A mega church in Winston-Salem recently sent letters to families who attend worship but never volunteer, tithe or participate in small groups. They were “politely” asked to either take their participation to a higher level or simply stop attending. Their executive pastor was quoted to say, “No more Mr. Nice Church. Bigger is not always better. Providing free services indefinitely to complacent Christians is not our mission.” Another church staff member adds, “Before now, we made people feel comfortable and welcome, and tried to coax them to give a little something in return. That’s changed. We’re done being the community nanny.”
I wonder what Jesus would think of this approach. Yes, church membership is a big deal and people should take it seriously. We say as much whenever someone joins First UMC Lewisville. But isn’t there something contradictory about treating church members as dead-weight who don’t measure up to our standard of what a Christian or church member should be? That God has standards for our lives is clear but grace is the ultimate standard God uses to measure us by. Grace is God treating us better then we deserve. I can’t imagine belonging to a church that is unwilling to give grace when it’s very existence is owed to it.
Don
Of course, all I have to go on is your rendering here, but it seems that the issue is not what God requires of us, but the concept that we somehow "pay" to go to church. It doesn't really matter if you call it "tithe", "volunteering", or "participation." I've been in the church too long to really say, but I suspect this is a prevalent perception amongst the folks of our secular culture.
ReplyDeleteTo tell you the truth, I get this concept of "pay to go to church" from the small church and hadn't really thought of it from a mega-church perspective. The bottom line, though, is that we are selling God and, unfortunately, the price is just too high for many. Grace, indeed, is the key issue here. Our "job" is simply to minister. Period. If it isn't profitable and we can't keep the lights on, then so be it.
Sorry, Don, I picked up your post from Dell Smith's blog and it just hit a nerve. Hang in there!
Thanks for the sharing your thoughts on this and I deeply appreciate your passion. Too little of it these days among those who claim to follow Jesus. Here's the address where you can read the article unedited...http://www.larknews.com/archives/574. If its okay with you I'd like to share some additional thoughts on this...While I felt the message that particular church is sending lacks grace, I'm equally uncomfortable with swinging to the opposite end of the spectrum, to what Bonhoeffer called cheap grace. The New Testament church prioritized the taking of offerings for its work especially among the poor and widowed. While its clearly biblical to fund ministry this way, I can see why it might turn off some outside the church (particularly given its abuse, for one, by TV evangelists). I used to think that if I did faithful ministry the funds would be there but after 20+ years in the church I've come to learn it's not necessarily true. Yes, some churches don't ask and they seem to have more then enough but I believe those are few and far between. I used to be embarrassed to ask for money to fund ministry. Now, I'm not embarrassed to ask IF its for something I believe in (whether to keep homeless teens off the street; to provide low cost childcare for low income families, or even to provide a place for Christians to worship and be equipped for ministry in the world). In my own life I've seen a direct correlation between my generosity to the work of the church and my own growth and maturity in Christian faith. The challenge in my mind is guiding the church to have a healthy view of stewardship. Beverly Randall, a member from my church in Carrollton, shared with me about growing up in the Great Depression and how several generations of her family would meet on Sundays after church and everyone (at least those who had jobs) would put their paychecks in a pot and then money would be doled out to pay bills. Family needs were addressed long before wants...and then she added, "After all, this was family business." What she said struck a chord. What we do in the church is about the family business. To be in ministry as the church then includes caring for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and tending to the physical and spiritual needs of God's children. "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:35 These are just some of my thoughts on the issue.
DeleteI'm currently teaching a continuing ed class centered on rural ministry and am using the book, Escape From Church, Inc., by E. Glenn Wagner, as a text. The focus of the book is on the biblically based identity of the pastor as shepherd. He draws the concept from Thomas Oden's book, Pastoral Theology. The call is not only for pastors but the churches in which they minister. It is a stark contrast to the consumer driven ministry that seems to drive the mega-church.
ReplyDelete(Please understand that I'm not on a "bash the mega-church" crusade. My concern is that the Christain faith is rightly represented to our culture. I've found that churches of all sizes have done their fair share of getting things out of whack. And I don't pretend to put myself outside of whacking things!)
I am convinced that a people genuinely transformed by God's presence, lived out in relationship to each other and their world, is, in and of itself, the most effective evangelistic strategy available to the Church. Our call is to live a life upside down to what the world might expect--a life characterized by much of what you describe above. Unfortunately, we have traded this "true religion" for a facade that substitutes doing church for knowing God.
Grace, yes. And, no, it isn't cheap by any means.
Mike, thanks for dialoging with me! Dell says your his uncle and a Nazarene. I grew up in the Wesleyan church! Blessings to you, Don
ReplyDeleteSorry, Don. I lost track of things and had to go digging for your blog. I have it bookmarked now.
ReplyDeleteYep, I remember Dell all the way back to "diaper days." I actually grew up United Methodist, began my days in the CON when my wife and I starte dating, and have been attending a local United Methodist church since a stroke in 2007. It seems that I have needed the consistency of liturgy during this time. It's amazing how things come around.
I trust things are going well for you in your ministry. As they say around here....
Be blessed