To whom should the pastor address his message? The Saddleback/Willow Creek model solves this problem with two kinds of “services.” On the weekends, they address the “seeker.” During the week, they instruct the believer.
There are some difficulties with this approach: many never make the transition from the weekend to the weeknight; seekers are not exposed to how Christianity works; believers often feel “under-fed” at the weekend “services;” the “world” assumes that what is being taught on the weekend is “all there is” to Christianity.
Tim Keller argues quite persuasively that evangelism and worship should be happening at the same time.
Here are the three concerns one must address to accomplish this:
- Making worship comprehensible to unbelievers
- Getting unbelievers into worship
- Leading to commitment
I know that sounds like “watering down the gospel.” (Before you make that judgment, read Keller’s biblical argument based on 1 Corinthians 14 and Acts 2.)
Tomorrow we’ll look at some of the practical issues involved in pulling this off.
Pastor Rod
“Helping you become the person God created you to be”
2 comments:
I skimmed through Keller's piece, and liked the balance that he provided to the "worship war" syndrome.
The part I struggle with is how what he advocates squares up with 1 Cor 1 & 2. When Christ is a stumbling block, foolishness to the world, and something only able to be discerned by the Spirit, it seems there is only so much we can do.
In any case, I'll interested to hear your next part.
Matt,
I wrote the second part. But I decided not to post it. Because I really wasn't adding anything to what Keller said.
Rod
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