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There is a phenomenon entitled “church hopping” that is rampant in many places. Church hoppers are notorious for seeking the next big high in town. They want more entertainment. They want more programs. They want you to do more for them. As you placate to them, they will reward you with their attendance. So to appeal to church hoppers, you need excitement built on entertainment. If you can’t afford the musicians or your preaching is not popular enough then this may be a problem…You may have to cut the community programs and give it to musicians. You may have to bring in television evangelists if your preaching ain’t packing them in. You may have to spend all of your money in the quest for the church hopper…but filling the church is the point…right? So how do you do it?
Reduce Accountability
The next thing you need to do to make your church a magnet for church hoppers is to lower the accountability in the church. Nothing causes church hoppers to run more than accountability. Don’t hold people to anything. Don’t expect them to live differently than their non-Christian neighbors. Don’t preach about holy living. Don’t expect that their lives will demonstrate the power of God. In fact if you must condemn anyone, condemn those who have the audacity to speak about transformed lives. Call them hypocrites. You have to build into your church a lot of places where people can hide and not become a part of the community. You want to make people as comfortable as possible with not being a real part of the community. Now of course that will mean that those who want genuine community may not find it there, but you just wanted to put “butts in the seats”….right?….
Do these things and you might be able to compete for church hoppers. They will come from the other churches around town to yours, if you got a better “show” than they have. You will be able to report massive growth to your superiors. You will be able to show out at the next ministerial association meeting. You will have a church full of members that simply changed the place where they consume their religious entertainment. However don’t be surprised when your people leave at that new young hotshot preacher across town, or that great choir that just won that national award.
Maybe…
Or maybe…just maybe…we aughta preach the word in season and out of season. (2 Timothy 4:2) Maybe, just maybe, we aughta trust that the Word that we preach out will not come back void. (Isaiah 55:11) Maybe we aughta seek to usher in our people to an encounter with the word that will change them…and our church may grow to a large size…but then again it may not…but in the end, God will be using us to be a part of God’s in-breaking Kingdom that is not based in entertainment or lack of accountability, but is based in a total transformation of the present order and its citizens Maybe we aughta grow a church not by appealing to madison avenue advertising techniques…maybe we aughta just preach the word. maybe…
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I know of so many so-called Christians hopped from one church to another. They normally reasoned out that they are not on the same radio frequency with the pastors in their former church. Meaning, they seem to search for a “perfect” church for them. But there’s no such thing as that. Probably, they want to be seen in a bigger church to show their status symbol. They waste time and money doing that. Instead they should find a church that nourish their spiritual being, so that they could be Christ-like.
Yes, and Sometimes we preachers can even promote this idea of church hopping to a place “where I can be fed” by preaching what people “want” instead of preaching what people “need.”
Longtime reader first time commenting. I’ll be glad to get some of (Big Time) Preachers to show up at Minister Alliance next meeting. The church hoppers make the real children of GOD feel bad work for GOD. I alway say about church hoppers is ” the same thing it took to get that hopper its going to take the same thing to keep them”
In general terms, our society possesses a restless spirit. We see a lack of loyalty and commitment in the home, in the marriage covenant and I’m afraid it has crept into the church.
This whole attitude of ‘Gotta Get Mine’, ‘Look Out for Number One’ is another reason for the problem.
Compound that issue with mamby, pamby preachers who are more concerned about filling the seats than preaching the Word!
Even so, come, Lord Jesus. – REV22:20
I am so ready to go.
I’ve seen many of these and usually it comes down to this-church hoppers refuse any responsibility in the local church and refuse to submit themselves to any authority. Often they church hop to get out of actually getting involved in the lives of other Christians. Church hopping sometimes occurs because people have only been given a list of benefits, things to expect God to do for them, rather than responsibilities, things God expects them to do. They want a crown without a cross. The saddest thing about many of them is that they are the way they are because they have never been taught any better.
Professor, Is it necessary to “hoop” verus teaching wihout all the hoop. I am not much of “hooper” as I know of but I do get loud with some words than others or get excited but I mostly teach than “hoop”.
Now don’t get me wrong, I know how to”hoop” because i’ve seen and heard it all my lifestarting with my great-grandfather who use to hoopand it may come a time I may hoop like my Papa, Rev. A. L. Thomas.
Every good sermon will have a teaching component. I generally call this the “intellectual” component. Every good sermon will also have an “emotive” component. It is not about “teaching versus whooping” it is about addressing the whole of the human being. The can whoop at the end of a substantive sermon…one can whoop at the end of drivel….
After having said that…no it is not necessary to whoop. But if it fits your sermon…and you have preached a substantive sermon…go head on and whoop….
I like to say that I don’t give these canadates no ground to rejoice on: First, I don’t believe in the word “Church Hoppers” there is an impossiblity here: “One simply cannot Hop from
Church to Church: the reality of this is.. “You cannot hop from “Christ To Christ” The Churh consit of “Saved” people.” The world can walk right up into the “Building” Jesus even said I know where “Satan Seat is Rev.2:13 I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan seat is; and thou holdest fast my name, and have not denied my faith,even in those days wherein Antipaswas my faiathful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth. I say “Hop on HOpper” my advice to these is they need to get there house in order.. The True Church should be lighting up the way for all that sit in darkness, they may see a great light.. Is true Church doing what Christ intended for it to do?
THE MOST POPULAR CHURCH, NEVER REACH TO THE COMMUNITY, NEVER VISIT THE SICK, NEVER COUNCIL THE YOUNG. THESE CHURCHS ARE BEHIND ON PLEASING AND BRINGING EMOTIONALISM TO A BROKEN PEOPLE.
I BELIEVE THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD CAP CHURCHS AND HAVE ALL THE LITTLE BISHOPS ON THE SAME STREET TO BUILD ONE BIG CHURCH.AND EVERYBODY WORSHIP TOGETHER. THEN YOU WILL FIND OUT WHO’S REALLY SAVED!