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The world doesn't need a McChurch
Roy Todd takes a cheeky look at Church – and asks why the most incredible news in the world has been reduced to a clinical monologue.
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Why the world doesn’t need a McChurch
There are over 31,000 of them all over the world. On any major highway, you’re never
usually too far away from one. The logo is instantly recognisable – even from a distance.
It’s a hugely successful multi-
But why, you may wonder, should I detest such a successful brand enjoyed by millions of people the world over? Is it because I’m a posh snob who refuses to consume the food of the common man? Or is it anything to do with the fact that I always feel hungry again within 30 minutes of eating one? Maybe my reasons are political – like I’m a frustrated lefty who despises capitalism, of which McDonalds is the absolute epitome?
Well...here’s why I actually hate McDonalds. It’s boring. It’s bland. It’s….it’s…. yellow.
My wife and I were recently on holiday in Paris. After dropping the luggage off at
our hotel room, we decided we’d go out and get something to eat as we hadn’t eaten
anything since breakfast that morning. We strolled along the classy Parisian streets
on that beautiful spring evening and not long into our walk, we came by a McDonalds
restaurant. At first (and for the merest split second), we thought about going in
to grab a quick Mcbite to eat. But as hungry as I was, I really couldn’t bring myself
to do it. Why, I thought, should we restrict ourselves to a corporate menu of dull
processed food when we’re in Paris, the good-
Our patience was duly rewarded when we eventually found the most wonderful restaurant
which served delicious home cooked meals. That evening, we dined on frogs legs and
snails for starters followed by finely cooked Beef Crêpe Maison served with an array
of seasoned vegetables. Then for desert we had contraste chocopassionnément -
Sometimes, I wonder if McDonalds is the role model for many churches. Every week without fail, the same menu of bland spirituality is served up, largely unchanged, consistently monotonous and lacking in variety.
You see…predictability can at times be a friend. But more often than not, it’s an
enemy. It stifles creativity and smothers individuality. And this is especially true
of church. For example, Smith Wigglesworth was a man who moved in the miraculous
and saw many incredible healings as a result of his ministry. But in his day, he
was largely dismissed as a maverick, avoided by many church leaders because of his
‘controversial’ methods of praying for people. Yet now, he’s celebrated as a hero
of the faith. His books are a multi-
This basically sums up why so many churches follow the McDonalds formula each week. It’s to do with unadventurous leadership who lack any sort of courage to change the current menu. Sure, they can read all the latest books on leadership and even attend conferences on how to make church successful. But deep down, their only real appetite is for predictability, fearful and even threatened by anything on offer that’s different from the “norm”. Their taste buds are never really challenged – preferring instead to feed off the same restrictive choice of spiritual food and subjecting others to the same.
But the Holy Spirit is the master connoisseur. He’s never predictable. In fact, he’s
like the wind – always moving. Surely if he were given free reign in Church, things
would be very different. Predictability would no longer be the main course. Instead,
fresh revelation would be the order of the day -
The world doesn’t need a McChurch. Authenticity is what un-
Why then can such a radical message be presented so clinically and unpalatably? How in the wide world has God’s good news been turned into a mundane monologue, plated up with a few songs and a prayer? It’s a travesty!
From beyond the grave, the words of Ghandi still provide food for thought. He said “You Christians have a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces, turn the world upside down and bring peace to a battle torn planet. But you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of literature.”
Well…that settles it. I’ve made my decision. I’m not going to follow the McDonalds
formula for successful Christian leadership. I’m going with the Holy Spirit instead.
It’s scary sometimes…no doubt about it. But better to experience a little fear and
at least get somewhere than remain in the comfort zone and go no-
© Roy Todd, 2008.
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Email: info@roytodd.org Phone: 0845 467 2052