More than once, I have read evangelicals say that the church of the future will be more interactive: it won’t have a congregation gathering together to sing a few hymns and listen to a speaker, but it will provide a format in which people will share with each other and be authentic. Am I the only one who is scared by this? For one, not everyone is talented at social interaction. Second, I think that the sort of format that is supposedly the wave of the future can lead to cliques, as people gravitate to the people who express spiritual insights in a manner that resonates with them, while ignoring everyone else.
Of course, social interaction is area in which I should grow. Even the current church provides opportunities for that, such as coffee hour, fellowship before the service, fellowship meals, or Bible study groups. I attend some of these myself. But I like the format of being able to go to a church service and to listen to a speaker without being judged over whether or not I meet people’s standards of authenticity or spiritual profundity. I hope that there will be others in the future who will support a traditional church service.
