Summer is on the horizon. Come on hot, sunny days. The hotter the better for me. Anybody up for a game of tennis?
I’m always reading. It’s what pastors do. Right now I’m reading Missional Renaissance, subtitled, Changing the Scorecard for the Church by Reggie McNeal. Four thousand to 5,000 churches close their doors every year. On average that’s 86 per week. Why that doesn’t bother most church going people I’m not sure, especially since most churches are in decline.
In other words, they will close soon if something doesn’t change and as church revitalization expert with the North American Mission Board Bob Bickford would say “most will close without a miracle.” That’s not said without faith but just a big dose of reality. Mark Clifton also of NAMB just shared Lifeway’s latest research that the median worship attendance in the USA is 65. In 2000 it was 137. Can you imagine if that trend continues? The number of people in most church buildings on a Sunday morning very soon could be 30-ish.
Getting back to my point about summer: Most churches, despite what I just shared above, continue to pack the summer schedule with what some would call “religous activity” that bears little or no fruit. I was just on a website of a church that a friend of mine pastors. It looks like they are trying to keep everybody happy and busy as they boasted of “old time revival for senior adults,” a Topgolf activity to kick off the summer for the teens, a daddy-daughter movie night, a church coming in to do a mission trip in their hometown. I’m wondering what this church is going to do that they can’t do for themselves. And then a couple of camp opportunities.
My big time Christian friend Dave says, if A + B = C you will always get C unless A or B changes. I get his point. We did a discipleship study at my church not too long ago entitled, Something Needs To Change. What I’m saying is A or B have to change if we want what they equal to change. Can it change? You bet! Why or how? Because last time I checked, God is for us (Romans 8:31)!
Reggie McNeal makes the point in Missional Renaissance that he travels a lot and he is in and out of a lot of airports. He shares that airports are a place of connection, not a destination. Church is supposed to be like that but sometimes like airports, people get stuck, not getting to where they planned on going. Hanging out in the church building is good but sooner or later you have to leave for what God has planned, and that’s probably not Topgolf.
The real destination is life. Jesus did not say, “I came to give you church.” Rather He said, “I came to give you life” (John 10:10). Life is lived out best with others in the marketplace, in the neighborhood, in the world. I hope all that makes sense. This is where the real work of Christianity is done, out connecting to others, and hopefully connecting them to Christ through what we used to call evangelism. The book says, “Substituting church activity as a preferred life expression is as weird as believing that airports are more interesting than the destinations they serve.” Makes you think doesn’t it?!
Ken, you sound critical. Am I being critical of the church? No way. Like my celebrity pastor friend says, “I love the church, she’s my mother.” But just like my real mother she can be wrong. Has the brick and mortar of a church building become just another idol, another place for a civic or social club? Isn’t it supposed to be the launch pad for God’s mission and purpose (2 Corinthians 5:11-20)?
He asked me to ask you that.
- Log in or Subscribe to post comments.