We’ve all heard the question. In fact, if you’re a parent of any child over the age of about 9, it’s probably even slipped out of your own mouth!

If they told you to jump off a cliff, would you do that too?

“Everyone’s doing it” is what triggers the question. We talk about peer pressure, thinking about our decisions, not just following “the leader”, and doing things because they are right, not simply because it’s the way it’s always been done. It sounds great, but do we follow our own advice?

Jump to church planting. There is so much to set up, to plan, to coordinate, and to put in motion that it would be much easier to simply “do what everyone else is doing”. But, here’s where I don’t get it—some of it just doesn’t make sense! Some of it is done because “it’s easier”, some because it’s “not important”, but much is not even thought about!

So here are a few questions and thoughts I have…

• God called me to help lead people to Jesus…lives changed, that’s what everything is measured against.
• I don’t care whether you call it preaching, teaching, or speaking…and quite frankly, neither do the people who are struggling to simply make it through another day!
• Do we send home “junk” art projects and 1000 papers every week with kids because that’s the only way they learn…or do we do it because it makes us look like we’ve done something?
• Is a “bribe” to fill out a contact card necessary?
• As a parent I want to know what to do with sitting at the public pool and the song “I kissed a girl and I liked it” comes on and my kids start singing it…thinking you’re “relevant” simply by playing hymns put to rock music doesn’t give me answers
• Why are all kids K-5th grade always grouped together?…is it the best way or is it because that’s what the curriculum says?
• Where else but churches do we get 10 different letters or emails each time we show up? Is it welcoming or does it sound desperate?
• Just because the “big shot churches” use it doesn’t mean it’s the best choice
• Talking about bodily functions or sophmoric antics is simply immature…credibility and respect decrease from anyone over the age of 13 or anyone dealing with real issues
• To a person who is giving church the only chance they have left, do they care if the “preacher” has 4 degrees, 3 titles, and 15 letters after their name?
• If you tell me that doing this is “just a rubber stamp” and it really doesn’t matter but it’s just what we do…who does that help? If it’s simply to make someone higher up feel good…I’ll send them a card, but don’t waste my time ’cause while I’m boosting them up, people are dying without Christ.

Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good people doing a lot of great things. There are many to learn from and many who are getting it right. I don’t have all the answers, in fact I’m way down on the learning curve. But “everyone’s doing it” doesn’t cut it. We have a responsibility to make educated decisions–we will make mistakes and we may step back and reverse. We may also find out that “everyone’s doing it” because it works! God has entrusted us with a huge responsibility and we need to take the time to look at the “why” and “who does it help”.

Are you jumping off the cliff?

End of Rindy’s post.

Shaun King, blogger extraordinaire and church planter in Atlanta is wrestling with some of this same stuff! Check out his post here.