Many Churches are Foregoing Jesus to Increase Attendance at Christmas

by Jon Hirst

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Dec. 22 /Christian Newswire/ -- One year after George
Barna's survey was released showing that only one out of every five adults
say they are likely to attend more religious services during the holiday
season than they normally do, one Southern California house church leader is
concerned that little has changed in how churches approach the holidays.
House church leader Ken Eastburn says many churches are foregoing Jesus
during Christmas in an effort to try and increase the attendance, "Step into
an increasing number of churches on Christmas and you'll find three things:
children's productions, special music, and family photo opportunities. What
you may not find is the astonishing message of Jesus Christ."

Barna conducted the survey in November 2008, commenting, "In past decades
there was an assumption that the holidays were a time when outsiders might
explore church life. These days, however, churches and other religious
institutions are not seen as safe or value-adding places by most outsiders."

"Of course churches are not seen as value-adding places! We've exchanged the
world-changing message of the Gospel for crowded sanctuaries focused on
entertainment," says Eastburn, "The truth is that we don't actually trust
Jesus to draw the lost through our preaching. So we dress Him up with a
bunch of other attractions."

Eastburn is a leader with The Well, a network of home-based churches in
California and Colorado. After selling their building in 2005, members began
meeting in each other's homes where they go without the entertainment
devices often present in traditional churches.

He continues, "What is unfortunate about this is that our efforts have the
exact opposite effect and actually end up pushing people away. That's why,
despite the influx of visitors during this season, churches will be right
back where they were within just a couple of weeks. Christmas services are
rarely compelling or life-changing. But the Gospel of Jesus Christ -- well,
that never returns void."

The Well hosts 10-15 members at each of its five locations on a weekly
basis. Eastburn and other members post their experiences on a blog
maintained by the church, www.leavethebuildingblog.com, with the purpose of
interacting with individuals from traditional and house church backgrounds.

h/t Fr. Dick Kim