A Church Becomes a Brewery to Reach People

A Lutheran church in Minnesota is

converting its historic chapel into a

brewery. In the words of the pastor, the

idea came about to quote curtail

isolation that started during the

pandemic and has lingered. Is this a

brilliant way to engage culture or just

another desperate attempt at relevance?

Let's find out. Welcome to Provoke and

Inspire, where I wrestle with culture

and current events by asking, "What

would Jesus think and what would Jesus

do?"

It's no secret that church attendance

has been in steep decline across the

United States and in the West,

particularly in the Lutheran church.

Young people, especially are walking

away. Many pastors and leaders are

scrambling for ways to attract people

back to their churches. And in this

case, the carrot is alcohol. But this

conversation really isn't about that.

Scripture is pretty clear that when

alcohol is consumed responsibly and in

moderation, it's not inherently wrong.

The deeper issue is relevance. How far

should the church go to reach people?

Look, on one hand, the Bible is filled

with examples of contextualization. I

think of Paul in Acts 17. He

deliberately studies the Athenians. He

learns their felt needs and he uses

their own language and symbols to point

them to Jesus. Jesus himself often

taught through surprising and convicting

parables, drawing on imagery and symbols

from the daily lives of his audience. We

need to care about those outside of the

church to attempt to understand our

culture and to ask God for creative ways

to express the gospel to them. On the

other hand, there is a danger of

becoming so much like the world that we

lose what makes us distinct. Look, the

world doesn't need a Christian knockoff

of what already exists. Last time I

checked, breweries and coffee shops

weren't exactly in short supply. But

what is missing is bold gospel

proclamation. Churches aren't shrinking

because their buildings aren't cool

enough or because they don't serve the

right beverages. They're shrinking

because we aren't telling people the

truth anymore. We're not proclaiming the

gospel outside of the walls of the

church. People are desperate for

meaning, for truth, for hope. The world

doesn't need more places to drink. But

people willing to speak the truth no

matter the cost. True relevance isn't

about popularity. It's about clarity.

It's about communicating God's truth in

a way that secular people can actually

understand. So where do we start? Not

with gimmicks or style, but with a

broken heart for those who don't know

Jesus. From that posture, we then ask,

"What are their fears, their struggles,

their hopes, their dreams?" And then,

like Paul before the Athenians, we find

out what their altar to the unknown god

is. And we use their language and art

and culture to point people to Jesus,

the only one who can truly save them.

Look, styles and strategies will come

and go, but what will never lose its

power is a church full of people with

broken hearts for the lost, filled with

the power of Jesus, and a willingness to

proclaim the good news in the language

of those they are called to reach.

Thanks for watching Provoke and Inspire.

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for everything else. That's it. Peace.