“The church isn’t for unbelievers.” Sounds pretty unfriendly and exclusive, right?
But, before you get all hot under the collar, hear me out…
There’s an interesting and perhaps ultimately dangerous phenomonen sweeping Christian circles, the idea that church must be made as comfortable and as unthreatening as possible so that the secular visitor doesn’t get the ick.
Services are intentionally kept short, messages are often focused on practical life topics, and worship songs are often chosen for their relatable, not-necessarily-Christian lyrics. You’ve all heard them – the songs that speak about Jesus as if he’s your boyfriend rather than your Lord and Saviour, which has the effect of reducing worship to sentimental expression rather than reverant devotion.
Brandon Lake, “an award-winning Christian music artist and worship pastor” – well known for titles such as “Gratitude” and “Praise” – recently commented that “worship songs have too much Christian language in them”, a comment that became the catallyst for the writing of this article.
He goes on to say, “I’d love to see more worship sets, more churches, kind of keep Bubba in mind. Like we all call him Bubba, the guy who’s like in the back of the room and he’s like, he got dragged there by his wife. And, I just don’t know if, like, when your opening song or most of your songs have so much Christianese language, I think he has a hard time going like, ‘Can I sing to that? Like I’m not there yet.’”
And this is perhaps the crux of the problem – that ‘church’ is becoming increasingly perceived as ‘an experience’, ‘a vibe’ or ‘a mood’ that all those participating in can resonate with, secular visitor and believing church-goer alike. And
And while emotional resonance is not inherently wrong, it becomes deeply problematic when the church begins to prioritise shared sentiment over shared faith.
When church becomes a curated atmosphere rather than a gathering of saints around the Word, the table, and the presence of God, its foundation subtly shifts. We move from ekklesia – the called-out ones, rooted in Christ – to a kind of spiritual social club, where the aim is comfort, not conviction.
This drift often comes from good intentions: the desire to make people feel welcome, to bridge the gap between the world and the church. But in doing so, we risk forgetting that the power of the church lies not in how it feels, but in what it proclaims and Whom it worships.
The Seeker-Sensitive Church
The idea of being seeker sensitive – a model of miniistry designed to make church services more welcoming, accessible and engaging for people who aren’t yet Christians – isn’t new. And neither is it entirely unbiblical.
The apostle Paul himself discusses the practialcalities of exercising spiritual girfts within the church in 1 Corinthians 12 – 14. He emphasises the importance of orderly worship and, particularly in reltion to the gift of languages (tongues) and prophecy, insists they must be used in ways that, firstly, build up the church and secondly, does not cause confusion or chaos “so that unbelievers or people who don’t understand these things…think you are crazy.” (1 Corinthians 14:22-25).
Paul recognises the importance of being considerate, clear, and orderly, especially when non-believers are present. The idea that church should be more than just a theological sermon – that it should be a place where hospitality and welcome are central to its ethos – is consistent with the spirit of the New Testament. The practical needs of people (families, singles, parents, the elderly) should not be sacrificed in the name of doctrine-centric ministry alone.
In Romans 12, Paul urges believers to be “devoted to one another in love,” to “share with the Lord’s people who are in need,” and to “practise hospitality” (Romans 12:10–13). However, when churches focus on preaching without presence, or doctrine without discipleship, they risk becoming, as James comments, a place where there is ‘faith without works’, in effect, a cold and empty tomb. Orthopraxy and orthodoxy are both important to the Christian faith and sit at the heart of genuine church life.
And now here’s the but…
‘Church’ is not a place, a building, or merely a Sunday service. ‘Church’ is a people – the people of the kingdom, members of Christ’s body. It is, as Brian Ervin comments, neither a hospital for sinners nor a museum for pious statues, but a forge for saints: a wellspring of divine life in which a new order of humanity is birthed from the fire of God’s Spirit and unleashed upon the world to radically transform and save it.
