I remember attending a conference at Willow Creek many years ago.  The place was packed with pastors.  We had all traveled to the holy mecca to learn how to make little willows across the nation.  (You need to understand that Willow was THE most happenin’ church in the world at the time and it was perceived as the only church that was really gettin’ it done in regards to reaching seekers.)  Anyway, we were all there to learn whatever we could learn and the first thing they showed us was a large thumbprint.  It was a huge prop on stage; a large picture of a thumbprint.  To his credit, Hybels told us that our number one job was to figure out what God was calling us to do.  We needed to be who God wired us to be.  He went on to tell us that we couldn’t just copy Willow and expect it to work where God had planted us.

Back then (I’m feeling ancient right now) it seemed like every church in America wanted a little bit of what Willow had going on.  Many of them, unfortunately, thought that all they had to do to become a “contemporary” church was to add drums to the worship band and throw some doughnuts in the lobby.  This “Drama, Drums and Doughnuts” syndrome still lingers in the church today.

Many erroneously think that if they can just mimic a few of the externals then they are going to be the next Revolution or Elevation.  They would never say it but they think that simply copying stuff is the key.  The thinking goes something like…if we could just get the equipment of X church and the videos of Y church and if we have the music style of Z church and if the pastor buys his clothes at Buckle then we will have a happening church.  Unfortunately, there’s a lot more to it than that.

(To Be Continued…)