WHY DO WE DO THAT?
Oftentimes people ask, or at least think to themselves, "Why do we do that at Crosspoint Church?". Sometimes the questions come because we don't understand. Sometimes they come because we disagree. Whatever the reason, it's good to know the WHY behind the WHAT. I'm going to try to answer a few of those.
Q: Why do we play secular music before our Worship Services?
That's a great question. As you walk up the sidewalk toward the main building on any given Sunday, you'll hear either a playlist selected to coincide with the current series (EX: During the ULTIMATE ROADTRIP series we had traveling songs) or you will hear simply a collection of Top 40 tunes.
But why? Why not worship songs? Why not songs glorifying God and preparing our hearts for worship? Wouldn't that be more appropriate?
Sure, those songs would be appropriate. But, they wouldn't be strategic. We have made a conscious decision that we want to see lives transformed by the power of God. We want to introduce real people to a real God. And, most importantly, we want to be a church that unchurched people want to go to.
What keeps unchurched people from going to church? They don't know anyone. They don't know what to expect. They don't know any of the songs we sing. They don't know where to go. They're afraid they'll do the wrong thing, stick out like a sore thumb and embarrass themselves. Most of us have followed Christ and gone to church so long that we've totally forgotten (if we ever knew to begin with!) what it's like to be lost and unchurched and make that 100 ft walk up to that front door in absolute fear...fear of the unknown.
So, how can we say to them, "It's OK, you'll be fine, we're here to help you, everything won't be unknown to you?
1. We can have great people in the parking lot that give them directions as to where to park and where to go
2. We can have greeters that welcome them and direct them to the proper places they need to know about and go to
3. We can have people at the Information Desk to answer any questions they have
4. We can play music that they may have heard before. In fact that may be the only thing they see or hear when they arrive that they are actually acquainted with
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with a couple who had visited our church and who, ultimately, came to know Christ as Lord of their lives. They'd never gone to church and were really fearful about their first visit. What made the biggest impression on them? One of them told me, "Any church that played Imagine Dragons before its services was a church I felt comfortable at and I decided right then I wanted to come back".
I know many of you will still say, "But, I'd prefer to hear worship music playing when I walk up to my church on Sunday morning". That's fair and honest. That's what you'd prefer and that would make your heart happy
A question for you: What makes God's heart happy? The answer has nothing to do with what music we play before our services. When lost people that Jesus died for get found and fall in love with their Creator...that's what makes God's heart happy.
So, a second question for you: What's more important to you...what makes your heart happy, or what makes God's heart happy?
At Crosspoint Church, we're going to do everything short of sin to see as many as possible come to Christ. PERIOD. We will preach the gospel with power, sincerity and unwatered-down straightforwardness. At the same time we will unapologetically cater to lost, unchurched, fearful people who give us one shot to show them God's love.
Q: Why do we play secular music before our Worship Services?
That's a great question. As you walk up the sidewalk toward the main building on any given Sunday, you'll hear either a playlist selected to coincide with the current series (EX: During the ULTIMATE ROADTRIP series we had traveling songs) or you will hear simply a collection of Top 40 tunes.
But why? Why not worship songs? Why not songs glorifying God and preparing our hearts for worship? Wouldn't that be more appropriate?
Sure, those songs would be appropriate. But, they wouldn't be strategic. We have made a conscious decision that we want to see lives transformed by the power of God. We want to introduce real people to a real God. And, most importantly, we want to be a church that unchurched people want to go to.
What keeps unchurched people from going to church? They don't know anyone. They don't know what to expect. They don't know any of the songs we sing. They don't know where to go. They're afraid they'll do the wrong thing, stick out like a sore thumb and embarrass themselves. Most of us have followed Christ and gone to church so long that we've totally forgotten (if we ever knew to begin with!) what it's like to be lost and unchurched and make that 100 ft walk up to that front door in absolute fear...fear of the unknown.
So, how can we say to them, "It's OK, you'll be fine, we're here to help you, everything won't be unknown to you?
1. We can have great people in the parking lot that give them directions as to where to park and where to go
2. We can have greeters that welcome them and direct them to the proper places they need to know about and go to
3. We can have people at the Information Desk to answer any questions they have
4. We can play music that they may have heard before. In fact that may be the only thing they see or hear when they arrive that they are actually acquainted with
Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with a couple who had visited our church and who, ultimately, came to know Christ as Lord of their lives. They'd never gone to church and were really fearful about their first visit. What made the biggest impression on them? One of them told me, "Any church that played Imagine Dragons before its services was a church I felt comfortable at and I decided right then I wanted to come back".
I know many of you will still say, "But, I'd prefer to hear worship music playing when I walk up to my church on Sunday morning". That's fair and honest. That's what you'd prefer and that would make your heart happy
A question for you: What makes God's heart happy? The answer has nothing to do with what music we play before our services. When lost people that Jesus died for get found and fall in love with their Creator...that's what makes God's heart happy.
So, a second question for you: What's more important to you...what makes your heart happy, or what makes God's heart happy?
At Crosspoint Church, we're going to do everything short of sin to see as many as possible come to Christ. PERIOD. We will preach the gospel with power, sincerity and unwatered-down straightforwardness. At the same time we will unapologetically cater to lost, unchurched, fearful people who give us one shot to show them God's love.
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