Have you ever been to a live concert, surrounded by thousands, all singing the same lyrics and swaying to the same rhythm? That moment when you feel as one with the crowd, lost in the music, connected by a shared love.
Now imagine if our churches captured just a fragment of that unity. The power would be transformative.
Concerts and Your Church
My oldest son recently took my youngest daughter to Music Midtown in Atlanta. They both like music. But they arrived well before noon to stake out their place for the 9:30 p.m. headliner: Billy Eilish.
My daughter is a Billie super fan. They spent 11.5 hours in one spot waiting for Billie. And according to my daughter, it was worth every second.
She was particularly excited about being surrounded by Billie fans like her in the concert space. They all had one love that night, and the shared experience amplified the experience tenfold.
I get it. I’ve been to several concerts myself. My first was New Kids on the Block at my local Six Flags amusement park (don’t laugh, but I saw them twice).
I’ve seen Van Halen, Stone Temple Pilots, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, and Journey.
I loved the music before I went to each concert, but as you know if you’re a concertgoer, the in-person experience made me love these bands even more.
There’s something powerful about being surrounded by people like you singing and dancing along to something you all love.
What’s Missing at Church
If you’re thinking, “This is what we do at our church,” I’d suggest you’re partially correct.
Yes, you do sing. And yes, you do love Jesus.
But your congregation is far from as connected to Jesus as an entire concert venue is connected to their favorite band.
You may be a super fan of Jesus, but you’re in select company. Perhaps in a small minority.
On Sunday mornings, most churches have people from all degrees of Jesus fandom. That’s a great thing, but it creates a challenge, too.
You could fix this by ensuring your church is more homogenous, but that’s not the goal of the Great Commission or the church.
What you need is a rallying cry that everyone can appreciate and embrace.
You need a “Pour Some Sugar On Me” connection to everyone in the room.
It’s not just about shared beliefs but a shared, sincere passion.
You Need a Rally Cry
This is why a rally cry is critical to your church. I’d argue more now post-pandemic than ever before.
People want to be in a tribe, surrounded by people like them. The church should be full of diversity yet connected by something.
While Jesus is central to our faith, solely focusing on Him might not resonate immediately with non-believers and skeptics. We need an entry point, a universal sentiment.
So, what connects us all? What connects the heathen and the believ’n?
How about HOPE.
Hope As Your Cry
Christian or not, white or black, man or woman: Everyone needs hope and help.
My friends at Wiregrass Church are pondering this right now. They’ve created quite the faith-diverse church but need something to rally the congregation and community around.
We think the answer is hope.
Hope for… children, marriages, singles, the community, and everything and everyone else.
Hope is a common emotion that creates common ground. Even more, hope is found in one place: JESUS.
While I’m not sure Jesus can be the rallying cry that attracts a diverse faith community, hope that leads to Jesus can.
It’s Not Enough to Be a Jesus-Super Fan
It’s enough for you, but it’s potentially insufficient to attract those in your community outside of faith.
Your church needs one thing everyone can embrace. And this one thing must lead people to the One answer for life: Jesus.
What could your one thing be? If not hope, what else?
Let me know so we can all learn and rally together.
