Walt Disney World & Your Local Church - Part 3

1)THIS COLUMN WILL BE BROUGHT TO YOU IN LIVING COLOR AND THAT'S A VERY GOOD PLACE TO START. WHY DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE USE OF APPEALING COLORS IN OUR CHURCH STRUCTURES? PLAIN WHITE WALLS GIVE THE FEELING OF BEING IN THE HOSPITAL OR AN ASYLUM OR PRISON OR SOMETHING? CONTRAST THAT WITH WDW WHERE VIBRANT COLORS ARE EVERYWHERE.
IT IS A BLESSING FOR YOUR CHURCH TO HAVE IT'S OWN BUILDING. MANY CHURCHES THROUGHOUT CHURCH HISTORY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO HAVE BUILDINGS TO USE. AMERICAN CHURCHES TAKE THIS BLESSING FOR GRANTED . PLEASE, I BEG YOU, PAINT OR WALLPAPER THE WALLS WITH VIBRANT COLORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2) EVERYONE IN THE CHURCH SHOULD KNOW WHY YOU ARE THERE. IT ISN'T TO HOLD THE SAME RITUAL WEEK AFTER WEEK AFTER WEEK AFTER WEEK AFTER...... CONTRAST THAT WITH WDW WHERE ALL THE "CAST MEMBERS" (THEY ARE NOT CALLED EMPLOYEES) KNOW THAT THEY ARE THERE TO PROVIDE PEOPLE HAPPINESS.
YOU HAVE A MISSION, A PURPOSE, A REASON TO EXIST. GOD LOVED YOU SO MUCH TO DIE FOR YOU AND HE WANTS YOU TO SHARE THAT LOVE WITH OTHERS. HE WANTS YOU TO KNOW AND WORSHIP HIM AND DRAW CLOSE TO HIM. IN BROAD TERMS WE ARE "TO KNOW CHRIST (RELATIONSHIP) AND MAKE HIM KNOWN (DISCIPLESHIP)." EVERYONE IN THE CHURCH NEEDS TO KNOW THIS!

3) EXCELLENCE! TOO OFTEN OUR INVOLVEMENT IN CHURCH IS HALF-HEARTED AND SLOPPY. WE GO WHEN WE FEEL LIKE IT OR WHEN IT IS CONVENIENT FOR US. WE TO DO JUST "GOOD ENOUGH" IN OUR MINISTRY ACTIVITIES. CONTRAST THAT WITH WDW WHERE EVERY DETAIL INCLUDING THE DESIGN OF TRASH CANS IS CAREFULLY PRESENTED. YOU CAN EVEN NOTICE HAIR ON THE LEG OF ONE OF THE PIRATES IN "PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN". THEY ARE RUTHLESSLY DEDICATED TO THE EXCELLENCE IN THEIR PRODUCT.
WHEN WE DO CHURCH WE SHOULD DO SO WITH EXCELLENCE. THIS IS NOT A RIGID, UNREALISTIC PERFECTIONISM, BUT A COMMITMENT TO GIVE ALL THAT WE ARE TO OUR LORD. THE LORD WORKS THROUGH US AS CHRISTIANS AND IF HE IS WORKING THEN WE WILL DO OUR BEST IN TEACHING LESSONS, DECORATING, WORSHIP, PRAYER, AND ALL THE ACTIVITIES WE DO IN THE NAME OF CHURCH.

4) CREATIVITY! WE OFTEN TAKE A COOKIE CUTTER APPROACH TO EVERYTHING WE DO. OUR PREACHING/TEACHING STYLES DON'T CHANGE WHETHER WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE GENESIS FLOOD OR SEX IN THE SONG OF SOLOMON OR DOCTRINE IN THE EPISTLES. CONTRAST THIS WITH WDW - CAN YOU IMAGINE IF THE IMAGINNEERS DID "THE MANY ADVENTURES OF WINNIE-THE-POOH" AT MAGIC KINGDOM EXACTLY THE SAME WAY THEY DO THE "THE TWILIGHT ZONE TOWER OF TERROR" AT THE DISNEY STUDIOS? (A GREAT MENTAL PICTURE -SEEING PIGLET AND THEN DROPPING THIRTEEN STORIES). DIFFERENT BIBLE LESSONS CALL FOR DIFFERENT PRESENTATIONS. THE STORIES OR TEACHINGS ARE NOT ALL THE SAME (THOUGH THEY ALL POINT IN SOME WAY TO THE SAME GOD). CREATIVITY ALSO EXTENDS TO THE DECOR' OF OUR BUILDINGS AND OUR WORSHIP AND ALL THE REST.

These four things are only the beginning. There are others. However, it should be obvious that theology is not something we learn from WDW. You can't "Wish Upon a Star" and get anything your heart desires. Our theology of the afterlife does not come from "The Haunted Mansion". Your fairy god-mother is not showing up anytime soon. However, there are many things churches can learn from this otherwise secular organization. It is a shame we are having to learn aspects of our faith from them rather than them learning from us. It really should not be that way.