Would Jesus join your church?
What’s up with the church? Lately I have encountered several people who claim to be Christians who do not attend church. On top of that, everywhere I turn I read reports about the decline of the church. Since 1991, the adult population in the United States has grown by 15%. During that same period the number of adults who do not attend church has nearly doubled, rising from 39 million to 75 million – a 92% increase!
If more and more Christians do not participate in community why would we expect those who are not Christian to want to hear what we have to say? Why is it that most people have turned their backs on the church attendance—including numerous Christians? Why is church in America becoming less and less relevant, not only to society but Christians as well?
Barna claims that to unchurched people, embracing church life is both counter-cultural and counter-intuitive. Unchurched people are not just lazy or uniformed, they are wholly disinterested in church life – often passionately so. It seems easy to blame the televangelists, but I think the problem is much deeper. Millions of young unchurched have no understanding of or interest in a church, even if it is "contemporary" or "alt what-ever" in style.
According to Barna's research, millions of young adults are more interested in truth, authenticity, experiences, relationships and spirituality than they are in laws, traditions, events, disciplines, institutions and religion. That sounds a lot like Jesus.
Sadly, many of the growing churches I visit are not so much engaged in the transformation of the world as they are in the transformation of memberships. In the Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience, Ron Sider claims that the evangelical church who is big on "moral" issues has equal divorce rates as the rest of America; a poor track record in serving the poor; have done little to combat racism; and for all the talk about sexual purity are not all that pure when compared to the rest of America. Don’t feel bad, the Mainline church has become the sideline church. I wonder if Jesus would join my church?
Richard Rohr says, "We thought we got holy by doing it right, but the journey begins by doing it wrong." Somehow America has taken the radical mesage of Jesus and made it about being nice and proper. Could it be that a huge part of the church has gotten completely wrong? Realistically the nation has said, "I see what you are selling and I’m not interested." This is more than just a PR problem. Could it be that what we are about has very little to do with Jesus’ proclamation of the reign of God? Most of the "non-Christians" I know have no problem with Jesus. They have a problem with those who claim to be Christians, Jesus-learners, Christ-followers, or whatever we are calling ourselves nowadays.
Brian Mclaren said "I believe that Christianity is not the kingdom of God. The ultimate reality is the kingdom of God..."
Reading the story of Nicodemus, I couldn't help but sense the need of this message for the American Church for much of the church is Nicodemus. "Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.'" Yes, the Church must be "born again"--- not by might, not by power, but by God's Spirit. Do you want to be born again? To be re-born first requires death. Jesus said that no one can see the "kingdom" of God unless one is born again. I think he was talking to the church.
4 Comments:
Boy, Rick, you have hit upon one of my real big red hot-button topics these days. Sadly, I'm afraid that the answer to your title questions is not "No" but "Hell, no!"
I'm reminded of a story Brennan Manning tells in The Ragamuffin Gospel of a man who had been caught publicly in sin, and who had been cast out from his congregation. The man encounters Jesus on the road, and complains bitterly about being excluded. As I remember it, Jesus replied, "Don't worry, son - they won't let me in there, either."
Of course, the problem is that the Church - in all its diversity - is a God-given institution, but it is filled with people in all kinds of stages of brokenness and healing. So often, the church is so busy painting itself as "good" and "holy" and "better than (fill in the blank)" that the unchurched person expects the church to be what it claims to be - rather than what it is: both saint-and-sinner, broken-and-restored, both lost and found. (One of my favorite t-shirts says Both... on the front, and And... on the back...)
Part of the challenge, too, is that much of popular culture is focused on "what I want and what I need," rather than the selfless, servant koinonia community that the Christian church is called to be. But many, many people are searching for the same sense of belonging and being-of-service that we are to foster in our churches. The tragedy is, the folks who seek that belonging are also the ones who don't believe that they can find that experience in the church.
I also think that Len Sweet's "garden" metaphor for the church has a lot to do with it. If the primary purpose of a congregation is to care for those who are members, and to protect and preserve the way of worship and life that exists in that community, then the needs of those outside the community cease to matter very much. That is, they cease to matter until the "outsiders" are ready to become like the folks "on the inside" are. Once I get to be "one of us," I cease to be "one of them."
Good words - albeit hard words - brother. Lots to pray about...
Jesus wouldn't join my church because upon his first visit, no one would speak to him.
JC wouldn't walk the aisle at my place, but that's not the saddest part of the story...
the saddest part of it all is that i wouldn't blame Him...
Shit, Rick, of course he'd join my church. It's a house church.
But seriously, that's a thoughtful and helpful post, especially the symbolism of "the church" (ahem, the normies, I guess?) as Nicodemus.
"Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies..."
My initial remark was only partly flippant, however. Which church is declining? ECUSA? Of course. The traditional churches? Obviously. But not all of us are into that, as you know. It's good to watch lives being transformed, even if it feels sometimes like I'm being dragged kicking and screaming the whole way...
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