Mr. Rogers-Style Worship

 

Most of us are familiar with the children’s television program from several years ago, Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. Tom Hanks is actually soon coming out with a movie based on Mr. Rogers’ life. Mr. Rogers was an extremely mild-mannered Presbyterian minister who had a knack for engaging four-year-olds. Consultant Paul Nixon says that many Protestant worship services remind him of something Mr. Rogers would lead: quiet, calm, plodding, and insufferably boring.

Paul Nixon maintains that one reason many churches can’t reach the young adult public is because the worship is so boring.  He suggests that churches employ the “Mr. Rogers test.”  If any element of the worship service would fit comfortably on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, then get rid of it!

Instead, churches should strive for worship that could be described as bold. Boldness in the world of sound means pulling out all the stops at times.  It means a rich variety of sounds, creating music that captivates people and pulls them to their feet wanting to cheer!  Boldness includes percussion, for if there is one instrument that is basic to virtually all cultures, it is the drum.  Boldness means a never-ending array of fresh symbols, vivid color, and creative visual metaphors in worship.

At Imagine Church, we believe the boldness of the Christian faith is contained in the message itself.  In case you haven’t noticed, bold doesn’t get any bolder than Jesus.  The tension and the ragged edge of his message are so bold, so spiritually ingenious that it engages people like nothing else on the planet. That’s why make the life and teaching of Jesus front-and-center for everything Imagine Church does.

We believe the bolder a church’s vision is, the more engaging and winsome that church becomes to the general public.  Our goal is to rock your world in worship. We strive to introduce you to the unabridged Jesus and to the experience of the Holy Spirit in all her wildness as we challenge you to join us in changing the world.  But just remember, it will be bold!

In the name of the One who can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,
Bruce Jones, Pastor and Co-Creator,
Imagine Church of the Carolinas
Eric
Eric