A customer came in the shop last week and on the way out the door he went around to several of the staff and to me and gave us all a “little” Jesus. You know the one I’m talking about, right? Yeah, that little 1″ plastic Jesus you can keep in your pocket. That one!
My wife has one on the dashboard of her car. The pharmacy where I get my medicine has about a dozen of them across the drive-thru window (and a “little” Mary, too–for the Catholics, I suppose). And now, five of my staff and I have a little Jesus.
This is not meant to be a knock on the concept of the “little” Jesus. It’s actually a very heartwarming trend designed to remind folks of the message of love, hope and faith. Folks are purchasing these in bulk to hide in places like public parks, grocery stores, and, in some cases, the U.S. Capitol, as a way to share their faith and remind people that they are loved.
It’s quaint. It’s cute. It’s encouraging. I was grateful to the customer who gave them to us. I appreciate his effort to encourage us and remind us that Jesus loves us. It even gave me the idea that I should keep a bag of them in the shop to give to customers occasionally.
My fear, however, is that the “little” Jesus becomes a distortion of our view of the real Jesus–the One who was revealed on Mount Tabor (so says tradition) in the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s transfiguration (see Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36 and Matthew 17:1-8).
Peter’s View
What do I mean? I mean that I don’t want my view of Jesus to be like Peter’s view before the encounter on the mountain. What does Mark tell us:
5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 6 (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Mark 9:5-6 NIV
It’s Mark’s parenthetical phrase that captures me–“He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.” Peter is not being profound. He is being scared. And when people are scared in the presence of something they cannot explain, they try to manage it.
Peter’s suggestion sounds spiritual — build shelters, preserve the moment — but underneath it is this instinct: Let’s contain this. Let’s freeze this glory. Let’s put Jesus on equal footing with Moses and Elijah.
We do the same thing. We want a “little” Jesus. Nope! The transfiguration blows that view out of the water.
When Jesus disrupts our assumptions, we try to domesticate Him. We turn Him into a manageable advisor instead of a sovereign Lord. We build theological tents that keep Him from challenging us. We say, “I’ll listen to Jesus — but also to culture. Also, to my preferences. Also, to whatever feels comfortable.”
Peter wanted three equal shrines. God the Father would have none of it.
No “Little” Jesus
Let us have none of it either. Let the “little” Jesus remind us of the Jesus revealed on the mountain. Let it remind us of the One who was from the beginning (John 1:1), and the One whom Peter remembered when he wrote the early Church:
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”[b]18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. (2 Peter 1:16-18 NIV)
You and I do not live on mountains of visible glory. Yes, we have mountaintop moments in life. Like Peter, our lives are rollercoasters. The truth is we live more mundane Mondays and ordinary Tuesdays.
We live in doctor appointments. In business pressures. In strained relationships. In cultural confusion. But the command from the cloud still stands: “Listen to Him.”
There are so many voices competing for our allegiance. Voices telling us what matters most. Voices telling us what success is. Voices telling us what truth is. Voices telling us how to define morality. But when the noise clears (or the cloud, as it were), there is one voice that carries divine authority—Jesus only. Listen to Him.
When we are deciding whether to forgive or hold a grudge — don’t think we have a little Jesus. We have Him who forgave us completely. When we are tempted to cut ethical corners — don’t think we have a little Jesus. When suffering enters our life and we do not understand — we don’t have a little Jesus.
When fear creeps in about the future — we don’t have a little Jesus. We have a Jesus who is big enough to hold our future in His hands. When we wonder what really matters at the end of our life — we have a Jesus who is as big as God because He is God.
Eventually everything else fades. Careers fade. Health fades. Applause fades. Even religious systems fade. But, when the cloud lifts, and the mountain empties —there is Jesus! Larger than anything in this life. That’s the Jesus for me!
Keep your “little” Jesus (seriously, I mean keep him–I will), but keep him because he reminds you of the One who saves us from our sins, reconciles us to the Father, rose from the dead and will come again in the same glory that was revealed on the mountain that day.
Let me establish upfront that I am no great prognosticator. As a matter of fact, as best I can remember, I’ve never made a list of predictions before in my life. It is presumptuous, and that is one thing a follower of Jesus Christ should never be. I’m reminded of what the Apostle James wrote to the early Church:
13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. James 4:13-17 (NIV)
Image created using AI
We can’t predict the next hour with great certainty much less the next year, so it is a bit bold to attempt a list of predictions as we roll into this new year.
