Last week I showed my boys a video clip from a Church in Las Vegas. It was funny, current and somewhat edgy. When the video clip was over my kids asked “Why doesn’t our Church do more stuff like that?” It was a simple question that I have heard not only from my kids but from people in every Church I have worked for. People see another Church doing something fun or cool or productive and they immediately think that our Church should do it.

The problem with this thinking is complex, but the biggest issue is a matter of purpose. The Church that produced the clip is a Church that is trying to reach total non-Christians every Sunday morning. Their gatherings are more of an introduction to Jesus and the Church than a time of reflective worship. My Church, on the other hand, gathers each week to worship, praise, pray and communion together because of our similar faith. We both have the same beliefs and similar goals, but vastly different methods.

This issue gets even bigger when I talk to other Churches about their programming. For example, they have a youth group that is trying to “reach out to lost teens in their community” and they do it with a praise band and sermon. The purpose simply does not match the method. I see this with VBS programs, teen programming and outreach in general. We are trying to use Christian methodology to reach non-Christians and I do not think it works very often.

Lately, one of the biggest questions I am asking of all of our programs is simple, “What are we trying to accomplish?” Is this program for fellowship, discipleship, worship or evangelism? Then I ask, “Is this the best program to accomplish that goal?” As a result, this year we are moving around out normal programming and seeking to add some new events.

I don’t have all the answers to Church growth by any stretch of the imagination, but I am learning to ask the right questions. Most Churches do not need to do more, they need to do smarter.