I have been doing some interviews lately for my next venture in ministry, seeking some sort of call into some sort of church full of some sort of people. And as I sit in and amongst the call committees, and sort through their barrage of questions, I am deeply aware that there is a sense of hurting or incompleteness in churches today. Yes, the church is incomplete as Jesus has not yet returned to make his kingdom a reality, but I am talking about the feelings of need and lack of vision that I sense in churches, which makes them feel somewhat incomplete.
Not all churches are like this by all means. There are places of worship out there who "get it" and are not afraid to be held down by presumption, or status, or existing just for that sake. But, sadly within the Lutheran church, I see communities who are deeply searching for something. What is that something? Health, peace, identity, restoration, the list goes on. It's interesting to field questions from good hard working folks who have a love and passion for serving their church, but are either deeply aware that something needs to be done now to be an emerging community for the 21st century, OR there are those folks who simply don't understand what that means. For them, the 1950's model of existing as passive Lutherans is alright, and for them, they want that life until everyone meets after their burial for pie and coffee!
This is not the kind of people God designed us to be...those who simply exist passively, expecting our faith to be filled to the brim lest we use it by chance once in a while during our daily commute back and forth praying to God we don't get crunched by a semi hauling the latest castings of the All American Anvil Company. That would damage us but good! Cynically I say this. But, there are people who sit in the pews wanting to be reassured of their life as their life is comfortable. I love the old saying,"Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable!" Living as a person who names and claims Christ is risky and brings with it, discomfort. Because soon or later, people can change into the type of person God intends them to be...realizing their full potential for the Kingdom's purpose; living a life evolving and changing into a person by the revolutionary man known as Jesus. This is messy work for messy people as Mike Yaconelli puts it in his book, "Messy Spirituality." Becoming that kind of person risks all that we know to be comfortable, assuming, unchallenged, and well-oiled. Real life with real problems, living as a healing follower of Jesus does not include within the vernacular of faith, the word "comfortable."
My fear is that certain churches are comfortable with who they are even though under that thin surface, they are hurting and don't feel they are a place of value for the lost, the broken, and the dying. Interestingly, I have met pastors who are comfortable with who they are much to their own arrogance, believing that they are what their church needs to experience a viable and relevant faith. I own a bit of this too. I have learned that because of my experiences and hurts, successes, gifts, etc., I am just as prone to being cocky now and then ministering to people. I want to be a confident/competent person, but not for a lack of humility and honesty about admitting that sometimes, I can be an arrogant ass just like the rest of us. Yet I press on as Paul says, towards the goal of understanding the ultimate sacrifice of God...realizing his own Son's life in my life and how that becomes the way of living for me. One of the most profound challenges today within the church is combating the attitude of indifference because of its comfort. I pray and cry out to God that humility would find its way back into the tightly wound preserved system we have made into the church. I have this picture in my mind of Christ literally weeping at people's lack of humility in his church and for his church. Humility is the only way of seeing to the needs of the person next to me and you. Once we own that again, only then will the church stop searching for whatever it lacks, or be able to deal with its hurt and incompleteness. I realize that's HUGE and maybe it will never happen within my lifetime, but it can't hurt to talk about humility inside and outside the church, that I try and live that out, and perchance, maybe one or two people might want to address their lives from that lens too.
So, I am curious what your thoughts are:
1) What do you struggle with when it comes to church, belonging to a church, not attending a church, or being skeptical of church? What is it that holds you back from fully engaging your life into the life of a church?
2) If you could design, plan out, form, piece together, or format a church community...what would that look like (Focus or mission? Intention? Building? Etc)
Thanks for reading my rant, but all this and more, ironically, is really rolling around in my head, and making me think...which truly happens now and then for you skeptics...yes, I think! And the questions are really for you to think about...don't send me a dissertation. But, I truly am curious about your own point of view when it comes to the modern church what you see as some of the gaping holes in it. So, let me know. I would pay you for your answers, but alas I am broke. More later...
Not all churches are like this by all means. There are places of worship out there who "get it" and are not afraid to be held down by presumption, or status, or existing just for that sake. But, sadly within the Lutheran church, I see communities who are deeply searching for something. What is that something? Health, peace, identity, restoration, the list goes on. It's interesting to field questions from good hard working folks who have a love and passion for serving their church, but are either deeply aware that something needs to be done now to be an emerging community for the 21st century, OR there are those folks who simply don't understand what that means. For them, the 1950's model of existing as passive Lutherans is alright, and for them, they want that life until everyone meets after their burial for pie and coffee!
This is not the kind of people God designed us to be...those who simply exist passively, expecting our faith to be filled to the brim lest we use it by chance once in a while during our daily commute back and forth praying to God we don't get crunched by a semi hauling the latest castings of the All American Anvil Company. That would damage us but good! Cynically I say this. But, there are people who sit in the pews wanting to be reassured of their life as their life is comfortable. I love the old saying,"Jesus came to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable!" Living as a person who names and claims Christ is risky and brings with it, discomfort. Because soon or later, people can change into the type of person God intends them to be...realizing their full potential for the Kingdom's purpose; living a life evolving and changing into a person by the revolutionary man known as Jesus. This is messy work for messy people as Mike Yaconelli puts it in his book, "Messy Spirituality." Becoming that kind of person risks all that we know to be comfortable, assuming, unchallenged, and well-oiled. Real life with real problems, living as a healing follower of Jesus does not include within the vernacular of faith, the word "comfortable."
