Are We Too Cool For God?

Posted by Scott Williams
15 Comments
October 2, 2008
Hmmmmm | Ministry | Transcend The Isms

First of all I want to say that Bill Hybels is the man, he’s anointed and straight up has the E.F. Hutton Principle working: “When He Talks, People Listen.”  He had some of the best quotes, one liners, aha moments, contemplative points… and the entire time he talked people were quiet as a church mouse.  There were several things that he shared that really have me stirring; some of my thoughts I am not even prepared to share at this moment.  What I would like to share is a quote from Hybels’ Q&A time with Craig.  Hybels said:

Cool Is Not Cool Anymore!

This quote was in reference to the fact that we “The Church” can out-cool and over-cool ourselves.  Hybels went on to say that people want more than just a mild dose of God.  In other words, and in my humble opinion this new movement of the “Relevant Church” can fixate itself so much on trying to be cool and relevant that they miss the main thing.  Don’t get me wrong I do think it’s necessary to confront people with the Gospel and provide an engaging, relevant and comfortable environment.  I also think that we can go over the top with  some of this stuff; all of the isms referring to a church that is “not cool” and focus too much on trying to be cool, as opposed to creating an environment where people experience God.

We need to Transcend the Isms and one of the first Ism that we need to transcend is the word ”Churchy.”  The bottum line after all is said and done, cool or not, “churchy” or not, it’s still a church and the local church is God’s chosen vessel to reach the world with the Good News.

  • Are we “The Church” becoming too cool for God?  Any other thoughts on “Generation Cool?”
  • Is the word “Churchy” getting on your nerves or do you even hear ot being used?

Follow me on twitter, I will be frequently updating my thoughts, experiences and sharing quotes: www.twitter.com/scottwilliams

  • http://www.dustytakle.com Dusty

    Did you read my post today how I invited Lance over for dinner and he was too busy with Bill? Ha. You don’t hear that one every day :-) Lance e-mailed me the same quote on people not wanting a mild dose of God anymore. “Give them something worth giving their lives to.”

    You lucky, lucky dog. (Not Dawg.)

  • http://whosreadsthisstuff.blogspot.com/ K Ford

    Mmmmhmmm! Less stuff, more Jesus.

  • http://manymeadows.com Robin Meadows

    TRUTH is the only heart-changer.

    Anxious to hear more nuggets from All-Staff.

  • http://cyndiakadisneyqueen.blogspot.com/ Cyndi

    Looking forward to hearing more.

  • http://www.dariustwilliams.blogspot.com Darius T. Williams

    Oh wow..great information. Can’t wait to hear you share more.

  • http://dturn.wordpress.com david

    a “cool” environment where people can experience God – sounds like a great church to me.

  • http://talkisblue.com Heady

    we wre just discussing this very thing last night in our leadership meeting. way good! more JESUS!

  • http://www.BillAycock.com WildBill

    “Churchy” seems to be becoming a cut-down to many traditional churches today. While I personally like the more innovative style, I think that throwing that word around starts to turn us against fellow believers. Not all people in the world are drawn to the hip, trendy, cool style many churches today are doing. If the “Churchy” churches are changing lives, then they are it right. It is great to be cool, and reach the people that other churches aren’t, but it is important to remember that we are all on the same team.

  • http://cyndiakadisneyqueen.blogspot.com/ Cyndi

    WildBill said what I couldn’t put into words earlier today. I admire the inovative churches of today, but believe there is a place for the more traditional. I think different people reach different folks and I still say “we all work for the same man upstairs” anyway. To me the most important part is saving souls. Why do tend to turn it into a competition or joke when someone does it just a bit different?

  • http://hollybrown1.blogspot.com holly brown

    I love this post. This has had me thinking all day. I don’t think anyone would argue that the church was created for more than just relating to people (although this is important too). We are bringing people to Jesus and helping them reach their God potential. Being cool and relatable serves to help us achieve our purpose as a church. I strongly believe that as church leaders we need to carefully consider every element of our services and determine which elements in some way bring people closer to the point where they can experience God. If it doesn’t support this–then we need to be wise enough to cut it. If it is just neutral, then it is working against us. We only get 60min a week–we don’t have time to be “just neutral” or “just cool.” “Cool” for the sake of life change is a new phenomen; “Cool” just to say, “Look what we can do and call it church” is, in my eyes, very sad. Sad that we would take those precious 60min that God gives us and use them for anything else except creating an environment that allows people to connect with and hear from God.

    Thanks for the great post, and for stop by my blog. Hope you and your family are doing well :)

  • http://www.toddcollinsworth.com buckjones

    I love this post! Hybels is the man. I think so many churches try to be cool that they are consumed with just that. I just recently left LC and some of the churches that I have been interviewing at are very proud of the atmosphere that they are trying to create with their HDTVs and the coffee shop in the lobby that they forget why they are there. Now I believe that having a comfortable environment is very important but not at the expense of the Gospel. Thanks for sharing your thoughts Scott.

  • Scott Williams

    Thank you for all of your comments and feedback. today is the last day of the AllStaff…

  • http://jameyjohnson.org jamey johnson

    Good stuff Scott..I have been reading Hybel’s new book, Axiom…great read! Thanks for the post!

  • JP

    So when is cool too cool, and how do we know when we have crossed that line? In my mind, when I hear someone say something like “My church is so cool. It rocks.” (Yes, I have heard this many times)instead of something like “I love the church I attend, it is all about preaching the truth of Gods word and reaching the lost.” (and yes, I have also heard things like this) the line has been crossed and we have failed in being not only leaders but also the true church that Christ gave himself to and for.
    Just my 2 centavos.

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