters outside the building, dynamic uplifting music inside, and a powerful biblical sermon outlining plans to influence our community for Jesus through loving and caring for the people in the neighborhood. Celebrating anniversaries, whether people or churches, should be more about looking forward than backward! Church anniversaries should celebrate the faithfulness of God’s past provision and set forth a future of trust and obedience enabling the church to continue reaching people for Jesus and equipping Jesus’ disciples.

Many urban churches are dying because of the lack of vision. Churches that are looking back at their glory days are not looking forward to their glory years. They are not seeking to reach their community because there are convinced that people have changed and they alone are right. The reality is that people have not changed. People are still lost, still need a savior, and still need a personal relationship with Jesus. Too many urban churches have simply lost their way through sin and complacency. Unless these churches repent and seek God’s help in actively loving and caring for people outside their buildings - in their neighborhoods and around the world - their church doors will soon close. May God have mercy on such people as they stand before him to give an account of their disobedience.

Pastors and Churches Must Be Risk Takers

God has always sought out men and women willing to take a risk in being obedient to him, and I sense that this is especially true of the era we are living in today. God is seeking men and women to be risk takers in these last days. God is not seeking caretakers to maintain the status quo; he is seeking those willing to take risks. If your church is going to influence the city, both you and the church will have to take risks. Churches will not takes risks unless their pastor takes the risk of leadership and leads the church to take the necessary risks to impact the urban arena.

Recently, I conversed with an urban pastor who told me that the average age of his congregation was seventy-five year old; he continued to tell me that all the church members wanted from their church was to be cared for until they die. Do I even need to explain what is wrong with these members? We each have a choice to make, and we can determine that we will be risk takers for God, or caretakers waiting for the undertaker.

You and I are living in a period in history that Christians and churches must be bolder and possess a greater zeal for the things of God than previous generations, and we cannot be easily discouraged. Cities are being lost to the influences of Satan because the church is not being bold in taking risks. Churches see the cross and shy away from it. Today’s church leaders seek safety and security and their churches are following in their leaders footsteps. All you have to do is look were the urban pastor lives. If he is not practicing incarnation ministry, neither is the church.

I challenge you in words of King David to Solomon, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work …of the Lord is finished” (I Chronicles 28:20).

God is seeking churches that will be powerful and dramatically affect their city and society with a biblical worldview, enabling their city to be a better place to live and raise a family. If God has placed your church in the city, he has done so for such a time as this, but it will require both pastor and church to take risks. Jerusalem needed a Temple for the good of the city and the nation. The same is true of your church. The city and the nation need your church to be alive and strong! You must take the words spoken by David to his son Solomon and be strong, courageous, and do the work. Only pastors and churches with the character and faith of an Esther or a Solomon can change their city! I pray you have such character and faith – the city needs you and the city needs your church.

Working in the cities of the world is risking and dangerous, but I tell you that I would rather be in the worse place on earth and know that I am in the center of God’s will, then to be in the safest place on earth and be outside of God’s will for my life! The world’s cities need risk takers who are saved, sanctified, and spirit filled. Without which you will be useless to both Jesus and the cities. The world’s cities need leaders who are well trained, full of knowledge and wisdom, and willing to take a risk and lead their church to impact the cities of this world! The Lord will help you become all of these things, but you have to want it! You have to hunger for it! You have to prioritize your time and energy and make sacrifices! You have to be determined that you will do the work, for there are no entitlements in God’s Kingdoms! God needs you to be a risk taker, not a caretaker waiting for the undertaker; will you take the risks and influence your city for Christ?