Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Changing Face of Worship - Springdale
Please view and respond to the video, "Changing Face of Worship - Springdale," located on the course webiste at: http://mmcdaniel.jimdo.com/course_media.php. You will be required to respond to at least one other student's comments to successfully complete this assignment. Please ensure that you put your name in parenthesis if you post anonymously.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Springdale Arkansas
Kidz Church
I have mixed feelings about this. I do think it is too much entertainment. Like a doctor prescribes two tablets every four hours for medicine, however, we think if a little is healthy the whole bottle will be even better. I realize kids need fun and games and to that extent all is fine. However, what happens when the kids cannot tell the difference and think the bible is all about fun and games, or worse yet when they “graduate” to the adult services and the adults services do not compete with kidz church in the entertainment fashion. I heard the play on words “inner-tainment however, it did not “woo” me.
I know someone will say the children were excited about going to church on Saturday already. That is great but if we took kids to Six Flags every Sunday they would be excited every Saturday too, or vacation every week. Kids get excited about cartoons a week in advance too. Yes, we can build on that but like I said up front a little is fine but the whole bottle is not fine.
When I was doing children’s church we had kids excited about coming to church days in advance too. We also had some fun and games and “entertainment”. It was “limited” compared to this and we still grew the children’s church from six to 55 in a few months, until we were asked not to get too big because of the concern of getting children’s church too big and the adult services not keeping up. Realizing it is the adults that finance the children’s church and some adults do not like loud children screaming at church. Say what you want about they should be glad children are excited about church or the adults should get right with God. My point is I thought we had a good children’s church for our size church, and did it without the “nickelodeon” atmosphere, and we could have grown more I believe.
I think the reason they were able to grow so large was they had their own building to isolate them in terms of noise. Large adult church base and good quality helpers are key to maintaining control of the kids.
Mark
This is a difficult video to watch and think about. I don’t know what to think really. It seems like a good idea to try and get kids attention, BUT…Yes here I go….where is the “be still and know that I am God?” I have to say this church is entertaining the kids. Do children not have to sit still in school anymore? I don’t get it. Why must Jesus be entertaining? Is He not enough? I think that this is teaching kids that spiritual things are just more hype. The still small voice of God can’t be heard among such great noise and nonstop movement. I can’t see this as a good thing. I can’t say that there is no value to it, but I’m not sure this is the way that our churches should move forward in reaching our children. (Meisha Deane)
Mark,You made a good point on the children graduating into adult church. I wonder if we make it so much fun and excitement what will they see when it is not all about thier enjoyment. That is the problem these days, we are trying to entice people to be excited and entertained by God. This is not right. Let God be the One who gives the joy and excitement of Himself. This much Hype and fun leaves nothing for the Holy Spirit to stir in the hearts of our children. (Meisha Deane)
Meisha,
I know I am just not sure. I hate to say the kids being excited about church are wrong. However, I just am not sure about this kind of excitement. I wish more kids were excited about church. In fact I wish everyone was more excited about church, not just kids. I am just not sure the excitement should be the bottom line. Your right when the kids see Jesus the excitement will be automatic and genuine. Not merely excitement from the adrenaline pumping.
If that is what gets them coming, when they become adults their faith is non-existent or shallow at best. They then expect “big church” to provide the same kind of excitement and drama etc. Many people would be a turned off by that kind of excitement and adrenaline in “big church.”
Meisha, could you imagine going to a church and presenting your burden for the mission field and being greeted by that kind of excitement. Hey, Meisha, you would be expected to keep up that kind of excitement yourself to raise your support from this of church.
Oh no!!!
Mark A.
Wow, that is a booming kids ministry. That's AWANAS on steroids. I pray that everyone of those kids knows Christ as their Savior and that they will passionately obey what God has called them to do. I only hope that their faith will sustain not because of temporal things but in an eternal God. In the words of famous philosophizer named Andrew VanderGriff, "If it takes bells and whistles to get them it will take bells and whistles to keep them." (Trey Hyman)
Meisha,
I can see where you could be irritated about the Kids Ministry in the video. Frankly, I was speechless because I really didn't know what to think. I think you said it best with "Why must Jesus be entertaining, is He not enough?" I think if a child could see his or her parents finding satisfaction in Christ and a passionate love for God, they probably wouldn't need that entertaining culture influence. Lifestyle, who would have thought of that. After all, it transcends culture. (Trey Hyman)
Post a Comment