iChurch

Last month Apple introduced the iPhone, and everyone is getting worked up about it, none more so than the competition. In corners of the web leaked internal documents from different telephone companies have instructions on how to “Compare” (i.e. “Put down) the new iPhone: even the Wikipedia page has been vandalised so many times it is now locked down.
Why? Because iPhone raises the bar. Existing phones work, and do some pretty cool stuff, but iPhone does it differently and reaches a whole new section of the market. It’s easier to whine about the new stuff than actually change what you are doing- especially when the new stuff is attracting people.

Last night I was part of a meeting about the modern service where one person was roundly criticized for several minor mistakes while acting as moderator on Sunday, with almost zero backup. On top of this it seems we must have yet another “Review” with the church council about whether we even continue to have this service at all, and we’ve been warned by our pastor (Who is taking a lot of flak for his courageous decision to allow this service) that despite the clear success and growth, there are some people who would like to see it stopped.

Like the iPhone, Morgen(B)rot raises the bar: in this case for effectivenes, participation and commitment. Not everyone likes that: it shows up the weak points in what's happening before, and many find it easier to lay into the people doing something different, than to look at what they are doing and if it is really effective. The problem is that people won't put up with this abuse and this generation are mobile and internet savvy, and willing to travel several hours to go to a service that meets their needs- If they are shut out they will be gone and it will be impossible to regain their trust. Whining at anyone who tries to change is as bad for churches as it is for business.

Unsurprisingly there were no immediate volunteers to moderate next month.