Mixed #2

I am continuing my blog series, Mixed Methods.

I am continually finding that Christians are bombarded with mixed methods. Content is everything. The message of a loving, saving, holy God is everything! So why use material that is not aligned with your message, or even contradictory to our message? It is one thing to reference secular music in your message, but it is often contradictory to play the song as if part of the worship set. I have used movie themes to point out the condition of the human soul, but I have learned that I don't need the church to watch the movie. Also, there are some movies that have the same theme, one is R and one is PG, why build up the R movie that no Christian should watch? Why would a church yoke themselves with non-christians who provide a non-christian message for the purpose of drawing a crowd?

At our church, we purposefully engage in activities that allow us to work alongside people who may not be believers. The Relay for Life, The MS Walk and projects with the public schools, police, fire department, and EMS department are all ways we want to work with people who may or may not share our faith message. We love to rub shoulders with un-churched people and people from other Christian groups. But Christians have become mixed when we originate events and allow people to speak or sing into the hearts of our mission field with a message that contradicts our message of life through Christ.

Our methods become mixed when the goal of building relationships with the lost requires us to be dishonest or deceptive about our Biblical standards. Our methods become mixed when we use manipulative techniques to get people to respond in prayer, worship or giving. There is a place for encouragement, there is a place for excitement, a place for correction from church leadership. But those tools must always be handled gently to avoid manipulation and dishonesty.

Here are some guidelines to beat the temptation to be mixed in our methods.
1. Be transparent. Let people know exactly what you are doing and where things are going. Don't share half your vision.
2. Communicate. Give people your full vision. Don't hide your real goals. You will be surprised how fast people may go along with your Godly goals. You will also be surprised how fast they may accept the Bible message of God's love and salvation.
3. Beat insecurity. In Judges, we find insecure leaders making poor decisions. Jephthah made a foolish vow due to his insecurity and fear. Samson thought he needed a girlfriend more than he needed his hair. Don't make decisions about your methods based on your insecurities. Be more concerned about purity than losing followers.
4. Avoid comparison. Do what God tells you to do and don't fall into the trap of having to do ministry like someone else who seems to be successful in their place of ministry.

Let me end with this. At various times, church people in the distant past took bar songs and melodies and put a new set of lyrics to them. The key is that the content changed. Today some of those songs are in our hymnals. Most people have no idea that the melody started out as a non-religious tune. However, today the tunes are tightly associated in our culture with the Christian message. Content is everything. Mixed methods will always confuse the message. The message will always overcome all obstacles if we will let the message shine out pure and holy, life changing and straight forward just as God has given it to us to follow.

Check out these Scriptures: 2 Cor. 7:2-4 and Ephesians 5:3-13.