https://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/oklahoma-church-organizes-beer-and-hymns-sunday-with-three-beer-limit.html
The above article is all about a Tulsa church trying to get people to come to church. They are using a “Beer and Hymns” theme to do it. I often read the comments that people post following the articles I read. As I expected, this idea was slammed by Christians as “blasphemous” and “inviting the devil into the church”, etc. On the surface I agree with them whole-heartedly, but is there something going on here that we aren’t seeing? Is this church addressing an issue that other churches, while aware of the same issue, are ignoring?
I think there's a couple ways to look at this. The first question in my mind as I read this article was "why resort to gimmicks to get people into church?" But upon further consideration, I asked myself, "WHY are people not going to church?" I was reminded of an experience I had in my younger days. I worked with a bunch of guys who refused to invite me to things (parties, home celebrations, etc) because they would drink at those functions. I was the "religious" guy. I never hid my faith, so they didn't want me there. They assumed I considered myself to be “too good for them” or would condemn them for their behavior. Somehow, they “knew” I didn’t fit in. Maybe I was seen as a reminder that they lived a “sinful” life. I’m not 100% sure why I was so unpopular, but I was. I was the company "outcast" because of my faith. But one day, maybe by accident, I got invited to go to the bar after work. Everyone assumed I would refuse, but to their surprise, I accepted. I don't drink, but not because of my faith. I grew up around alcoholism and was prone to it myself. I realized this early on and I avoid alcohol (for myself) because I am not going down that road. I have no problem with other people drinking “in moderation”. So, on this occasion, I drank Coke all night, while they drank beer. They harassed me for not drinking, and even the waitress made a joke about me “wetting the bed” because I was drinking just Coke. To their surprise, I laughed with them, and even made jokes about it too. When it started getting a little later into the evening, I knew I could not be the first to leave because "it was expected" based on their assumptions about religious people. So I stayed until the end of the night. I was actually in the group last to leave the bar, at closing time. The next day I was suddenly accepted into the group because I was now seen as a "regular" guy. I never compromised my beliefs that evening. I also never spoke of the evils of drinking, or condemn them for anything they did, or make any demands. I accepted my coworkers as my equals and friends. As I came to find out later, the guys expected me to be so uncomfortable that I would leave on my own and accept my role as the “outcast”. Their jokes were to intimidate me and make me want to leave. What they didn’t know, or expect, is that I entered THEIR world. And the strangest outcome of all, they started having conversations with me about my faith and God. I could be approached because I didn't shun them for their lifestyle. I allowed them to be them, and accepted them as they were. There was no expectations or disappointment in who they were, just honest and complete acceptance.
I believe many people do not attend church because too many Christians are no longer "relevant" to real life. We have created rules and regulations that keep others out of the church. "Drinking alcohol is wrong", so if you do that, you cannot be part of our community. Well, whether you believe drinking is wrong or not, by putting that out there, anyone who drinks is not going to associate with you, or WANT to be part of your community. The general population considers drinking to be fun, and Christians are not. Christians are constantly throwing a wet blanket on their fun. You may not agree, but that is our reputation in the mainstream.
So I like to think in these terms, the idea is to get into THEIR world first. That doesn’t mean you have to compromise your beliefs and do what they do, but you have to stop condemning others for how they live, stop pointing out all their faults, or telling them the “proper” way to behave. Just sit with those who need God, and listen, ask questions, just be sincere. Care about them, provide for their needs. Just let your light show them a better way, BY EXAMPLE. The discussions will come later. Who's going to come to Jesus if we say, "to come to Jesus, you can't drink, you can't smoke, you can't...whatever"? They are going to keep their distance because you don't allow them to see Jesus in you because of all the rules and regulations that you have set up to keep them away. All they can see are the rules and regulations, not the love we have because of Jesus. Yes, the hope is that once they come to Jesus, they will straighten out whatever sinful leanings they may have, but that is for God to work out with them.
I have met many Christians who say things like, "I wouldn't be caught dead in a bar, or in a <insert your place where the non-saved hang out>" Well, if you won't go there, how will those who need Jesus ever meet him? We are called to be "in the world, but not 'of' it." But everyone is so worried about "doing the right thing" that they avoid going "into the world" out of fear that they might "appear" to be "of the world", or they are concerned that they might be seen by other Christians and their intentions “misinterpreted". Jesus was not afraid to get his hands dirty to be with "sinners". Avoiding the evils of the world only removes us from those who need to see our holiness. Hiding inside the church prevents the unsaved from ever seeing God because we hide our light inside it, where they will not go on their own. We need to go out into the world to find those who need God, because they will not be coming to us.
In my story of going to the bar, some Christian friends condemned me for being in such a place. But guess what, the guys I worked with never had a serious discussion about God before, because they won't go into a church where the discussions are happening. But they WILL go into a bar, and because I was there with them, they finally had that discussion. Whether or not they accepted Christ is immaterial. The important piece is that they got to meet one of His disciples and hear His message. They didn't go to church to hear it. They heard it in THEIR environment, not mine.
So let’s not be so quick to judge this church who is trying “Beer and Hymns”. It may very well be the wrong approach, but it IS an approach. How many of us attend churches that have no real evangelism "effort"? How many churches are waning in number because no one new is coming in? Nearly every denomination is losing numbers. THAT cannot be denied. But how many churches have willing members who are going out into the world to meet people that need God? And then boldly show God’s love to them, without condemnation, but with pure acceptance? Are we willing to talk to strangers about the good news of Jesus? On the other hand, many churches work very hard at being a “welcoming” church. By the way, that is a very important quality, but how many churches have all that many visitors coming in the doors? And are the visitors already believers? Only those seeking a church will find one. Our mission is to MAKE disciples, not recruit them from other congregations. If we concentrate on only those who enter our doors, we may become very good at it, but those who NEED Jesus are not going to come to our churches. If the lost are seeking for God, and knew the church is the place to find Him, then our numbers would not be falling. WE have to go out and FIND the lost, show them the Way, and accept them into our community. Accepting those who are not just like us, can be very difficult, but think about it, Jesus went to the outcasts, not the religious folks. He said, “Only the sick need a doctor, not the healthy”. So let’s stop trying to grow by recruiting from other churches and start recruiting those who don’t know God, by letting them see God in you. If that means going to a bar, then perhaps being in church, at the time you should be in the bar, means you are spending your time in the wrong place.
As an added bonus, a friend of mine over at Godvine sent me this video after reading my thoughts in this article:
