Danger Zone

Here is a video we created using only our iPod and iPhone as instruments. Even the vocals were sung through an app. Enjoy!

Is the Multi-Generational Church Possible in America, Again? Part 1

Here is a thought that has been going through my mind lately about the "American Church": Is the multi-generational church possible in America again? Not only is it possible, but also can it thrive and grow in a church culture that is primarily narcissistic. Let me explain that thought a little bit.

Background 
Lets start in the 1950’s. American churches in the 50’s were primarily neighborhood and culturally based. The churches pews on Sunday morning were filled with people from that neighborhood, and basically everyone knew each other. If your family was Baptist, you went to the Baptist Church. If you were Polish Catholic you went to Mass at the neighborhood Catholic Church. Whatever the denomination you were a part of, the older and younger generations worshiped together in one service, and a sense of Multi-Generational community was evident. Now lets move forward a decade or so. In the late 60’s and early 70’s a group of people disenchanted with the “Hippie Movement” started a group that was later to be known as the “Jesus People”. Like the “Hippie Movement”, the Jesus People valued ideals like simplicity, community, and love. The Jesus People saw these ideals reflected in the early Christian Church, and sought to restore them to their Christian expression. The Jesus People grew rapidly thanks to Christian and Secular Media, and soon they were influencing American Christian culture. Their biggest influence in Christian culture was the music genre they were unknowingly pioneering. Instead of using an organ and piano, and singing hymns from a hymnal. They were playing their guitars, keyboards, and drums, and writing new hymns and spiritual songs that expressed their faith. I believe that this is the starting point of the movement away from the Multi-Generational church. Here’s why. When those who identified themselves with the Jesus People wanted to play some of their new hymns and spiritual songs in church with guitar accompaniment they were met with resistance. This resistance eventually forced the identifiers to leave their home church and start a new church. With a new (insert denomination here)church in the neighborhood, people now had a choice of where to attend, and church starts to become more about my personal preferences and less about the community. Lets jump forward to the 80’s...in Part 2.  Coming soon!