One of the
Associate Ministers on my staff sent me a link to a web site that had a story (bogus)
about a mega church that had announced it was trimming its membership rolls.
The (bogus) headline of the (bogus) article reads: “Mega-church downsizes, cuts
non-essential members”. You can read the article here. Reading the article
reminded me of the time several years ago that I suggested to a church board
that we scrub our membership roll and remove the inactive members. My thought
was; church membership is about following Christ, not just having one’s name on
a list. From the response I received, one would have thought I had suggested we
do the worship service next Sunday in the nude. They went nuts on me. Perhaps I
was incorrect.
No doubt
many church leaders read the phony article and secretly wished they had the
intestinal fortitude to do just that. To tell the awful truth, the following
from the article sounded right to me. “In a trend that may signal rough times
for wallflower Christians, bellwether mega-church Faith Community of
Winston-Salem has asked “non-participating members” to stop attending. ‘No more
Mr. Nice Church,’ says the executive pastor, newly hired from Cingular
Wireless. ‘Bigger is not always better. Providing free services indefinitely to
complacent Christians is not our mission. “Freeloading” Christians were
straining the church’s nursery and facility resources and harming the church’s
ability to reach the lost’, says the pastor. ‘When your bottom line is saving
souls, you get impatient with people who interfere with that goal,’ he says.”
Wow! There
is probably more truth in that satirical statement than any of us in the church
want to own. It is a fact we seem to need reminding that Jesus didn’t command
His followers to make church members, He told us to make disciples. It is my
observation that there is a world of difference between the two. We have
developed a church that caters to and develops consumer Christians. Christians,
who seek to be blessed, served, protected, and encouraged. Our sermons are
supposed to compliment us and entertain us. The occasional challenging sermon
is tolerated but not really appreciated. Church is where we are to be comforted
and cared for. After all, the Bible describes us a sheep and we need to be
cared for. We are comforted by the familiar music, soothed by the repetitious
worship, congratulated by the staff that is somehow thankful we were kind
enough to show up to worship and cared
for by our pastor. It is a place where we receive, not give. Oh, sure, if we
are willing, we can put a little offering in the plate. But giving of time and
talents is completely optional.
This concept
of Christianity that we religiously practice became extremely clear to me one
day several years ago when an acquaintance asked me what he needed to do if he
decided to join the church I served. I told him that like every other church I had
ever served, all he had to do was walk up the aisle at the end of the service,
state his desire to join the church and I would welcome him into the
congregation. He looked at me with the strangest look and said, “You mean to
tell me it is more difficult for me to join the Rotary Club than it is to join
your church?” Suddenly embarrassed, I told him yes. I had never thought of it
like that. And it was an unnerving thought. The commitment and expectations of
one expressing a desire to follow Christ were less than the commitment and
expectations of someone becoming a Rotarian. What is wrong with that picture?
Just about everything.
Out of a
desire to make the church more attractive to the unchurched we have come up
with a brand of Christianity that could be branded Christianity Lite. It’s
easy. Little time commitment is required, it is easy on the pocket book, and
you won’t have to change anything in your present lifestyle. All we ask, and it
is just a request, is that you come to a worship service when it is convenient
for you – when you feel like it and you don’t have other plans and you are in
town.
Several
years ago I read of a mega church in Texas that billed itself as a church of
small groups. Their intention was that everyone who was a part of the church
would commit to participation in a weekly small group. They met together for
worship on Sunday mornings, but real church happened in the small group. They
had several thousand in attendance on Sunday morning for worship. What I found
interesting about the church was that they were deeply committed to the belief
that spiritual growth happens best in a small group – committed to the point
that every few Sundays the pastor would make an announcement that sounded
something like this. “We are thrilled you have chosen to worship at ___ ___
Church. We are a church of small groups committed to providing for believers
the possibilities of spiritual growth that can come only through consistent
participation in a small group. So, if you have been visiting with us for three
weeks or more in our Sunday worship, please don’t come back until you have
joined a small group.”
What? Have
they lost their minds? How did that work for them? Well, according to the
article I read, pretty well. They were a rapidly growing church with thousands
already in attendance. Could it be that
we who have lowered the bar – who have lowered the expectations of church
membership – have not only made church seem irrelevant to the seeker, we have abandoned
any hope of developing mature disciples of Jesus. Let’s face it, lower
expectations produce weaker results. Perhaps, since it is God’s church and as
His church we are supposed to produce mature believers, disciples of Jesus,
ambassadors of Christ and world changers, it is time for us to up the ante on membership
expectations. Let’s raise the bar.
Copyright ©
2013, William T. McConnell, All Rights Reserved
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