So, why embark on such a fool’s task? Well, one, I’m probably a fool, but two, because I have followed the Christian landscape fairly closely over the past few years and I see some things on the horizon that I’m concerned about. Perhaps, then, they are not so much predictions as they are points of interest to watch or look for as the year progesess. I share them so that you might watch with me.
So, without further ado, here are FIVE BOLD PREDICTIONS CONCERNING THE CHURCH IN 2026 (in no particular order):
5) The United Methodist Church will continue to decline.
I hope this doesn’t sound like sour grapes, nor do I wish you to think I relish in this prediction, but this one really is a no-brainer without the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit. The trajectory over the past few years is relatively clear–it’s down and to the right.
That trajectory was hastened by the “disaffiliation” process the denomination instituted a few years ago. Statistics for my old Annual Conference shows a total membership of 53,085 in 2024 (the last year available) and total weekly attendance of 22,281. My final year as a member of the Annual Conference (2019) showed 105,992 membership/104,501 attendance. I’ll grant that Covid occurred in the interim, but so did disaffiliation. Between the two, the Annual Conference saw severe decline.
The number of congregations constituting the Annual Conference also saw a significant decrease during that same period. The denominational statistical website (UMData.org) lists 267 congregations in the Louisiana Annual Conference at the close of 2024. Likewise, at the end of 2019, there were 486 congregations.
By my math (which ain’t great, by the way), that equates to approximately a 50% drop in membership, an over 80% drop in attendance, and a 45% drop in the number of congregations. None of those are encouraging numbers.
According to Google, between 7,600 – 7,900 congregations departed the denomination since 2019. That’s over 25% of all the congregations that once constituted the United Methodist Church. The numbers also don’t tell us how many members were “quiet departures”–meaning they simply left their congregations without fanfare.
Hey? This isn’t new information. The United Methodist Church was in decline pre-Covid and pre-disaffiliation. Both only hastened the process. Long before Covid or disaffiliation, economist Don House warned UMC leadership that collapse was inevitable.
Honestly, the UMC is only going the way of all mainline denominations. The Pew Research Center has catalogued this decline for years. Count the decline to whatever reason you will (there are many and it is complex), failing the Holy Spirit’s intervention, this prediction is rather easy to make.
4) Large churches will get larger and small churches will get smaller.
This prediction, too, is a safe one. Researchers say that overall church attendance is down while megachurch (over 2,000 people in attendance) is up 10%. Here’s what’s happening: Many believers are leaving the small congregation and migrating to the large one.
It’s another example of “consumer” Christianity. For better or worse, it’s a fact and we need to acknowledge it. Church members migrate to the larger churches in favor of programming, activities and events that smaller congregations can’t or don’t have. Also, many people embrace the anonymity that comes by being a part of a large church. One can slip in and slip out un-noticed, and if they leave the congregation no one notices.
Yup, in a megachurch, one never has to look another person in the eye. In a small church, a newcomer may have to navigate (or hope to avoid) every person in the congregation. Talk about no longer living in a culture where that possibility is comfortable is understatement.
Additionally, smaller congregations are “graying,” meaning its members are getting older. When we get older, we don’t attend as often. Illness and mobility limit our participation. It’s a fact of life. Smaller congregations are finding it difficult to replace those graying members. The reasons are, again, diverse and complicated. Failing the Holy Spirit’s intervention, this prediction, too, is an easy one to make.
3) Artificial Intelligence will become more prominent in Christian worship.
I’m really going out on a limb with these predictions, aren’t I? Though it is an easy prediction to make, this one concerns me more than the rest. Why?
The use of Artificial intelligence removes the human element and removing the human element from Christian worship distorts the reality of Christian worship.
Consider this: recently, the number 1 song in Christian worship was written by AI and performed by an AI generated personality (see the story here). There is no Holy Spirit engagement, no human struggle, no human/Divine interaction, no witness/testimony. Each of these are necessary in authentic worship of the Lord.
Yes, I know. The integration of AI is just another use of “technology” in the worship experience, but is it a good one? How about AI writing your pastor’s sermons? Good idea? I don’t think so!
