Coffee in Church?

                                                             Coffee in Church?

This question is one which churches across the U.S. have attempted to answer in an intelligent and culturally sensitive way.  Churches that have allowed it defend their stance by saying that they want people to feel welcome and a coffee in hand seems to communicate... “welcomeness.”  Thanks to Starbucks and other venues of dark liquids, a new culture of societal camaraderie has emerged which  has no precedent in church history, but has been wholeheartedly adopted by many churches by the presence of coffee machines in their foyers. 

Is there a right or wrong?  Is it cultural accommodation?  Is it a silly thing to discuss?  Or does it reveal a symptom of a greater issue?  What is at stake here?  How else has culture influenced the church for good or ill? 

I want to first say that I believe the church should be a place of belonging.  People coming for the first time should be welcome here more than any other place.  Christians, demonstrating the highest aspirations of faith, hope and love should recognized that... “the church is the one organization that exists not primarily for those on the inside, but for those who have yet to darken its doors.”  This is a loose quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer who tried to get his readers and congregants to focus outward rather than inward. 

Secondly, the church is responsible to teach its attenders what it believes.  What does your church teach verbally and nonverbally about God....his character, his holiness, his love, etc.?  And is it possible that we have so accommodated to culture that we have dumbed down God? 

I believe that we relate to God on a variety of levels.  We are taught from Scripture that Moses and Abraham were called ‘friends of God.’  Jesus taught this through his incarnation.  He said to his disciples in John 15:15, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

But this same Jesus appeared to the Apostle John in the last book of the Bible, Revelation.
When John saw him, you’d think it would be a great reunion, for John described himself as Jesus’ best friend, ‘the one whom Jesus loved’.  At least he would get a fist bump.  A high five maybe.  Or how about a “Hi, welcome to heaven, let me show you around.”  Instead it’s recorded in Chapter 1 verse 17, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.”  Whoa, what’s going on here?  Worship, plain and simple.  The same thing happened when Jesus walked on water and when they caught such a huge load of fish that their boat began to sink.  They worshiped Jesus. 

So, picture a newcomer visiting your church for the first time.  They are welcomed, they begin to grasp what it is you believe and then as they watch you they begin to understand how Christians behave.  What are we communicating to people through our worship services?  Are they impressed with the life-transforming power of Jesus?  Are they given a picture of heaven through the reverence for the Word?  Does the service communicate the holiness of God in way that leaves you wondering whether you should have fallen on your face or just left you awestruck by his justice, grace and mercy? 

And I guess the question is: “Can I do this with a cup of coffee in my hand?”  Is the worship service the place to communicate the friendship of Jesus?  Is a casual approach to the Word of God what is needed in order to reach our culture?  Or is do we sell our culture short because we don’t think they’re ready to be approached by an all-consuming God?

Other examples of worship services where I don’t think we would have such a casual atmosphere:  a wedding,  Maundy Thursday or Good Friday service, a midnight Christmas eve service...So, how has a typical Sunday morning been transformed into a time no different than going to the Multiplex for a good movie?  One church I visited actually served popcorn as well.

This is not a deep theological issue, but maybe it reveals a deeper theology.  If the church does not stand out as separate and distinct from the culture and yet speak directly to its heart it will be absorbed and soon eliminated as unnecessary.  The church is to be a fortress against the lies of the devil, a stronghold of godly values as represented in God’s Word and a refuge for all who desire to enter.