My fear is that certain churches are comfortable with who they are even though under that thin surface, they are hurting and don't feel they are a place of value for the lost, the broken, and the dying. Interestingly, I have met pastors who are comfortable with who they are much to their own arrogance, believing that they are what their church needs to experience a viable and relevant faith. I own a bit of this too. I have learned that because of my experiences and hurts, successes, gifts, etc., I am just as prone to being cocky now and then ministering to people. I want to be a confident/competent person, but not for a lack of humility and honesty about admitting that sometimes, I can be an arrogant ass just like the rest of us. Yet I press on as Paul says, towards the goal of understanding the ultimate sacrifice of God...realizing his own Son's life in my life and how that becomes the way of living for me. One of the most profound challenges today within the church is combating the attitude of indifference because of its comfort. I pray and cry out to God that humility would find its way back into the tightly wound preserved system we have made into the church. I have this picture in my mind of Christ literally weeping at people's lack of humility in his church and for his church. Humility is the only way of seeing to the needs of the person next to me and you. Once we own that again, only then will the church stop searching for whatever it lacks, or be able to deal with its hurt and incompleteness. I realize that's HUGE and maybe it will never happen within my lifetime, but it can't hurt to talk about humility inside and outside the church, that I try and live that out, and perchance, maybe one or two people might want to address their lives from that lens too.
So, I am curious what your thoughts are:
1) What do you struggle with when it comes to church, belonging to a church, not attending a church, or being skeptical of church? What is it that holds you back from fully engaging your life into the life of a church?
2) If you could design, plan out, form, piece together, or format a church community...what would that look like (Focus or mission? Intention? Building? Etc)
Thanks for reading my rant, but all this and more, ironically, is really rolling around in my head, and making me think...which truly happens now and then for you skeptics...yes, I think! And the questions are really for you to think about...don't send me a dissertation. But, I truly am curious about your own point of view when it comes to the modern church what you see as some of the gaping holes in it. So, let me know. I would pay you for your answers, but alas I am broke. More later...
2 comments:
Some deep thoughts and questions here sir.......we have had many discussions on a few of these issues. Unfortunately, due to recent "happenings", my faith in church has been rocked. I am having a difficult time dealing with the fact that a place that is supposed to represent the greatest representation of God and spirituality can treat people (especially it's staff) so coldly and not think that they have done anything wrong. No, I don't necessarily need a building called a "church" to fullfill my spiritual needs, but I personally love the times that I have left the church feeling renewed and free from some of the pain I have carried around with me. So in answer to your questions, yes, I am skeptical of church right now. What holds me back, would be the feeling of not being valued as a person in the church. As far as the actual building, I don't think that is what really matters to me (you could even use someone's basement....). Yes, it is awesome to see a beautiful church with all of the stained glass windows, but it is the leadership and the focus of the church that is more important. The focus of the church should be on the immediate and future needs of the people of the church. The leadership should be someone who can relate to these people and not just read passages out of the bible. It's nice to know that church leaders are human too and have made mistakes in their lives and listen to how they have listened to God for answers to some of these mistakes. Jason, you do not give yourself enough credit!! You are that person - yes, you can be an arrogant ass, sometimes we all are, but you listen and relate to what people are saying. Your focus is on the person as a person (not how much money they donate or what they can do for the church). Not to get emmotional or sappy, but Kayla and I have felt this "connection" to you since the day we first met you. You have revived my beliefs and given me more than you know. You have all of the right ideas that I am looking for in a "church". The loss of your leadership and ideas in what I thought was "my church" was a huge loss and questioned my beliefs in God's guidance and faith. I know that God has a plan for all of us, but when it is obvious that a church is stagnent and has new life brought into it and then take it away - I am confused. I don't think that is what his plan is.......or maybe it is his way of pushing you to form your own church (or whatever you want to call it).
I struggle with understanding my motivation for going to church, which I apparently do not do nearly as often as I should. I hate feeling guilty for not attending worship. I believe that there are so many opportunites in everyday life to praise and thank God that it should not be something people only do on Sunday mornings for an hour. One of my favorite songs from good old Camp Metigoshe ... "The church is not a building where people go to pray. It's not made out of sticks and stones, it's not made out of clay. We are the church, the body of our lord..." I think you probably remember the rest. I feel that if you live your life respectfully (of Christ and of humanity) that where and how you choose to worship is not important. That being said, I feel that most people attend worship regularily out of social obligation. They need to be seen to make sure everyone else knows they went. Sure it makes them feel good for an hour or so to be there, but when they go home and resume their daily lives, they seldom give the word another thought. So does that make me a bad person for not attending church to appease other people? I think not. I know how I live my life and I know where my soul is going when I die. If I were able to find a place where I felt I truly belonged, that everyone else was there because they truly wanted to be, and that completely "filled me up" spiritually, I would probably be more diligent, but that place of worship has always eluded me. I think the same holds true for many, if not most of the Christians of our generation. Anyway, enough of my rambling, random thoughts. Just wanted to let you know that I have been pondering your last entry. As far as suggestions, I have none, but I wish you luck in your journey.
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