People get attached to “brands.” Years ago, for example, some people would drive nothing but a “Ford” or a “Chevy” and their loyalty was deep. But rarely could anyone outline the differences in the inner working of their transmissions or engines. They were loyal to their brand because this is what dad recommended.
The Christian Church has its “brands” as well. These developed over history and time and were usually in
reaction to some perceived challenge or problem. Some were genuine corrections to problems but others only took the Church farther away from the Bible. Today’s brands include, “Roman Catholic,” Eastern Orthodox,” Presbyterian,” “Episcopalian,” “Methodists,” “Baptists,” and yes, “Lutheran” as well as many others leaving people more confused than ever. How do you know what brand is right?
In our present day, many modern churches have opted to drop the old labels or brand names. What resulted was a whole new phenomenon called “non-denominational” churches. They emerged to get away from what they thought were old ways or problems. What’s interesting is that many of them, while getting rid of the label, still retained the former teachings of those brands. As one man recently said, “We belong to the Community Church of Joy” but we’re really Baptists in what we believe.” They dropped the label but kept the teachings.
The new wave of churches that resulted didn’t just change their labels. They also changed their approach to “doing” church in order to make the church more “attractive” or “marketable” to modern people. They down-played the emphasis on history, doctrine, creeds, and formal worship. In their place was a new emphasis on “feelings,” “experiences” and the “entertainment quality” of the church to cater to an “entertainment based” culture. This resulted in an explosion of huge churches that had incredible visuals, professional musicians, creative worships service and endless groups to join all designed to attract the spiritual “shopper.”
Although many people were introduced to Jesus through them and some good work was done, there was an underlying problem that emerged. Many modern churches disconnected from their rich history, solid teachings and traditions that defined Christianity. The result was a growing number of worshippers who realized that they needed more than just “emotional experiences” and great coffee bars. We need content! We need a sense of history in a disconnected world, a sense of continuity with ancient things that had meaning. We need definition in a world that has none!
This is why many in our younger generations are now returning to more ancient traditions — in order to regain meaning, identity, history, and doctrine. They are realizing what ancient people knew – that faith needs to be built on objective truths of God rather than the subjective experiences of man. And yes, this is where we can help! We are St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. We are a member of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and it’s our goal to give you a sense of richness in worship, biblical truth, and Christian identity! Let us help in your quest!
