Rewilding The Church

Let me be brutally honest, I have actually done “attractional church” as a model for years. You know what I mean by that? We make it appealing, fun, not too offensive, with good music, good coffee and meetings that don’t lean into the prophetic or the supernatural too much. We use marketing strategies and social media, and hope to keep people engaged and comfortable while they find Jesus sat in the comfort of our attractive church buildings.

Don’t get me wrong, the attractional church movement that has arisen in the last few decades has done many good things. It has helped churches become outward-looking again, improved communication, welcomed outsiders more warmly and challenged stale, lifeless religion. But alongside these strengths came some serious unintended consequences that dampen the fires on the altar.

In trying to make church attractive to people, many churches slowly shifted from building altars to building experiences. Prayer meetings quietly moved to the margins while productions grew larger. Worship became increasingly performance-driven, services more scripted and predictable, and success became measured more by attendance, branding and atmosphere than by holiness, transformation or the manifest presence of God.

In many places the Church unintentionally trained believers to become consumers rather than priests — spectators of worship rather than carriers of glory. The stage gradually replaced the altar. Excellence began to matter more than encounter, professionalism more than priesthood, and keeping people comfortable sometimes became more important than calling them to surrender. None of this happened because leaders stopped loving God, but because pragmatism subtly replaced dependence. And whenever the Church becomes more focused on attracting crowds than hosting His presence, the fire on the altar slowly begins to fade.

Beyond Comfortable Christianity

So let me be honest — and this may be an entirely personal perspective — I’m largely done with attractional church. I certainly need to keep its methods tightly in check.

Others may be called to build using this method, but for me, it doesn’t go DEEP enough spiritually. It breeds Christianity “lite” and continues in that vein all too often.

It often lacks the prophetic, the power, the miraculous, the potency and the role of the Gospel’s unavoidable offence, that leads to true surrender and repentance.

It doesn’t go DEEP enough relationally. Church must be more than events. Sitting in tidy rows, singing trendy songs, nodding at worthy causes and critiquing the platform experience as if it were therapeutic entertainment! We need a home, a family and a band of brothers on mission; not an event, with an audience and our favourite celebrity preachers.

None of us can thrive without deeply belonging to a small tribe of adventurers who are on a quest to know God deeply, surrender wholeheartedly to the point of personal pain, and live to selflessly reach a world with a purpose that is beyond ourselves!

The Untameable Jesus

And I think Jesus Himself was not attractional — He was wild! If you REALLY read all the Gospels, and not just the fridge magnet verses, He was offensive, challenging, countercultural, brave, shocking, loud, enigmatic, mysterious and oh so very supernatural. How can a tame Church represent an untameable God accurately?!

So yes, I’m done with attractional, “lights, camera, action,” concert-style church — it’s time for a RADICAL REMNANT to rise up and build altars ready to host God’s glory once again! How about you?

Extract from The ALTAR by Jarrod Cooper. Order your copy below. 👇

Believe & Confess Meditation & Declaration

I will hunger for the presence of God more than the approval of man (Psalm 27:4). I am called to be a priest unto God, carrying His glory and offering my life fully to Him (1 Peter 2:9). I will not conform to the patterns of this world, but will be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2). The Holy Spirit will empower me with boldness, truth and supernatural power to live for Jesus without compromise (Acts 1:8). I will seek first the Kingdom of God above comfort, convenience or popularity (Matthew 6:33). My life will burn with holy fire and wholehearted surrender as I draw near to God daily (Hebrews 12:28-29). I will belong deeply, love sacrificially and pursue God passionately alongside His people (Acts 2:42-44).

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THE ALTAR

Creating lives & cultures ready to host the glory of God.

Something is stirring.

Across the world, hunger for God’s presence is rising—and many are asking: how do we truly host His glory?

In The Altar, Jarrod Cooper calls us back to the place where heaven meets earth—the altar. A place of encounter, devotion, and transformation.

This book will help you:
• Deepen your personal encounter with God
• Build a lifestyle of worship
• Hear His voice clearly
• Create cultures that carry His presence

This isn’t just a book—it’s a call.
When the altar is restored, the fire falls again.

 Order Your Copy Here