Every time a Barna survey comes out describing church attendance in America the numbers show a small but steady decline. There is no denying the trend. And, to be honest, I think this phenomenon is one we church leaders have created. Specifically, over the last couple decades, our churches and church planting efforts have more often than not sought to replicate a church experience based on worship and preaching are largely self-centered.

I don't write this lightly nor am I trying deliberately to offend or shock, so let's pick apart my assertion.

Self-centered worship: while there is nothing necessarily wrong with the form of contemporary worship, much of the substance focuses on the individual worshiper and what we are doing as part of worship. Just a few excerpts from the CCLI top songs list:

from Matt Redman, the first verse of "10,000 Reasons":

The sun comes up; it's a new day dawning.
It's time to sing Your song again.
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes

from Hillsong United, the chorus to "Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)":

I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise my soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

from Chris Tomlin, the chorus to "Here I am to Worship":

Here I am to worship,
Here I am to bow down,
Here I am to say that You're my God
You're altogether lovely
Altogether worthy,
Altogether wonderful to me

...enough examples. See the trend? The focus is on me and what I am doing in worship. Even as I praise God's greatness, power, and deeds, the actor in these very popular songs is me.

Self-centered preaching: this notion might be a bit more scandalous, but a quick review of the sermons and sermon series at popular churches in the Houston area suggests that the purpose of most of these sermons is to instruct or convey knowledge about God. For example, a few sermon series titles:

* Heaven: What the Bible Says About Life After This (series)
* Overcome (series on overcoming life's difficult times)
* Higher Journey (series on working through fear, depression, anxiety, etc.)
* 5 Bad Goals for You and Your Children

...again, enough examples. Not having listened to all of these, I can't totally judge their content, but if there is anything in a name, it's pretty obvious that these lessons are on how we can do / live / plan in ways that are better, more godly, etc. than we currently are. They are sermons to convey knowledge about how to live versus sermons that tell and retell the story of what God is doing and has done for us.

So what? Is there anything inherently bad or sinful about these lyrics or these sermons? Absolutely not. Here's the rub, though. There is absolutely no reason to enter into corporate worship for either or them. I can worship with songs like this all day long while sitting out by a lake and taking in the glory of God's handiwork. I can pick up a book and read about how I can live a better life (even with God's help) without having to get up on Sunday morning and drag myself to church.

The big problem is the actor in this type of worship and this type of sermon is me, not God.

Contrary to this, in sacramental worship it is God who acts to bring forgiveness, salvation, and new life through word and sacrament. That is not something I can do by myself because God hasn't promised to work in these ways. He certainly can, but I'd be a fool to count on it over against the ways he has explicitly said and promised he will work. As Klemet Preus says:

If the Divine Service is viewed primarily as our praising God, then you can do that just as well from home. In fact, once we have looked at the topic of vocation, you will see that we can serve God better in the world than in the church building. But if the service is understood as God giving us the forgiveness of sins, then you’ve got to be there. It is very possible that the low attendance at Sunday services seen in so many churches today is a reflection of how we define the service. If I am acting, then I can do it another time. If God is acting, I better be there.
-- Pastor Klemet Preus, The Fire and the Staff

This understanding of who works in worship and why I should be there is essential...and for many American Christians, it is sadly missing.

H/T forPreus quote, Gene Veith

photo credit: Stefan Ringler