If you ever plan on traveling to an assortment of international churches, it might not be a bad idea to pack a set of earplugs. As will be more evident as this goes on, this is no indictment against these churches, but simply an observation of a higher average decibel level during many of the services we’ve been to than those expected during a typical American service. Whether it be the aggressive keyboard melodies of Africa, a unique organ-tamborine melody we came across in Nepal, or the simple drum and tamborine combo to accompany our worship here in India, all are conducted with an enthusiasm rarely found in churches I’ve been to stateside. Most of the congregations employ a fairly simple stereo system to amplify a handful of microphones through some assortment of speakers placed inside and on the church exterior.
It is these exterior speakers that have struck me lately, perhaps reflecting some very intriguing observations about some distinctives of the American church, and certainly some convictions upon my own heart. To be honest, there have been no shortage of times that I’ve been tempted to sneak over to the soundboard during a service and knock that master volume knob down a couple notches. There have been a few times as I step up to the pulpit to bring the word that I question whether a microphone is really even necessary, as I’m fairly sure my voice can sufficiently carry to everybody in the room. Because that’s what we’re concerned about: everybody in the room…right?
We asked pastor if anybody ever complained about the speakers declaring the service to the surrounding neighborhood, to which he said no, proving to be the first distinctive from American culture. I could easily delve into a whole blog about our culture of entitlement with the expected right to silence and the right to complain should anybody disturb my peace, and all the other rights that don’t seem to be held so tightly around the world, but maybe I’ll save that for another day. More on my mind were pastor’s following words, and the simplicity with which he recognizes that through these speakers, people hear of Christ. The neighborhood hears their worship, their prayers, their testimonies, their teachings, and by the word being proclaimed unashamedly from their building, people come.
I am not at all suggesting hooking up loudspeakers to the outside of your church, as I genuinely believe the effectiveness in these countries is unique to their cultural differences that I can’t entirely wrap my head around. But I walk away with the simple conviction that my natural concern is more for the comfort of those inside the church walls than for those outside, which I believe must be out of line with the heart of Christ. There’s a section in David Platt’s latest book “Radical Together” (in Chap. 5, under “Brook Hills Baruti” if you’re looking for specifics), where he was discussing the target audience of the church for which he pastors. Ultimately, it is the question about where our focus lies, and if our ambition is to see the gospel spread to every people group and person on this planet, or if we are content building our religious enclaves within our four nicely kept walls. “If our goal is all nations, then our strategy cannot be defined by what will best reach people within ten miles of our church building. If our goal is all nations, then our strategy must always revolve around what will best reach people who are ten thousand miles from our church building.”
The world is our concern, and it may cost us our eardrums and our lives.
