…

I think there has to be balance. Creativity without content is like faith without works. It is dead. No matter how hard we try to lead people in worship, we can only go as far as the Word which is given will allow. The Truth is the only thing that will satisfy.

Let’s say I crawl into a hole in the wall “cafe” (imagine a border town watering hole kind of place) just needing a drop of water before I pass out from the heat. When I look around, I see cockroaches, filth… the heat inside is worse than the heat outside in the blazing sun. The place has a smell to it – like porto-potty water was used to mop everything down. And the bar tender offers me a tall glass of water. No way am I drinking that. It may be normal for those people. Commonplace. They may not notice the bugs or the smell. But it’s not for me – not for those who are where I’m from. I drink bottled water treated with reverse osmosis. Tap water is just plain unhealthy.

Even with content that is vital to life as a Christian, a culturally ignorant house of worship should only expect to draw and keep a certain kind of crowd. We need balance. It would be different for every church. If there was a blueprint, I think the blueprint’s foundation would say Balance. Great worship without a solid foundation in the preaching isn’t nearly as effective. And (I believe) a great sermon without proper worship leaves me feeling empty inside. We are commanded to praise Him with a shout, with dancing and singing after all.

As a photographer/video guy, I say turn it all off – first listen to the content. Without content, I won’t stay around. There’s a mega church 5 miles from my house. I don’t go there because it’s so overproduced. I’m looking for depth, not HD projectors. I want a solid relationship with my Lord, not a band with more than three number one hits. Pardon my tone if it seems coarse, but I’m ready to find a home. I’m so tired of the rotten stuff. Let’s change the way things are done.

http://www.creativeworshiptour.com/video/video/show?id=2131390:Video:19142

what does “let Jesus take it from there” mean actually? do you mean the Holy Spirit?

I dare say that church worship environments should be RELEVANT ONLY to the currently attending congregation…not made to be relevant to outsiders and non-believers. We’ve got it all backwards. Plus the one’s mostly upset with irrelevant churches are the church-goers themselves (aka you and me)…it’s not our lost friends. but we say it is so that it puts more weight behind what WE want to see changed.

but when outsiders visit, what should hit them smack in the face is AUTHENTICITY….which is HUGELY LACKING in most Western Churches today. That’s why no one wants to come and we have SETTLED to resorting to putting on a good “show” that will hopefully attract the worldly people around us…..and we usually just end up looking like fools anyway.

I dare say that a non-believer is going to remember being loved & accepted in an authentic way MORE than plasma screens in the lobby, projection on the walls, motion background on the screens, lame powerpoints, overheads, hymnals, old school songs, latest rock songs, whatever…… THEY ACTUALLY DON’T PICK UP ON MOST OF THAT unless the whole place looks like DISNEY WORLD in which case all they might remember is “dang this church has a lot of money”.

who the heck knows.
I am not qualified nor do i have a seminary degree nor any prestigious training on the matter.
Just a deep sense and ache in my heart that screams “GUYS! WE’VE GOT IT ALL BACKWARDS!!!!!!!!!”

what does all this mean in the context of the visual atmosphere of a church? well, for one, candles represent intimacy and authenticity. and more cathedral-like churches are copies of some of the most creative and artistic architectures in the world TO DATE (old churches in Europe). Now THAT’S creativity….not flash-bang production.
and three…let’s be honest here….it’s not really THAT important. Not compared to the fact that injustices are happening in the world every day and that thousands of tribes have YET to hear the name of Jesus. it’s not THAT important.
But, as Paul says in Colossians, ….whatever you do (meaning anything under the sun), do it in the name of the Lord, which means it must be done with excellence.

can someone please throw a bucket of cold water on me?
b/c i’m probably speaking out way too much here on things i don’t really know about.
it’s not popular. and it’s not poetic.
it is what it is…. authentically and un-edited from my heart.

wanting to learn and needing to gain wisdom,
a VJ

@Jimmy: I thought about that too…like, how does this survey play out in the real world…

Yeah, man! Preach it!

It seems that for many (me included), the “newer is better” adage is not necessarily true. I think this survey provides support for some of the postmodern ways of engaging truth like narratives, art, architecture, tradition, and experience instead of relying solely on propositional truth-filled sermons.

Very interesting info, Camron. Enjoy Nashville