Love the article…
Some very good tips there!

I also think preach direct sermons against sin..

Is there a wrong assumption that church hopper = believer here?  Do all church hoppers grasp the gospel?  I totally agree with the suggestions of taking membership classes and tithing, but I’ve seen enough people come to our church with a stated belief, but no grasp of the gospel.  Religious people aren’t always Christians.  I’m not always hyper-quick to move them along.  I’ve also done this long enough to know that there are a great deal of church hoppers who are destructive people to a young, growing church.

Andy and Derek hit two of the marks right on the head: treat them like everyone else, and keep up with your own style.  Those are wise instructions.

I liked that the article said that when churches reach out to bring people in, it should not be done so as to steal members from other churches.  It should be growth through salvation, new people coming to town, and growth within families.  But after point 3 in the article, the rest of the points were either stylistic in nature, or just bordering on wrong. 

Contextualizing like substituting “Lord” for “Leader?” I don’t think that the angelic host in Heaven praising God all day and night are saying “contextualized” things like, “You are so cool, O Leader, to receive kudos and high fives, and cappuccinos, because you made all this stuff, because it gave you a buzz.” (Rev 4:11?)

Or singing non-Christian songs?  Why would I want to sing something that does not glorify the name of God, or something whose message could be counter to the Gospel?  I left one church a couple of years ago because their messages were bad, and the songs were the capstone.  One interlude was John Lennon’s “Imagine,” which starts with, “Imagine there’s no Heaven...” Um, no thanks.  I’d rather not.

--
CS

#8 Emphasize respect for commitments before God to the local church. 

When a visitor claims to be a professing believer and is not new to the community, ask where they are currently a member.  If nowhere, challenge on why not and where/when they last were somewhere.  Suggest/encourage a meeting with current/previous pastor/church leader.  Ask how you can help facilitate reconciliation with current/last church. 

Stop being more concerned about the attendance numbers in our own church than the spiritual relationships of God’s people.  Stop being more concerned with our pride in our own ability to be the ones who get the ‘props’, than in preserving existing relationships among believers.

Instead perhaps we should be more concerned about each individual’s relationship with and integrity to commitments before the Lord. 

Don’t be so quick to let others ‘off the hook’ of honoring their commitments or doing the hard but necessary work of reconciliation and living together in Christ simply because it will make you/your church look and feel better.

Peter and Derek:

I think this will be another “agree to disagree” moment.  I will share my thoughts on the word “Lord,” though.

The word, “lord,” has a distinct elevation and tone to it that words like, “leader” and “boss” do not.  You touched upon this, in part, Derek, by mentioning how we are not in medieval England.  This word showed someone who reigned over the country, who had the power in a word to permit or take life from people, who sat on a throne wearing a crown.  He could make peace, cause war, and dramatically affect the lives of millions of people.  It is a lofty word, of someone who commands great authority and respect.  In putting ourselves into the shoes of a peasant who would bow down before such a lord puts us in perspective with who THE LORD really is.

In the modern day vernacular, so much of this is stripped from God’s authority.  For example, no one would follow their “boss” onward to death, or prostrate themselves before their manager’s door.  We’d simply quit and take another job.  Likewise, the word, “leader” is used to describe anyone from a civil president to the person in charge of the 10 people in my division, beneath my boss, at work.  Many “leaders” are elected or selected for their posts, as opposed to a “lord,” who was put there by the hand of God Himself.  A “leader” can be called into question; a “lord” cannot.

I would not change words core to our faith because of the substance behind them, and the lack caused by contextualization in that aspect.  I could use them in analogies to make a point, but I would not ascribe these words to God and our faith proper.

--
CS

Whenever Christians in different contexts begin a conversation about contextualization, they normally find themselves in disagreement.

We agree the Greek word kurios implies a certain kind of elevated status of authority. The word “Lord” does imply that IF you have an understanding of the feudal system in medieval Eurpore. However when I use that word where I pastor in South Georgia, people normally think of it in a religious context.

For many people here, making Jesus the “Lord” of your life implies believing the right things to go to heaven when you die. When I use the word “boss” and talk about making Jesus the “boss” of you life then it means something for how they live their lives.

Maybe “King” would be a word we can all agree on.

Derek

I’m a big fan of EP, but I think the Message is at best an okay paraphrase/commentary on scripture, so I hesitate to use it as an example (Since the NLT I don’t use it at all anymore actually)

but…

I like his use of “Master”.  Derek, you NAILED it. Because the word “Lord” is thought of as a “religious” term, people do indeed think of it in terms of lists of things you “need to believe to be saved” which is ridiculous, and not what following Jesus faithfully is all about at all.

Curiously (pun intended) “kurios” can be translated “sir” in certain contexts, too!

The church hoppers will always be amongst us. Unless of course, we have guards and the doors and no one is allowed in unless they know the secret code/handshake. Even then..... there are those who will still have a way to find that out.

I agree as well that each church needs to know what God has asked it to do so that the context of its services make sense.  The ingredients of each service should support the vision and strategy of that service.  When a church is intentional and strategic the hopper question really becomes answered before it is asked.

By knowing what we are doing and why we do it, we can actually care for all people the same.  This allows hoppers who are hurting to find healing, it allows the finicky eaters to move on with grace.  Kind of funny, we had one family show up and tell me, we love everything about this church, if the preaching is any good we are staying.  They then told me all the things they bring to the church in terms of gifts and tithe.  That was the last time I ever saw them.  guess I should work on my preaching.  Actually it reminded me of the power of staying true to what you have been asked and how God uses that to impact lives as well as preserve the body.

One caution:  Get outside feedback.  I often invite people to our church for assessment purposes.  Was our mission and message clear?  What did you discern our mission and message to be based upon what you experienced today.  Did the elements of our service all point in the same direction in terms of message, style and quality?  Was the atmosphere charged with the energy Grace and joy bring?  Was what we did confusing for people.  did you know when to stand, to sit, where things were...?  To often pastors gauge their service only by a few complementers or complainers.  This usually does not help you discern if you are hitting the mark.  My 2 Cents

I am VERY concerned about the “hoppers who are hurters”! In fact, I don’t actually count them as hoppers.

A “hopper” to me is a believer who won’t put down roots. hurters are sometimes lumped with them because of how they “look”. It’s a little more complicated for them, and we reach out to them a LOT!

It’s why we are very “jealous” of the thought of our church as “a place of grace” where “they let anybody in"…

And sometimes the hurting, hurt for a reason?

I’m thinking of one couple who haven’t stayed anywhere long, have a history of professional ministry and was always “burned” and ARE severely wounded individuals.  But everywhere they’ve gone, they’ve left some kind of damage and hurt.

There’s always more than one side to every story.  So, I’ve learned to be very very careful of individuals who have a history of moving on after a couple of years, no matter what they say or even don’t say.

Can we minister to these people?  Yes.
Should we give them ministry leadership without serious reflection and prayer?  Absolutely not.