adapting to the audience

It is interesting to visit different churches and to see how they're services are structured, and how much that structure has to do with the target audience. I just watched a bit of video from a friend's church (Harmony Christian Church) in Georgetown, KY, and apparently the church is bigger than I thought, which is awesome.

I've never heard this friend speak publicly, so initially it was interesting to here how he speaks to his church, but there are just alot of things that are done different in a church like that compared to a church like my home church. The Pastor and my friend, Dean, of Harmony Christian Church wears a t-shirt and jeans while speaking, and starts out his message by just talking to the people. He makes it very personal.

There are alot of things that this church does differently from my home church.

They have a table in the back of the auditorium with Bibles for those people who did not bring their Bibles or do not have one. This table does not exist without first encouragement that the people bring their own Bibles, but it is back there as a secondary resource.

Then there are other things. Much of the setting is very different, and more contemporary.

Many of these things are as such to adapt to the audience, and obviously Harmony Christian's audience is young, so the things that they do will draw that audience into the church.
The audience at my home church is for the most part adult and seniors. Over the past 10 years the audience has become somewhat younger, but the older audience still dominates, and therefore the setting and such must be adapted to suit the audience. But many times I fear that we are completely missing the present generation. And not only the present generation but more importantly those who are lost, or those who have never stepped foot into a church.

I fear that many times the suit and tie scare alot of people away. Not only the dress, but sometimes our attitudes toward people who have never stepped foot into a church, if they wreak of urine will an usher treat them like anyone else who comes into the church?

I hope so, but I can only speak for myself

I've learned alot since living in Chicago for the past 3 years, and it is alot that I will continue to build upon in my future experiences with the church, whether it is at home at Calvary, or here in Chicago, or somewhere else.