The modern church should screen the film “The Apocalype Now.”  Response should be measured and published for all to ponder. A good church would say, in effect, “If you are a Believer who can handle those kind of conditions, and still love, serve, and witness anyway…then, Go! Get out there and do battle to save souls, bind up wounds, and help amidst hell.’ That hell includes some gnarly ghettos, the inner-city, and other 3rd world scenarios existing right here in the U.S. Do you have any of those in your town? Sometimes it is called “urban blight.” Does your church reach out to those streets, neighborhoods, housing projects, to fellow churches in those areas? Would you, yourself, head up an outreach to your brothers and sisters there? Do you see the human beings there as equals?

What is the actual “modern”, sometimes mega-church, Church like? I would not typify them as “The Apocalypse Now” (referring to the classic film with Marlon Brando) churches. What are they like? I have seen some commonalities. In fact, their similarity is dull but loud to me.  They are something like this:

I think of Starbuck’s. In fact, the modern churches even have coffee shops! Perhaps serving Starbucks? Sounds good, right? They deliver a good product. A place to get out and see people and be seen. A place for the Wall Street Journal reader. A place for the chit-chatter. A place for seniors to millenials (all of whom love coffee.) A place for someone passing by, to get a hit of caffeine and stretch his legs, perhaps stay for the Service.  (That would be a great result!)

Everyone in jeans. No pretense here. Come as you are! Come get fed. Come get equipped. Come meet Jesus! (And I love wearing jeans to church too.)

However, here are flaws in the Starbuck’s “chain-store” style churches:

(Please see “Features of Starbuck’s Churches” post, thanks.)