| If Paul were alive today, I believe he would use a cell phone, e-mail and other multimedia resources to spread the Gospel and support the churches he planted.
Changes in presentation style are nothing new in the church. I believe God is little concerned with style, but greatly concerned with message and motive.
An effective church that is called to add multimedia to it's message format will teach and help followers of Jesus grow, so they will spend more time reading the Bible on their own, instead of having it read to them.
A church NOT called to add extensive multimedia will also serve the Lord well, meeting the needs of another facet of the community.
The issue is not multimedia or style. That's a rabbit trail, a distraction the enemy of our souls would love to take advantage of to misdirect us. The issue is the calling and direction of God, and whether we are sensitive and obedient to His sovereign leadership in our lives and ministries.
We had a recent first time response card that told us we needed to "lose the rock band" and needed to start using "traditional liturgy". Our approach in these cases is to share with them that this is how God has called us to worship and communicate, and we would love to help them find a Bible-believing church that will be a better fit for their style preference. We will willingly (and actively do) help folks find another church. It isn't about filling our chairs.
It's not about building a church. Jesus already said he would do that. It's about providing an opportunity for life change and salvation! God will do the rest as He desires. We will submit to His will and cooperate with Him as He makes the church He wants us to be.   |