Reality Church Shows

One of the weird things that’s happened to us here in Vegas is that we’ve been asked several times to make our church a reality TV show. We’ve said no every time.

But it’s got me thinking about some church-related reality shows ideas. Today I’ll share a couple ideas that I’m not serious about, tomorrow one that I am.

• The Apprentice: Get some young future hot-shot pastors in a televised job interview process with some current big-shot pastor, maybe Bill Hybels. Just picture Bill telling some stunned 25-year-old, “You have the calling and the competency, but not the chemistry. You’re fired!” And the Donald Trump hair style is a must. Sorry, Bill.
• Church Nightmares: Instead of Gordon Ramsay helping a failing restaurant to change everything to make things work, we get someone to go into failing churches to change everything to make things work. Wait, that would actually be a good idea, except I don’t think many churches would be willing to make the necessary changes. And I’m not sure where we find a cursing pastor with an English accent.
• Extreme Church Makeover: You know the church that smells like mildew? With the rug that you’re not even sure what the original color was? And the flannel graph boards that are falling apart? What if you bring in a crew, preferably led by Mel McGowan, to do a makeover on the whole building? Just picture the pastor and his wife yelling, “Move that church bus!”
• The Real World: Pastor Edition: This is my favorite idea. You get some pastors, let’s say Rob Bell, John MacArthur, Joel Olsteen, Mark Driscoll, Ted Haggard, John Piper, and a gay Episcopal priest, and you force them all to live in the same house for like three months. Make sure there’s plenty of alcohol on hand, and a hot tub, and watch the theology, fists, and tears fly. Jesus might weep, but the ratings would be off the charts!