I’ve seen a lot of small churches that seem overly concerned with externals. Clergy dressed in the finest vestments, all of the fancy altar appointments, beautiful banners abounding, and a great concern about proper form – but not actually serving anyone. Religion and spirituality are about serving people and changing their lives, not playing dress up. We all like to look nice, but all of the proper form isn’t saving an imploding institutional church. People have learned to smell even a well dress charlatan a mile away, and what’s needed is substance more than form.