I’ll confess. I have utilized AI in my sermon preparation. It is a great tool to use for research. When I left full-time vocational ministry, I sold (or gave away) the lion’s share of my library. AI has kept me from having to repurchase volumes and volumes of commentaries, dictionaries and the like now that I’m serving bivocationally. As a tool, AI is great. As a replacement for prayer, study and preparation, not so much.
Honestly, AI can probably write a better sermon than I can. I tried it one time (read the results here). It was a very good sermon. No, I did not preach it.
AI can read all the Bible commentaries in the world in seconds, categorize their meanings and spit out a 2,000 word sermon in under a minute. What pastor wouldn’t love to free up 8 – 10 (or more) hours per week to devote to other responsibilities? But, using AI to write one’s sermon is equally as bad as a pastor plagiarizing another pastor’s sermon (which happens far too often, anyway). Then again, wasn’t it Mark Twain who said, “The key to originality is the ability to conceal one’s sources.” Ouch!
Let’s not even mention the impact that AI is going to have on the use of resources that could otherwise be used to promote human flourishing. Do you know how much energy (electricity) these AI data centers are going to need? WE ARE NOT PREPARED FOR THE FULLY FUNCTIONING AI EXPERIENCE!
AI will be the death of the human race. That’s a far more bold prediction than predicting it will be used more in Christian worship. Pastors and lay persons need to seriously assess the use of AI in the body of Christ. We need the Holy Spirit’s intervention if we are to be faithful stewards of this transformative technology.
2) Christian persecution will grow in 2026, especially in the United States.
It was November of last year that saw gunmen enter St. Mary’s Catholic School in Nigeria kidnapping over 300 students and a dozen teachers. Only a few days earlier, attackers targeted a church in Nigeria, killing two and injuring 38 more (story here). These types of attacks are increasing in frequency, so to predict more in 2026 is yet another easy call (see how bold I am?).
For a sampling of areas of persecution, see the Wikipedia statement below:
A little more bold prediction is for the type of persecution that is happening around the world is going to increase in the United States. What some call persecution, others call inconvenience. I see inconvenience soon becoming persecution with the increasing secularization of western culture, and the encroachment of Islamic influence and socialist/communist polices and politicians in our nation.
Examples of the “creeping” nature of this persecution are when churches were forced to close in 2020 while casinos, bars and strip clubs remained open, and the recent legal suits against Christian business owners who refused to serve LGBT+ customers. Okay, so I would have made the cake, but I shouldn’t be forced to or made to pay if I refuse. Need I even mention the targeting by the IRS of Christian non-profits?
Of all of my “bold” predictions, this is the one that is least likely to come to pass (at least I hope it is), but it is, nonetheless, a legitimate possibility.
And for my final prediction…
1) Jesus will continue to save the lost.
Talk about the no-brainer of no-brainers. The Holy Spirit will be active in the Church to make a difference in people’s lives and bring them to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.
Our task, as disciples, is to live faithful, obedient and holy lives so that the Holy Spirit might actually use us in that process.
Evangelism is a cornerstone of the growth of the Kingdom of God and will be integral to the work the Holy Spirit will do if predictions 4 & 5 are to be avoided in 2026 and beyond. Unfortunately, I am afraid evangelism is no longer in the theological wheelhouse of the mainline church, or in many small congregations (regardless of affiliation).
Let us be diligent in sharing the Gospel because we know the Lord Jesus Christ is still in the saving business. His grace is enough.
I’m 100% certain of this prediction because no liberal, mainline theological drift, no congregational decline, no technology and no persecution can change the power of Jesus Christ to save a life. He is the One who builds His Church. He is the One who transforms lives. The Church, that invisible, eternal body of Christ will continue to grow and make a difference in this old world. How do I know? Because Jesus Himself said so:
“And I say also unto thee, ‘That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’.” Matthew 16:18 (KJV)
That, my friends, is good news, indeed!
So, none of my predictions were really that bold after all. Well, anyway, here’s to a blessed 2026.
Okay, so I’ve been reflecting on Daniel 3 all week because I’m preaching on that passage today. In my prayer and reflection, I began to consider what are some of the subtle ways we believers in Jesus Christ can sometimes bow to sins that have become culturally acceptable. They’re not likely to show up in today’s message, so I thought I might share them here.
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (along with the prophet Daniel) were part of the Hebrew upper class that were carted off to Babylon during the Babylonian captivity. While there, they were schooled in the best Babylonian schools, and after three years were placed into King Nebuchadnezzar’s (King Neb, for short) court for service to the empire.
