Go Where You Go and Do What You Do- #3 (Or Shouldn't Do!)
We go where we go, and do (oftentimes) what we shouldn't. I have a pretty strong conviction, even vision for the way the church of Christ should function, but that vision must be set in context of what I sense to be some serious weaknesses in the way people look at the church and in the way the church itself operates.
Recently, I read a book on the missional church that made some very pointed jabs at "program driven" churches. Though I had some serious misgivings about the book as a whole it made some very good points. Among these was that too often churches focus on programs as an end in themselves. This can lead to the notion that the more programs and ministries a church can offer, the better it is. If the church calendar for a week takes a whole bulletin page, the church would be better if it took two pages. The church operates like a smorgasbord. The more menu options you can toss at the parishioner (consumer) the better off you are.
The corollary to this smorgasbord view of the church is the way many folks look at the church. The church isn't something to which they belong, it is a provider of religious goods and services and they are the consumers. You select a church by visiting several, and "kicking the tires" so to speak. Along the way you learn what the options are at each one. What can this do for Dad as opposed to what the other can do for Mom, versus the one down the street that can do more for little Johnny and Susie. The selection of a church becomes nearly exactly like the selection of a new car. Because of this mindset, far more people are in love with their church than they are with the Lord.
When a car gets some miles on it things start to break down. We all know that oil changes, spark plugs, tire alignments and replacement come with the territory. Eventually though, repairs are needed. First it's an alternator, then a water pump, a few months later the A/C dies. As we start having to put significant dollars into repairs we ditch it and start shopping for a new car. So it is with churches in this model. We stay there until it no longer meets our needs or starts demanding too much from us. Then we start the shopping all over again.
Unfortunately, the institutional church reflects this mindset in how it measures itself. In measuring ourselves we measure the number of programs/ministries offered for various groups of people. Then we measure the number of participants in those groups. I'm not throwing stones here because my own denomination, which I dearly love, also falls prey to this. The end becomes the number of goods and services the church offers and the number of consumers. What doesn't get measured in this is far more important than what does get measured. This can't measure the spiritual growth of the membership: are non-believers becoming professing Christians, are nominal Christians becoming devoted followers of Christ, and the pillars of the church becoming even stronger pillars?
What can be done for this situation? I make no claims to have all the answers, but tune in next time to see what my own reflections are on how to improve it... (Stay Tuned!)
Recently, I read a book on the missional church that made some very pointed jabs at "program driven" churches. Though I had some serious misgivings about the book as a whole it made some very good points. Among these was that too often churches focus on programs as an end in themselves. This can lead to the notion that the more programs and ministries a church can offer, the better it is. If the church calendar for a week takes a whole bulletin page, the church would be better if it took two pages. The church operates like a smorgasbord. The more menu options you can toss at the parishioner (consumer) the better off you are.
The corollary to this smorgasbord view of the church is the way many folks look at the church. The church isn't something to which they belong, it is a provider of religious goods and services and they are the consumers. You select a church by visiting several, and "kicking the tires" so to speak. Along the way you learn what the options are at each one. What can this do for Dad as opposed to what the other can do for Mom, versus the one down the street that can do more for little Johnny and Susie. The selection of a church becomes nearly exactly like the selection of a new car. Because of this mindset, far more people are in love with their church than they are with the Lord.
When a car gets some miles on it things start to break down. We all know that oil changes, spark plugs, tire alignments and replacement come with the territory. Eventually though, repairs are needed. First it's an alternator, then a water pump, a few months later the A/C dies. As we start having to put significant dollars into repairs we ditch it and start shopping for a new car. So it is with churches in this model. We stay there until it no longer meets our needs or starts demanding too much from us. Then we start the shopping all over again.
Unfortunately, the institutional church reflects this mindset in how it measures itself. In measuring ourselves we measure the number of programs/ministries offered for various groups of people. Then we measure the number of participants in those groups. I'm not throwing stones here because my own denomination, which I dearly love, also falls prey to this. The end becomes the number of goods and services the church offers and the number of consumers. What doesn't get measured in this is far more important than what does get measured. This can't measure the spiritual growth of the membership: are non-believers becoming professing Christians, are nominal Christians becoming devoted followers of Christ, and the pillars of the church becoming even stronger pillars?
What can be done for this situation? I make no claims to have all the answers, but tune in next time to see what my own reflections are on how to improve it... (Stay Tuned!)
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