Worrying too much about trends.

I've recently discovered 'Stuff Christians Like', a satirical blog which is sometimes very funny and sometimes very American and sometimes both.

Today being 'Serious Wednesday', it features a serious post, which I hereby link to because it's something I've been thinking about and it says things better than I can, although I'm honing my thoughts and may put them here soon.

It's all about how we shouldn't worry first and foremost about trends when we think about church planning, but we should worry about things that matter. I do a lot of stuff with our Community Centre in church, and I can assure you that very few people there are terribly worried about whether we sing Robin Mark or Keith Getty or Graham Kendrick or Charles Wesley or just sit there and think; they couldn't care less whether we have small groups or big groups or no groups or one big massive group; they lose no sleep at all over the time of the Sunday evening service; they are entirely ambivalent about whether we have drums or organ, screen or hymnbooks, pews or chairs. They do, however, enjoy a laugh with people who care about them; they like being part of a community; they like feeling that their children are valued and cared for; and when big things happen in their lives, they may just remember that the people of God are there to do what they can for them, and they may just start to wonder whether that means God cares about them too.

Anyway:
Worrying too much about trends.