The Emmys

So, last night I didn't watch a single minute of something I used to watch "religiously": The Emmys.

Those of you that know me know I'm an entertainment kind of guy. I love Movies, TV, Books, Music. I'll watch stuff because I want to, or because I think they're culturally relevant, or because I want to stay hip to what's up (and by using the word hip there I realize I'm proving that I"m not :) ) So I used to love the Emmys. I loved the awards, the skits, the presenters, and I loved to see who won. But this year, I just had no interest whatsoever.

What's changed? Well, me a little bit of course. I'm older, have 4 kids, and way less time on my hands. Last night was my second oldest's birthday, and hanging out with him was much more important than watching any TV show. But, honestly, it was something else as well.

Being the entertainment geek that I am, I knew all the nominees for the awards last night, and some of them got me really excited. All the nominations for 'Lost' were fabulous and well deserved. The noms for 'Modern Family', 'Big Bang Theory', and 'How I met your Mother' (hey, that's a good name for a blog) were very welcome. But most of the nominees and the anticipated winners were for shows I never watch, and truly aren't interested in. I've watched 'Mad Men', 'Breaking Bad', 'Glee', and the other nominees a few times, sure. They're fine shows, I don't disagree with the quality of the acting or writing. But, as shows, they don't interest me. Really at all. And, as their ratings show, I'm not alone.

As I talked about a few weeks back, the era of a 'Cosby Show' where 30 million plus people watch every week is over, but to have a show win an Emmy with only 3.5 million viewers is a big shift. This type of niche programming has taken over television. And by the Emmys rewarding and honoring shows watched by dwindling numbers, they are rewarding that type of programming. Is that good for television? I suppose only time will tell.

All this highlights a particular struggle for modern churches as well. There are a few churches in every area that are now considered mega-churches. They are usually 1000+ for attendance, and they offer a whole host of programs and ministries for everyone they touch. But, these churches are few and far between. Much more common are the "smaller" churches, 150-300 for attendance, who feel the need to compete (if you'll pardon the word) with the big guys. But you can't. They don't have the money, staff, or resources to do what the mega-churches are doing.

So, should they try niche ministry? Should a smaller church become the "Mad Men" of Ministry? It's an intriguing question, one to which I don't know that I have the right answer. But I think I'll explore it over the next few days.

In the meantime, enjoy your last few days of Summer, wherever you might be. And don't spend all of it watching television. There's nothing good on anyway :)

Don't go to church, Be the Church

Bill