Mass Appeal

This morning, Mama and I went to the church I was raised in for the first time in at least 15 years. (15 years for me, that is.) The building and location are new (they out-grew their old one), but the people are mostly the same, except for the ones who've died, grown up and had kids of their own and the miscellaneous other additions. The service was a bit more staged than it used to be, but then, it didn't used to broadcast on TV and radio. And consciously or other, they're marketing to a particular demographic that has served them well over the years (younger couples with families yet to raise) while not alienating the older core of the congregation.

And before anyone takes issue with the word "marketing", consider this: what is evangelism other than the marketing of an intangible product? Billy Graham has been doing it very successfully for decades. And as people have been exposed to ever more complex and technologically sophisticated media, the shape of evangelism has changed. The message might stay the same, but the manner of presentation must change to continue to appeal to a contemporary generation.

And lets face it: the great evangelists of our time have never shied away from a bit of showmanship. They know that it fills seats, and ministering to an empty chair ain't doing nobody any good.

Like life, this piece ended up somewhere other than where I intended at the outset. For better or for worse, this is where it ended up: a harmless side-trip.

I probably wasn't ready to write about the other thing yet.