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My mother-in-law was shocked after church this past Sunday.  It had nothing to do with the service we went to, but instead the reaction my wife and I had to it.  We both liked it.  It harkens back to the classic Life cereal commercials where there’s no conceivable way Mikey would like a healthy morning meal, but in disbelief he liked it. 

See, the churches my wife and I have attended in our lives are fairly contemporary.  New music fills the theater-like worship center while churchgoers hold their coffee cups and sing along.  Then a polished pastor roams the stage as he teaches from the Bible while doling out life application, too.  Contemporary style is where we lean.

But Harbert Community Church in Michigan isn’t that.  It’s a smaller, rural church that’s pretty traditional.  You won’t find a projection screen in this pew-lined sanctuary.  Instead, you’ll see cloth wall art and you’ll be a handed a bulletin that has a full-length liturgy that weaves traditional hymns led by the choir with responsive prayer and scripture readings.  Everywhere you turn in this sanctuary, full of natural outside light, you’ll see a smiling face and people excited about being in their church.

Here’s why we liked this church.  They do what they’re the best at and they do it well.  There’s no pretending to be a bigger, more contemporary church, but instead a congregation that uses the skills God’s given them to do church in a real way that brings glory to Him.

Doing what you’re the best at and doing it well will always trump doing something that doesn’t fit who you are as a church.  This service was far from perfect.  But everything was done with a sincere smile.  (And a major kudos to the pastor who kept on preaching without missing a beat while a hearing aid was screeching with feedback through the whole sermon.)

Even after the service was over, I’d never seen so many people linger for so long in the foyer.  Over coffee and snacks, people were catching up sharing prayer requests and just being a church family.  And even though I was a visitor, I was hanging out, too.

As churches we are at our best when we throw away titles like contemporary or traditional and just be a church that knows its strengths and uses them to create a meaningful, worshipful community.

(Juice on the Loose is a feature where we visit a church and share what we learn from what they’re doing well.  To read other posts in the series, click here.)