This week the 2 year old Andy Stanley Catalyst video church plant here in Greenville sadly announced that April is their last month of existence. Financial problems were cited as the primary concern.

I visited the church several months ago. Nice people, cutting edge contemporary music and a good video sermon by Andy Stanley. What went wrong? Here’s my two cents:

1. Location, location, location. Catalyst met downtown in a theater. Churches that meet in downtown Greenville have a history of flopping. Seacoast Greenville met in the same location for a time and nearly folded – they didn’t grow until they moved to a more accessible location in the suburbs (two short turns off a major highway.)

2. Transplants. From what I’ve heard, Catalyst didn’t use local musicians, but shipped in bands and worship leaders from Atlanta. I know of two good local musicians who played and were not asked back. One of the pastors mentions in his blog that he’s preparing to move back to Atlanta. The whole thing smacks a tad bit like the “pros” are coming to Greenville to show us poor local yokels how it’s done.

3. Market share. The Greenville church “market” is saturated. There’s literally a church on every corner (see my previous post about yet another new church in Greenville.) If I wanted to plant a church, Greenville would be the last place I’d pick: there’s simply too much “competition.”

I know, I’m using business terminology, but it’s this simple: go where the need is. I remember reading when Rick Warren decided to plant Saddleback years ago he carefully and prayerfully chose a spot that needed churches. Look what happened. Similarly, Seacoast in Charleston has boomed because there weren’t many contemporary churches in Charleston. The local Willowesque megachurch here in Greenville boomed 15 years ago when contemporary worship was unheard of in these here parts.

Church planters, what parts of the USA need churches? May I suggest some blue states?

NewSpring Church in nearby Anderson is busily at work preparing their Greenville location. Yes, another new church in Greenville, but this one makes a bit more sense. There are over 1,000 people from Greenville driving to Anderson each week. I’d just as soon drive 5 minutes literally around the corner from my house than drive the 30 minutes to Anderson. This is a church plant with support from the get-go.

4. Catalyst appealed mainly to the youth culture. It’s cool when a church has the latest, cutting edge songs and meets in a dark, vibey building, but this programming generally attracts young people, and young people are notorious for not giving (and are… broke.) I enjoyed the service, but I saw lots of Furman University students.

Therein lies the conundrum for the church planter: cool churches that attract young people with no money vs. traditional churches that attract old people with money. Hmmm, maybe there’s a way to somehow meet somewhere in the middle?

Back when I read newspapers (does anybody still read newspapers??) an issue of USAToday had an interesting editorial by a Presbyterian minister who bemoaned the decline of mainline churches. What’s worse, churches are dropping “Baptist,” “Methodist” or whatever from their names in order to attract a wider audience! *Clutches pearls*

One reason mainline churches are dwindling is because the average unchurched person in America (and the average person in America, by the way, is unchurched) can’t understand the mysteries of the mainlines. When to sit, stand, recite or respond. There should be a user’s guide next to the hymnal.

I was the music director at a Presbyterian church for a few years. It was a contemporary, seeker-friendly-type church planted by a very traditional Presbyterian church, but the plant still had serious Presbyterian overtones that sometimes hindered ministry.

I’m a church growth enthusiast, and to my amusement I realized that the more the church became less Presbyterian, the more it would grow and reach the unchurched. (You might need to diagram that sentence for it to make sense!)

For instance, for years I battled the Nicene Creed. Presbyterians, as well as most mainlines, are fixated on creeds. I had no control over whether we did them or not. Oh, I like the concept of creeds, but the problem with the current batch is that you might as well be speaking Latin (close – it’s Shakespearean English.) The archaic language just doesn’t gel with a contemporary service. When was the last time you used or heard phrases like:

Very God of very God.

Begotton.

The quick and the dead. (Sounds like a great title for a horror movie!)

You get the point. The most confusing part of the creed is the “holy catholic Church” section, which would freak out any of our visitors, both churched and unchurched. Of course, in this context, “catholic” Church means “universal” Church, or the Body of Christ… the Church as a whole. Not the Roman Catholic Church, specifically. But your average Baptistish South Carolinian doesn’t know that. I heard continual complaints and questions from both unchurched and non-Presbyterian-culture attendees about the creed.

