Methodology vs. Conviction

Over the past couple of days I have been thinking about the church and how it just "goes". Most of the time we don't even think about "The Why" behind the things we do and the traditions we incorporate into the Christian system of doing things. We tend to look at it as just a weekly mechanical process we are expected to do.
It's like knowing the why behind CPR. You know how to do it, but if you fail to realize the importance of it, someones life could be at stake. Someone could be dying and since you know how to do CPR you give it a try. You do it half heartily, placing your hands in the wrong position, sporadically giving mouth to mouth and then when you decide you've done enough you get up and go about your business.
Is that how we have begun to approach church? Have we failed to realize the importance of church discipline, communion, service, outreach, youth group, invitations, and counseling?
You see, if we do not understand the importance behind a concept we do not have a heart for it. Importance is the catalyst for commitment and commitment is the catalyst for passion. We need passionate people in the church who take their contribution to the body of Christ seriously and put their all into it. It involves conviction.
"Convictions are built, not by practicing the method, but by understanding the principle." - Walter Henrichsen (Disciples are Made not Born)
Without principle communion becomes a Sunday afternoon snack. Without principle door to door witnessing becomes healthy exercise. Without principle daily devotions becomes a chore, public praying becomes a speech contest, and the church becomes a business. Without principle worship becomes a popularity contest between bands. The principle behind what we are doing is very important to understand. We need to take time to think about what we are doing and research the why behind our actions. There is nothing wrong with tradition unless we do it only because we always have and not because we seriously think we are doing it to glorify God. Methodology should not be our focus, rather heartfelt convictions about why the church operates the way it does.
If we focus on methods we close our minds to new and possibly better ways of functioning. Why? Because change becomes a threat. We need biblical conviction back into our churches.