Podcast Episode #474
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We recently ran a Twitter poll to find out the most dealt with sacred cows in churches. The responses were both hilarious and worrisome.
Some highlights from today’s episode include:
- Sacred cows are often sacred not simply because of their usefulness, but because of their tradition.
- The offertory is often the biggest sacred cow in the order of worship.
- The offertory is not a distraction from worship, it is an act of worship.
- Too many people think that their preferred worship style is biblically prescribed.
The 15 sacred cows we discuss are:
- The parlor.
- The organ.
- Politics.
- Order of worship.
- The building.
- Flowers in the worship center.
- Music/worship style.
- Sunday evening services.
- Pews.
- Attire.
- Committees.
- Cemeteries.
- Choir robes.
- Previous pastor.
- White tablecloths over the elements for the Lord’s Supper/Communion.
Resources mentioned in today’s podcast
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Sacred cow / bell heifer (synonyms)
Thom, is it just me or does this list grow every time the subject comes up. I am on the edge of my seat waiting for the comments on Sunday Evening services
It’s growing and changing.
Don’t forget the pulpit!
I really like that new book called “Who Moved My Pulpit?”
The pulpit is a biggie… its size, height, location and style such as one of massive Oak vs. a clear plastic pedestal, located center, off to a side, off the pulpit etc.
I would also offer the communion table vs ???
The *sacred cow* at my church is its bulletin. Any article~ including new ministry community outreach aligned to its mission~ must pay (yes, as in a fee) to use it.
But, here is the *red herring*: Only the women’s group was charged a fee to use the bulletin. We established a parish-wide initiative providing a free summer lunch program in our church neighborhood~ the poorest *hood* in our city~ offering a free noon meal during August when the school district was closed. The FIRST any such event was done by the parish. And, we had professional graphics done with a captivating theme for the ministry.
But nope, we had to pay to use the bulletin to recruit member donations and volunteers. For all the women’s group initiatives!
Hmm, that is one of the weirdest things I have heard. Pay to be in the bulletin? If it is a ministry of the church they should be pleased and excited to promote it.
Questions from Listening to Your Discussion:
1- If worship style is not to be set in stone, then why is a guitar now required or you are cantankerous?
2- If older people are wrong in demanding an organ to worship, are younger people wrong for demanding a guitar?
3- Why is a unique Sunday evening service so bad? You mocked it!
I believe that if Jesus came to our church these 15 things would be the last thing on his mind. I think He would ask starting with the pastor what have we been doing to tell others about and His good news for a lost world.
You have a good point, Allen. It’s easy to blame the old folks for the “worship wars”, but I’ve found there’s plenty of blame to go around. Whether people are willing to admit it or not, it still takes two to fight.
Do we ever talk about winning lost souls to the Lord?
I know we don’t want people to go to hell hungry- not entertained-
Not clothed-etc. etc.
But time may be running out on our opportunity to reach the lost.
I am guilty of doing all kinds of ministries that do not really share Jesus with unbelievers.
God has laid this on my heart recently- such as I pray for all sorts of things, but seldom do I lift up a lost soul.
Maybe because I’ve been a church member for over 70 years????
I see us fretting over things that don’t mean ‘beans’ in God’s scheme of things!
May God continue to bless you and your ministry!
As a pastor I am saddened by the angry tone I see in churches – and sometimes here on this forum – regarding what amounts to mostly personal preferences.
In all my years in church leadership I have yet to have someone get angry over a lack of salvations or because we aren’t reaching our community.
Yeah, most folks tend to get mad over “sacred cows” the bulletin, when the offering is taken, the color of the paint on the wall, what color carpet we pick, or whether or not the American flag is on stage every single week.
I’ve often wondered what would happen in churches if people would direct their energies toward things that were Kingdom-minded instead of personal preference.
So true…
Thank you!
Satan really knows how to side-track us.
Yes he does.
My Mother said the reason the linens were placed over the elements of the Lord’s Supper was to keep the flies and bugs off the the bread and grape juice. She recently died at age 99. In her growing up years, they had open doors and open windows in their churches that let in bugs and varmints. So, we just continue to cover the elements even though our church has closed windows and doors!
What other things do we continue to “cover up” because that is why we have always done it?
SIN!
Anything the pastor does, green lights outside instead of white.
Everything the pastor does is a “bell heifer”. What others doesn’t matter.
So sad
If church members really took to heart Jesus’s words to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, they would begin to understand whet Jesus views as important.
Here’s a hint: none of Thom’s top 15 would be on His list. Pastors,teachers,evangelists(do those even exist today?),all need to keep proclaiming the truths of scripture to the masses and de-emphasize the trivial wants of the few.
Yes. If the Pastor is trully seeking to abide by the mandates set down upon Him by the HEAD of the Church, that Pastor will find great freedom in not caring about these nonsensical squabbles. There is freedom in not caring about the things that aren’t Scripturally mandated.