Hey? If you’ve been in Sunday school at all, you’ve heard the story before (read it here). King Neb builds a gaudy statue and commands the entire empire to bow down before it when they hear the music play. The music plays and everyone bows except these three Hebrews (I’m not sure where Daniel is during all this). The three get tattled on to the King who calls them to himself to give them one more chance to submit.
The three refuse in one of the most remarkable ways recorded in the Bible:
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If that is the case,our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3: 16 – 18 NKJV)
I love the “But if not…” statement of verse 18. What faith! “King Neb, even if God doesn’t deliver us, we’ll not bow down to your idol.”
The Idol in Question
Neb’s idol was a 90 foot tall gold statue. It was pretty obviously an idol. Everyone knew it was an idol and no one really cared. Babylon was filled with idols. What’s one more? Idols were culturally acceptable in those days. What’s the big deal?
That’s probably the question that was on King Neb’s mind as he confronted the three Hebrew young men. And, I have to wonder if Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego hadn’t considered it themselves. I mean, perhaps they had the philosophy that the Apostle Paul later expressed to the Corinthian Christians:
4 Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. (1 Cor. 8: 4-6 NKJV)
Yup! They could have adopted that mentality, bowed down to the idol and everything would have been fine. After all, everyone else was doing it, and they weren’t actually bowing down to anything that was real, so just go along to get along.
Thank God, they didn’t bow down! They chose obedience to God over cultural influence. What an example for us!
Six Cultural “Idols”
Okay, so they’re not really idols in the strictest sense, but they are areas of cultural influence that often cause us to bow down in contrast to the clear teaching of Scripture. What are they?
1. Gossip
Gossip is one of the most common places where we bow to cultural pressure because we can disguise it as conversation, or even…wait for it…prayer concerns. There is a fine line between sharing concern and gossip.
Gossip is talking about others in a way that does not honor them or God. I’m reminded of Solomon’s wisdom in Proverbs 16: 28–“A troublemaker plants seeds of strife; gossip separates the best of friends.“
When someone tries to bring gossip to us we must kindly and gently shut the door, refusing to bow to the pressure to sully someone else…even in the name of prayer concerns.
2. Complaining (Grumbling)
Okay. This is one of my biggest temptations, and one place where I’m tempted to bow. In my defense, there is A LOT to complain about in our world today, and there are so many people doing it (including me) that no one notices anymore.
The Bible is clear, though, that we should do everything without grumbling (Philippians 2:14). Truly, life is filled with so many blessings and complaining takes the focus off our blessings and causes us to miss all the good that God is doing around us.
Complaining causes anxiety and discouragement and damages us spiritually. We can’t bow down to this culturally acceptable practice and maintain a faithful Christian witness.
3. Little White Lies
Whether we call it stretching the truth or use it as a means of dodging conflict, it’s still a lie. Everyone does it, so that makes it okay? I don’t think so.
Ephesians 4: 25 reminds us, “So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body.” Paul’s reminder is a good one for faithful living in a culture that so easily accepts a lie for the truth.
4. Comparison
I said before that comparison is one of the things I’m not going to do at my age. What’s the point? It only creates envy and we know that envy is one of the seven deadly sins.
Social media feeds our need to compare ourselves to others, and again, comparison can take our focus off the myriad ways that God blesses us each and every day.
Comparing ourselves to others is such a subtle practice that it slips up on us before we know it. Faithfulness demands that we refuse to bow down before it. We can do this by thanking God for the blessings He has given to others. We don’t need someone else’s blessing. God has His own blessing for us if we’ll just stop and take note.
5. Getting Offended
In today’s culture, everyone is offended by something. Offense, however, can quickly become spiritual poison to us. Offense breeds bitterness, and bitterness keeps us stuck in hurt and anger.
We overcome offense through the spiritual practice of forgiveness. Christ forgave us. Ought we not to forgive those who offend us? Forgiveness is at the foundation of our faith, and when we bow to the pressure to take offense, we belie our faith.
6. Normalizing Sexual Sin
This one is a biggie in today’s culture. Of course, it’s been a big one for a long, long time, but even more so today. Modern culture treats so much sexual sin as normal, even many Christians. Cohabitation, sex before marriage, pornography, lust and adultery are commonplace.
