So, last night I take Tori with me to see Rilo Kiley at The Orange Peel. For the record, I love Rilo Kiley and think they are amazing. This is my second time to see them and they are great live! And I’m not easily impressed.
The downside was – 3 (three!) opening acts. I think I understand the philosophy behind opening acts - exposure for the artist and more entertainment bang for your dollar.
But holy cow, get to the point. Give us a few minutes of openers and then let us see who we came to see.
I don’t want to be rude but I also want to make the observation – some of these guys are not very good and it can become torturous to endure them on the way to hearing what I came to hear. I know they need exposure and experience and all that but when they are categorically less skilled than the main act, please give us a break.
This makes me think about how we do church. We used to do 45 minutes of worship and hour long messages with tons of announcements. Now both worship and message have been cut in half – not in terms of quality but in terms of time. Our announcements are on video and run during our offering. We try to give a great experience (100 best minutes) but we value people’s time and get to the point.
We still have long worship and prayer sessions (mega worship once a quarter) but people come to that because they want to. And they know what they have signed up for.
Our philosophy is – one house, many rooms. Different rooms (meetings) for different things. Get to the point of why you are there.
3 comments
Sounds like the musical equivalent of being trapped in conversation with a slow talker. Heinous.
I like how The Rock experience is right in line with today's technology... condensed power, in a streamlined,attractive package.
A smokin' opening act for God.
Posted on June 13, 2008 at 8:47 AM
I was telling someone earlier today that I get more and more excited about The Rock Church each year. I know that everything is an experiment, but I also know that our Church just keeps getting better and better.
It is the BEST 100 minutes of my week.
Posted on June 17, 2008 at 12:18 AM
I remember the 45/60 minute days. As a worshipper, of course I loved the looooooong worship sets, BUT, I also know Sunday mornings are not about seasoned Christians (it's really selfish to think they are) - they're for the new person...the un-churched...the "babe." I love that. I love that a new person can come in and be taken quickly into the presence of God and have Him prepare them for a message that will really change their life. I love that they aren't overwhelmed by time - only overwhelmed by the Lord. They're given a taste of Him, and it leaves them coming back for more. That's the point.
Posted on June 25, 2008 at 8:36 AM