So I argued, “why can’t we just change it to ‘universal Church’ or something? Find another word that means ‘catholic’?”

“No!!!” came the answer (yes, with three exclamation points.) That’s the way the creed was written, historically! The elders refused to change it.

Instead, a compromise. The pastor will now have a short sermonette before we recite the creed, explaining that “catholic” does not mean “Catholic,” but universal.

The first Sunday he did this explanation, a young [target market] couple rushed up to him after church. I saw the whole thing. “Is this a Catholic church?” they gasped. In staff meeting the next week, the pastor was incredulous. Why, he had explained the whole thing! Didn’t they listen?

Guess not. Never saw that young couple again.

This went on for about 2 years. I wonder how many people visited and never came back.

Then, one Sunday, a new guitarist came up to me after church and said he’d like to play in the praise band. (Yippee! You know hard it is to find good guitarists…) “My wife and I almost decided we wouldn’t attend this church, we thought it was Catholic or something.” I nearly had an aneurysm.

That next week in our worship committee meeting (committees are another Presbyterian fixation) I exploded. “Why the HECK are we still insisting on using the word “CATHOLIC” in that creed? I nearly lost a good guitarist!”

Then, a dear soul on the worship committee named Tim quietly spoke up: “Funny how it’s okay to translate God’s word from the KJV to the NIV so modern people can understand it better, and use it in our services, but we can’t translate the Nicene Creed.”

The pastor threw up his hands. “I give up.”

We never used the word “catholic” again. Thanks, Tim.

I’ve heard it said that the average tenure of a worship leader is two years.

I own several subscription websites, and sometimes I’ll personally call the church when their subscription is up for renewal. I’m shocked at how often I hear “the worship leader no longer works here” – it seems like every other call!

It makes sense – the music director job is one of the worst jobs in Christendom, right next to youth pastor and being a missionary to African cannibals. With long hours, little to no pay, and constant complaints from finicky congregations, it’s no wonder worship leaders don’t last.

Like any ministry job, you really shouldn’t be a worship leader/music director unless you’re called [see next post]. In the midst of worship wars in churches where I’ve worked, I learned the only way to survive is to remind myself that I’m doing this to serve the Lord.

The bright side to all of this is job security. Churches are in desperate need for good worship leaders and music directors, and some are willing to actually pay a decent salary. If a church is ready to fire you because you don’t do enough hymns, they’d better think twice – just where do they think they’re going to find a replacement? Worship leaders do not grow on trees.

Churches are, in fact, so desperate they’ll hire seemingly anyone.

I know of a guy who’s been fired from three church music director jobs, has had two extra-marital affairs and has had two divorces. He’s now leading worship at a church, and they know his history.

I know of a guy who was the music director of a major denominational church and made big bucks, but spent most of his day locked in his office looking at porn. And he had an affair with a married woman on his praise team. He’s now leading worship at an even bigger denominational church and making more money.

And these aren’t liberal, Reader’s-Digest-preaching churches, either, but what you would consider hard-core, Bible believing evangelical churches. I scratch my head in amazement. Oh, I know we’re supposed to forgive, but really. Are churches that desperate that they’ll hire a guy who’s been fired from his three previous ministry positions?

Is there no one else?

I guess you can almost commit murder and still find a worship leader job these days.

I took a trip to the past last Sunday. Remember when Brooklyn Tab was all the rage? I think every choir in America had a copy of “He’s Been Faithful” in the early 90’s.

Funny, when something was “it,” that something tends to stay “it,” thinking that it’s still “it.” Brooklyn Tab is still doing what it did back then. Same lush orchestrations. Same quasi-jazz chords. Same template of quiet opening, with soloist, then a great big choir ending. It was wonderful and all, very touching, just like it was back in 1991. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Lots of suits and ties, so I felt kinda weird in my jeans. I would imagine a visitor off the street would feel weird, too. Now I remember why I like the fact that contemporary churches typically don’t dress up.