Sexual sin damages the soul, distorts intimacy and welcomes shame and confusion. In short, it destroys our faith and undercuts the witness we offer the world when the Church and believers accept it as normal.
Once again, the Apostle Paul reminds us, “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18).
The Power of a Faithful Witness
There are probably a lot more than six ways we bow to cultural influence, but it’s late and I have to go to church. That fact notwithstanding, we take a cue from the three Hebrew guys who refused to bow down to King Neb.
Our faithfulness will invite scorn from the culture and there will probably be consequences for that faithfulness. Here’s the thing, though–the Lord is with us in the fire of public scorn. In the end, we’ll come out the other side with our witness intact. We’ll be stronger and the Lord will be glorified. Isn’t that what we’re aiming for?
Let me hear from you if there are other areas we may be tempted to bow to the culture and its expectations. Leave your comments below.
Did the title get your attention? Well, that’s exactly what I wanted it to do. You probably clicked on the link because you thought, “Oh! Let me see what the bad news is!”
Well, the bad news is that your/our social media is leading us to more and more bad news. It really doesn’t matter the platform, either. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter)–the algorithms are all pointing us to bad news. And, we keep clicking and keep scrolling. We get caught in a “doom loop,” and that makes the situation worse.
Positively Negative
The reality is we like bad news. Many years ago, I had a radio executive in one of the congregations I served. I dabbled in radio as a younger guy, so I thought “Maybe it’s time to get back into radio.” I had a conversation with the executive to pitch my idea for a local radio talk show. After a couple of back and forth conversations discussing the idea he eventually said, “Lynn, to be successful in talk radio, you have to be negative. I don’t think you really want to be negative.” That same attention-grabbing negativity that drives talk radio also drives our social media algorithms.
No, I didn’t want to be negative then, and I don’t want to be negative now, but heaven help me, I find myself being more and more negative in my online engagement, and that’s leading me to be more negative in my face-to-face engagements. I don’t like the person I’m becoming as a result of all the “bad news” in my life. It’s messing with my sanctification!
It would be real easy to say, “It’s not my fault!” That’s the easy out. I could blame it on “algorithmic negativity bias” (it’s a real thing–look it up). Look, social media is designed to keep us scrolling. The algorithm learns which posts get our attention–that make us stop, linger or click. Unfortunately, bad news gets our attention more than good news. If we stop and linger on a “bad news” headline, we get more bad news headlines in our feed.
We humans have a survival mode bred into us that means our brains are wired to pay more attention to threats and danger (think “fight or flight” here). So, when we see a negative headline, we naturally pause.
Traditional media understood this long before the brainiacs developed algorithms for social media. Traditional media was driven by two statements: “If it bleeds, it leads,” and “Sex sells!” Social media has simply perfected these mentalities, and we’ve (meaning “me”) fallen for it in a big way.
What really makes me stop on the bad news headline? It’s just my old sinful nature at work, and the Enemy is utilizing social media to draw me away from the holiness to which Christ calls me. Let me say it this way, “Sin has a hold of me and it won’t let go, and now social media is helping it keep its hold.”
Turning Off the Doom Loop
So, the Holy Spirit and I have a little work to do. Yeah, I know the simple answer is to get off social media, but I ask, “This day and age is getting off social media a realistic possibility?” Social media is simply a tool. It is amoral. It is what we do with it that determines its morality.
The first thing I must do to turn off the doom loop is repent. All significant spiritual change begins with repentance. I repent of my own negativity and I’m sorry for all the negative posts I’ve made on social media (and there have been a few more than I care to admit). My prayer is “Change my heart, O God!”
The Lord really does want to change my heart, and as much as I would like a supernatural transformation, He’s asking me to do a little of the work myself. What is He asking me to do?
One, He’s telling me to limit my time on social media. Set a timer if I need to in order to remind myself how long I’ve been online. I need to spend less time online and more time “touching grass,” as they say–more time in face-to-face interactions. It’s a whole lot easier to say mean things online than it is in person.
Two, I need to actively engage with positive content online in order to reprogram the algorithm. That means I have to mute or block or snooze the negativity in my social media feed. When I find positive content I need to share it with others. Simply don’t click on negative headlines. Stop falling into the trap.
Three, I need to get back into God’s Word. I need to spend more time reading and reflecting on God’s Word than scrolling negative headlines on social media.
