stole this quote from another blog . . .

Mike Yaconelli wrote:

Then we go to church, and we leave completely demoralized by the expert insights into the nuances of the original Greek and Hebrew, which are obviously out of our intellectual reach as laypersons; the clear and obvious principles of godly living that everyone should know, but of course, we don’t know; the unending litany of success stories that make anything that has happened to us pale in comparison. The worship band is so polished, the choir is so professional, the drama is so theatrical, and the multimedia presentation so state-of-the-art that we leave reaffirmed in our own incompetence. It is no wonder that you and I, the ordinary people of God, go to bed each night with a dull uneasiness, a gnawing ineptitude that is present when we drift off to sleep and there to greet us when we awaken in the morning.

We constantly hear complaints about the lethargy of the Church, the apathy of the congregation, the inactivity of the majority. Could it be that the collective passiveness of the church is the direct consequence of the expertise of the leadership? Could it be that the unwillingness to perform by the many is a natural response to the flawless performance of the few? Could it be that the authority of the expert has robbed the non-expert of any authority at all? Could it be that the unending parade of "heroes" has made it impossible to find the real heroes hiding in the ordinary and commonplace?

The power of the Church is not in its super-preachers, or its mega-structures, or its large institutions. The power of the Church is in its individual people whose sacrifices throughout everyday life have an authority no expert can match."

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KSD adds: Amen, amen & amen. Our "successes" are our failures. We model what few can do. Excellence is used as an excuse for not being involoved orletting people serve. People are impressed, not equipped.

Are unbelievers really more impressed by a perfect show or authentic living!? Is God?

What if the "paid pros" all went away... could we DO / have church? If the power went off (electric) would be be able to have "praise & worship"?

How did they do it before we had such gadgets & greatness?
How do they do in China, Haiti, India, MOST of the world...?