This last weekend some friends and I participated in The Color Run. It was an blast and I wanted to share a few insights. Below is the vlog of our day (in case you don’t know what the color run is, as well as a list of 3 ways I think the church can learn from The Color Run.
1. Multigenerational – One of the weakest points in many churches is the lack of true diversity among the generations. At best many churches can pull off a traditional service and a contemporary service. Each service usually caters to the needs of the particular age groups but does a poor job of ingratiating them together. However one of the first observations I noticed at The Color Run were the vast age differences of its participants I saw kids in strollers, teenagers, college students, families and people that were clearly in their 80’s or above all running/walking. As I ran I thought about just how amazing this was. That all of these people were together in one place for one reason on one day. As a body of believers I think we can learn a lot from this simple picture. We need to realize that the church is not for our particular group/age/social/economical stage. It is for all people in all life stages. A church that understands that churches must be muligenerational won’t need to worry so much about if different ministries will survive because it will be working together as a family. A family that worships one God, in one place, for one purpose.
2. Community Mindedness – The church in general gets a lot of negative press when it comes to the community. In general the church stays inside its walls and only invite people in instead of going out to the community. Many of the fundraisers, benefits and events are, by in large, in some way benefit the church and not the people within the community. Those within the community notice these types of activities and have grown bitter. Sadly, many communities only go to churches for help when it is their last resort. While participating in The Color Run it was apparent that they wanted to give back in what way they could. Many of the teams that ran/walked were raising money for charity’s and The Color Run in general had partnered with a local charity (Girls On The Move). I believe that if the church was as community minded as The Color Run we would begin to see a great deal of things change within our communities. Those within the community would begin to view the church as those that give instead of those that take. They would see that the church is generous because we understand that our God gives generously. A church that isn’t community minded is a church that will have a very difficult time reaching the community.
3. Fun – If you watched the video above or have simply Googled The Color Run you would have to be blind not to see just how fun it is. While running I didn’t see one person not laughing, smiling or just generally having a great time. The whole idea of The Color Run is to get people involved in something they wouldn’t normally be involved in. The church should be working toward the same goal. This is not to say that we should throw color on people as they walk in the doors of a church Sunday morning (though to be honest I think it would be really interesting to see some of the reactions). I’m simply saying that church doesn’t have to be boring. If people are falling asleep during the singing, would rather go with the kids to children’s church or pretend to be sick to get out of going you have a problem. Church is meant to be a place were people can come together to share and celebrate what God has done and is doing in their lives. It is not and should never be the best place to take a nap.
Pastor Mike Moore 