Yeah, I’ve got a lot of work to do, but with the Holy Spirit’s help, perhaps I’ll come out on the other side a better person. Perhaps the holiness I desire will make its way out in the interactions I have online and in person. That’s my prayer, anyway…
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of Cracker Barrel Restaurants rebranding initiative. I must say, we’ve finally found something that everyone can agree on: no one likes the new branding that Cracker Barrel came up with!
Conservatives and Progressives/Liberals alike have lamented the corporate change. There are several reasons I’ve seen over the past week. Those reasons include a loss of nostalgia and identity, The redesigned logo removes the iconic image of a man leaning on a barrel—an emblem of Southern charm and the chain’s heritage—leaving just the words “Cracker Barrel” on a gold background. Critics say this erases the brand’s sentimental value.
There is also the sense of perceived sterility and blandness. Many called the new logo and updated decor “cold,” “sterile,” or “soulless”—in stark contrast to the warm, cozy atmosphere long associated with Cracker Barrel.
As with everything else these days, there are those who note the political undertones of the move and the backlash that followed. Conservative figures widely criticized the change as an example of “wokeness,” while others accused the company of abandoning tradition to appeal to diversity, equity, and inclusion agendas. Even California Governor Gavin Newsom mockingly added fuel to the fire, reflecting deep political polarization surrounding what many consider a benign design change.
And let’s not forget the financial consequences of the rebrand. Cracker Barrel’s stock plunged nearly 15% in one day, erasing an estimated $100 million to $195 million in market value.
I’d say someone didn’t really think that decision all the way through.
Let me say that my family used to love Cracker Barrel. We came to love it when we moved to Kentucky for seminary. Cracker Barrel was a welcome stop on the 12-hour drive between seminary and our home in Louisiana that we would make several times each year.
The biscuits and the cornbread muffins were always warm. The hospitality was always cordial. The atmosphere was inviting and the food quality was consistent. We always knew what we were going to get when we stopped at a Cracker Barrel.
We don’t go to Cracker Barrel anymore, though. We stopped going before the rebrand. We stopped going because the last three times we went to Cracker Barrel, the food simply wasn’t very good. And, they started serving alcohol, too! Not that the alcohol really matters. We go to restaurants all the time that sell alcohol, but there was something that stung me when they made that move. It’s probably more my issue than Cracker Barrel’s, but still…
So? Why such the pushback on Cracker Barrel? I think it’s because Cracker Barrel represents a memory. It was Grandma’s kitchen with biscuits and gravy, and rocking chairs on the front porch. The rebrand stripped away everything the company represented to its customers, all in the name of “relevance” and “modernization.”
I’m not so sure it’s not the same struggle the Church/church faces, too. We want to reach the next generation. We want to be relevant. But sometimes, in the process, we risk losing the very soul of who we are.
Some churches throw out every hymn, every tradition, every symbol of the faith, hoping that a sleek, modern design will attract people. But what happens? People walk in and say: ‘This doesn’t feel like church anymore. It feels soulless.’
Now, don’t get me wrong—change is necessary. We must preach the Gospel in the language of our day, but the Gospel is still the Gospel. The method of the message may change, but the message must never change. Or, just like Cracker Barrel discovered, we can’t throw away our heritage and expect people to follow. People are hungry for warmth, for story, for authenticity. People are hungry for Jesus!
Are we giving them Jesus, or are we giving them some warmed over, feel-good-get-your-God-moment and sending them back out into the world? The Church/church just needs to give the people Jesus every time they come.
Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:15: ‘So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you.’
Notice, Paul isn’t saying never change. He traveled culture to culture, adapting his methods to reach people, but he never threw away the core. He held fast to the Gospel, even as he adjusted his approach.
So here’s the lesson for us as a Church/church:
Change is fine—but it must not be an erasure.
We can add new songs, new ministries, new outreach—but not at the cost of losing the warmth of fellowship, the truth of Scripture, and the centrality of Jesus Christ.
People don’t come to church for flash and logos. They come because they’re looking for a family, for hope, for soul, for salvation.
So the next time you drive past a Cracker Barrel (or hear someone complaining about the new logo) remember this: What the world is truly longing for is not sleeker branding, but something real, something rooted, something alive. And friends, that’s exactly what the church can offer, if we hold fast to Jesus Christ while speaking His love in a way this generation can understand.
Not the Perfect Pastor 