I once met a girl in church who said she liked hopping from church to church because it was fun. I felt uncomfortable hearing this millennial’s lackadaisical attitude toward the Church, but I also couldn’t blame her for her point of view. She’s an observer, a consumer of the church; isn’t that what we’ve all become?
After our year of rest, the time came to start “the search” for a local church community. We visited a wide variety of congregations, but we found one thing in common. Each service, program, message, and activity revolved around the attendee–my wants, feelings and immediate gratification. Not too different from Burger King’s now vintage slogan, “Have it your Way.”
Consumer
When I was younger I remember people taking the lyrics for the old worship song, “The Heart of Worship” that says, “It’s all about you Jesus” and changing it to “It’s all about Me, Jesus.” Though then intended as a joke, today it rings a truth. We may sing songs proclaiming a worshipful spirit solely devoted to God, but our daily lives and posture toward the Church cast a different reflection—one of self preference and what do I get out of the sermon this week? We treat church like a drive-thru line hoping to get enough sustenance to survive the workweek. If we’ve learned anything about junk food, it’s never sufficient. Neither is this view of the Church.
Re-entering the Church
As we began visiting churches, eager to reconnect, we found that we could spend any given Sunday at any facility and leave with the same outcome. After an hour of an intricately planned service, with mood-lighting, impeccable stage presentation, hilarious video announcements, prepared prayers with no detail left to chance, we were meant to enjoy optimal worship experience, but after it all ended we often walked out the double doors feeling, overstimulated, drained, empty and stressed. There were several times I went home and cried.
Every detail was designed to fill my spirit but resulted in the opposite. Feeling I was missing something, I set out asking other people where they went to church in hopes of finding a “better fit” and got answers like this: “The worship band is so-so, but the pastor’s message really speaks to me,” or “They have lots of children’s programs, but not great adult formation, so we just go for the kids.” This would go on. In the end, the church even these people were experiencing was geared at providing a ‘have it your way’ experience and they approached it as such too. This church formula and our response to it fosters a model of discipleship that teaches us to be ‘takers’ when we’ve been created to be ‘givers.’
We’ve Been Robbed
As I reflected on this, it dawned on me that thievery has taken place and it started long ago. Like a slow leak, over the course of church history, we’ve given away our birthright as adopted sons and daughters, heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven and given over our claim as the church body. We’ve relinquished our responsibility, ownership, and (re)birthright to the “professionals” thus making us consumers rather than servants. We’ve robbed ourselves of our glory.
Before causing a theological uproar, I am not saying that the Church does not need authority, leadership, pastors, bishops, etc. These are all biblical and necessary for order and part of the division of spiritual gifting/calling within church-life. But there is cause for concern when the ministers of the Church, laypersons like you and me, sit back, shirk our responsibility in church-life, and neglect one another and others so that we can let the “paid” servants do all the “ministry” of the Church.
Taking the Church Back
I’ve been to churches where they try to convince their congregants they are missionaries in everyday life, and I’ve met individuals who feel they do nothing for God because they are not in “full-time” ministry and this grieves me. It boils down to our deception of seeing ourselves as a victim, rather than the culprit, in the robbery. The truth is we either never knew, forgot, or willingly gave up our (re)birthright as the Church because the biblical truth is and always has been that we are the ministers of the faith, we are the messengers of Good News, and we are called the moment we say “yes” to Jesus. This is our truth and it culminates when we link together as a spiritual community called the Church. This is what living into our adopted-ness means. This is who we are, this is our purpose.
The church isn’t a building housing a select few paid staff to serve us up programs, sermons, and book studies on a silver platter whilst we sit back and shovel it in until we feel good about ourselves. The Church is a gathering of God’s children serving one another and those outside the church; our neighbors, the foreigner, the orphan, the poor and the homeless. We, the Church, are a living Holy Spirit-infused organism meant to serve in humility and give life to all those she encounters. We are a corporate reflection of Christ the servant. If we are not owning our stake in this living church, then the church will die, and it will only be our fault.
We alone, as the Church, determine whether our church communities remain in their current state or not.
Finding “The Need” for Church
If we don’t know why we go, then the reality is, why go? I’ve talked with several people lately who have decided that there really is no point because they don’t need more programs in their life and so they don’t go. This is the growing trend and that should sting.
I’ve been asking myself through “the search,” “Why do I need the Church?” I’ve come to several conclusions, the first being God’s global church was designed to redeem our fallen self toward our original createdness. When the triune God made humans, he did so for the mere joy of wanting to relish in a relationship and have deeper connectivity with his creation.
To be created in the image of God is to be relational beings for God is relational by his triune nature. Psychology Today labels loneliness as a modern epidemic, which says something about our culture today. It also goes on to say that this growing loneliness not only affects us emotionally but over time it causes our physical health to decline. These are two major sociological concerns we have in our society. The counter-argument could be that life lived in community can offer soul-restoring powers
The truth is, some of us are chronically lonely, others’ mildly lonely, and others facing physical decline. (Not all lonely related, but companionship has been proven to help those with chronic health concerns.) If solely speaking scientifically, connecting with others is a solid remedy toward improved health as well as a cure from loneliness. Spiritually speaking, God formed us as the Church to be a gathering that meets our basic spiritual, physical, and emotional needs. He never leaves out a single detail concerning our needs, and we were not created to be alone.
Can’t I Just Join a Gym?
You may be thinking, “I can just join a gym to be with other people and get healthy.” You may be right, but as a Christian, there’s more. The word community also ends in unity. One of our signature trademarks as Christians is that under Christ’s authority we are united, formed into a unique family, dependent on one another. It is a necessary and symbiotic relationship that restores our emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual health, and thus enabling us to serve others beyond our limited and individual person. Together we are better.
The gym is somewhat like the church in that it is full of people gathered for one purpose, but different in that they are not unified. They don’t necessarily see one another as beloved or under Christ’s redemption, nor do they see each other as family. Gym members are not connected by the Holy Spirit (though some people might be). Their aim is for self-health and image via a provided service, whereas the Church’s call should be toward collective health so that we can serve others together. And unlike the gym, it is a non-competitive space.
As described in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 we, the Church, are baptized by one Spirit into one body and there should be no division in that body [competition], rather we should have equal concern for each other. (paraphrase)
The gym cannot replace what only the Church can offer.
The Church You are Looking for Starts with You
We’ve gone wrong in defining the church as a place (not people) to go and consume by picking and choosing what we like or don’t like. If we want to find ourselves in church communities that aren’t life-draining then we must reclaim our right to be the Church and re-engage. And secondly, we must acknowledge our createdness as relational beings who desire to connect with one another. We must challenge ourselves to see one another as delightful, worthwhile, unique, children of God, brother and sisters, fellow investors, interconnected, necessary for our well-being, beloved, and most importantly, worth fighting for. When this church family starts to claim their (re)birthright there will be no stopping new life, healing, growth, and outward-focused service.
It’s time to step back into our churches.
Now into our third year back in America, I confess I am still on “the search.” I’m not going to lie, it’s been discouraging and not for lack of trying. I do want to be a turning point for the Church to move away from consumerism and into a unified life, but it’s not easy. As I’ve read the Bible, talked with others, and prayed I’ve asked God to show me his vision for his Church in these changing times. I don’t claim to be a scholar or expert, but I don’t think God’s left me in the lurch. I know there are others out there like me who want to be a part of the Church and see her transformed. The questions are, what does a living Church look like and how do we re-enter church-life and carry with us God-inspired change.
