In this month's News and Views, Shuna George reviews
David Murrow's book with this title. Apparently, the top ten reasons for not going to church are:
- There are too many hypocrites there
- It's for wimps
- They ask for money too much
- It's too long
- I don't want to talk about it (!)
- I don't like the vicar
- It's irrelevant to my life
- It's boring
- Church just doesn't work for me
- I don't have time
I wonder how we score against these factors?
In response, Murrow recommends:
- Seek excellence and quality, not mediocrity
- Use technology
- Keep periods of sitting still and listening to a minimum
- Be project oriented. Plan, work, celebrate, rest!
- No fuzzy goals
- Offer time limits to voluntary work
- Beware of emotive language in worship
- Drop traditions which have lost their meaning
- Deal with conflict openly and plainly
- Sing less
There's some important stuff here, but also some things which need further thought. Emotive language in worship can be a problem (and not just for men), especially if worship is reduced to songs of the "I'm in love with Jesus" type. But behind even the stiffest of upper lips is an emotional being. I think that good worship doesn't just meet our preferences but takes us to places that we wouldn't normally go. And emotion is a vital component in that, even for the most blokish of blokes.
