June 25, 2008

“This appeared in a column in the Green Bay Press Gazette on June 21, 2008.”

Recently my one and a half year old son was eating in his high chair. I asked him if he wanted dessert and I showed him a cookie, a bowl of pudding, and a bowl of ice cream. When I showed him the cookie, he said, “cooookie.” When I showed him the pudding he said, “poo-din”. When I showed him the ice cream and said, “creeeem”. He wanted it all! He felt it was my responsibility to give him all three desserts. When I didn’t, he got upset!

I wonder if sometimes people view church that way. It is the church’s responsibility to give us a spiritual menu of our favorite, tasty programs. We want it all and when the church doesn’t provide it all, we get upset.

Personally, I think that most American churches have made a costly mistake. We’ve communicated to people that if they show up to our programs, they are spiritually growing. We’ve gotten away from teaching people to take personal responsibility for their faith, to eat healthy and feed themselves. Now don’t get me wrong, attendance at programs is a good thing, but it doesn’t always equal spiritual growth. The programs are not an end in themselves. More often than we’d like to admit, we’ve become more concerned about the numbers, than the people.

Friends, the church was never meant to be a menu of options for people to pick and choose from. What happens when the church down the street has a bigger building or better programs? The church has fallen into the trap of American consumerism. Recent research shows that on any given Sunday 78% of people are absent from any branch of Christian church. Perhaps we need to take a different approach?

What if church was a place where people could come and explore their faith, ask questions, and find out if Christianity is relevant to their everyday life? What if Christ followers were passionately living out their faith? What if the people of the church were actually living out the mission of the church? What if we were being the church, not just attending church or doing church?

Our role, and the role of the church is something that each of us need to wrestle with and discern. What do you believe is your church’s responsibility (Eph 4:12)? What is your personal responsibility (Matt. 28:19-20)? I want to learn more about how to be the church to others. As a pastor, my job is not just to administrate religious programs, it is to train people to live out their faith, one step at a time, everyday. Let’s not just go to church or attend church, why not be the church?