I have experienced too many churches that are like chocolate Easter bunnies.
The chocolate bunny looks so enticing with the shiny foil wrapping on the outside, but often when you unwrap it you find that the chocolate is waxy and the bunny is hollow.
We are in an age when churches feel pressure to be trendy and culturally hip to attract people in. We rely on large screens, loud music, stage decorations, and pop culture references to give people an experience that will leave them wanting more.
There is nothing inherently wrong with these things as long as what is under the wrapping is what it should be and isn’t hollow. But if the “experience” is all there is, we will not accomplish the mission that Jesus called us to do.
When there is little or nothing on the inside, the chocolate bunny analogy is a perfect illustration. Like a Ponzi scheme or a house of cards, it is hard to sustain the growth when the foundation is weak or non-existent. Eventually, the structure becomes unstable and will collapse.
The glitz and technology will not keep people coming in for the same reason that I am unlikely to ever buy a chocolate Easter bunny again.
As always, it is what is on the inside that counts.