Recently in Congregations Category

I know a lot of Christians.

My personal history includes Evangelical Free, Bible Students, Metropolitan Community Churches, and United Church of Christ. My family history includes the Roman Catholic church (on my Mom's side) and a Presbyterian minister on my Dad's side.

And, among others, I know Eastern Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Reformed, Congregationalist, Baptist, Methodist, New-light Christian, Evangelical, Mennonite, Pentecostal, and non-denominational Christians.

I know there are some churches that have made the news (or at least the blogs, Facebook posts, and Twitter tweets) for being a bit controlloing of their members.

I know a lot of Christians are considered "unchurched": they have no regular church they attend.

And I know the mainline churches are in decline. Seminaries are closing and suspending their programs.

This is not my worry.

Every time I read a story that offers a way to revitalize a church to keep it alive, I wince. Every story about a denomination's attempt to bring in more members makes me cringe. Every sermon about how to bring more people and money into a church makes me want to hide under a pew.

It's not that I don't like churches.

Churches feed people spiritually. They are important ways for people to have a sense of community. They're kind of like restaurants: places where people meet and eat.

And in a fast-food world, restaurants need to change to bring in customers and their money, right?

But even if churches bear some resemblance to restaurants, they are not restaurants. The call of Jesus is not to create a self-sustaining place that turns a profit and pays its workers. Really, it is not.

Then Jesus told his disciples, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

- Matthew 16:24-26, NRSV

We usually think about these verses as referring to individuals, and that's appropriate - though we individuals (especially in the USA) have grown less willing to lose our lives, or our comfort for that matter, in the service of God.

Then he said to them all, "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words, of them the Son of Man will be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

- Luke 9:23-26, NRSV

But I think the churches need to hear this as well. Yes, I have heard that churches must change or die. I have heard that churches must be renewed, I have heard so many ideas of how to revitalize existing churches. But that's not the point at all.

Remember Lot's wife. Those who try to make their life secure will lose it, but those who lose their life will keep it.
- Luke 17:32-33

As long as churches are more concerned with their survival, with their balance sheets, with the number in worship on Sunday morning, they have precisely the wrong focus for Christian churches.

Churches have to risk death.

I'm very serious about this.

Churches, and the believers who are their members, have to start putting the good news first.  As uncomfortable as it may be, churches must risk their own survival by preaching in the public square, in word and deed, the message that inspires them.

Are you a social justice church? What evidence of this exists beyond your walls?

Does your church preach "the priesthood of all believers?" What does "all" mean to you, and does anyone outside the church know?

I was once in a church meeting around the idea of becoming Open and Affirming to Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender people. One question raised was "what will other churches think of us?"

Here's a clue:

It's not about you.

When the early Christians stayed with the sick, it wasn't about the Christians: it was about the sick.

When the early Christians sold their belongings to give them to the poor, it wasn't about the Christians: it was about the poor.

When Jesus ate with prostitutes and tax collectors, believe it or not, it was not about Jesus! It was about the prostitutes and tax collectors!

It's possible that new outreach may increase membership or donations.

But it might not.

And that's okay.

The church must die to itself.

Because a church's ministry is not about the church. It's about reaching those who need the church's ministry.

And a church that is only focused on surviving, as far as the world outside can see, is dead already.

Julie Holm has an excellent article on how going to seminary is ministry.

It was after being recommended for in care that I was asked to be on the leadership group (of 3) that supported 40 ministry teams. I was the only nominee for the vacant position. I was already serving on a number of our church's ~90 ministry teams. Churches have few people willing to take leadership roles (the 80/20 or 90/10 rule: 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people). Those few who will are expected to, because the alternative is empty leadership positions.

Financial support of seminarians is an interesting issue. The two congregations I've been with both struggle to pay their staff - one pays a full time pastor plus part time staff positions: youth minister, music minister, accompanist, facilities manager, church secretary, and cleaning staff. The other pays only a pastor (full time) and part time accompanist. There's no money left to try to help someone through seminary (despite what the MoM may say).

And why should they? It's not like they'll be the beneficiaries of the education. The seminarian will likely go pastor some other church or do some other ministry. Why give money to help someone else's ministry, especially when our own ministries are struggling?

Perhaps the fundamental problem is that, for many, the church has been relegated to an hour on Sunday morning. For some, this is clarified to "on days when none of the kids has an activity like skating or baseball Sunday morning and when we weren't out too late Saturday night" (I know a paid minister who has to skip even some large celebrations - read Christmas - due to conflicts with primary job, secondary job, and kids).

It should be no surprise that paid ministers, seminarians, and lay leaders are burning out. While 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people, the other 80% of the people are expecting more.

I don't have an answer to this problem.

OK, I'm overweight and I know it. I eat the wrong things and I don't get enough exercise. I have a treadmill in my bedroom, and yet I rarely use it. I lack motivation. I lack self-discipline. I need to start a new habit.

I think a lot of churches are this way. Sure, we could get out and stand up for an issue. Yes, we could volunteer at a homeless shelter. We could do a lot of things.

But our priorities lie in our own comfort and inertia:

Some churches don't have the money for mission and ministry because we are building a new building. Or buying new carpet. Or we're doing something else that makes the sanctuary more comfortable while we watch the big screen and the action on the stage...er, chancel.

Some churches have gotten lazy - and big. They have a lot of ministries or teams or groups to do all the things that the church has to do to keep being the church it is. These are the survival ministries: they make sure that what has been done is still done and that everything in the church appears as it has. These core ministries are sacred: to alter or lose one could threaten the life of the church.

Some churches are comfortable and risk-averse. But this is also unhealthy. These churches don't have the energy they once did, and a lot of that is due to their size (self-supporting ministries) and lack of exercise (not doing outward ministry).

There is a cure. Churches need to get up and start moving. Cut their diets of bureaucracy. Start doing work that serves others.

Like people, a church can't just go from being sedentary to being a triathlete. Small steps should be taken. Perhaps consolidate a couple of ministries or drop something that's not working rather than doing wholesale liposuction on its structure. And it's good to consult a physician (through prayer, in this case) before starting any fitness regimen.

But bloated, lethargic Western churches need to get healthy, and they need to start now.

As for me? I promise to run on the treadmill.

Tomorrow.

My church is Plainfield Congregational United Church of Christ, part of the Eastern Association of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ.

There have been reports of child molestation by church leaders. Firearm discharge inside churches seems to be on the rise.

With these and other recent events, any organization would do well to examine their security policies. Yet for churches, we might well consider the theological basis of our choices.

For Christians, there is the example of the one who walked with lepers, the lame, adulterers, prostitutes, people with boils, the demon possessed, women with chronic bleeding, and tax collectors. Yet we also have a duty to protect those who are vulnerable.

How do we live grace and faith in God's protection, while caring for those around us?

...our praise band, "Inspiration!", is about to start the prelude for the service at the harvest festival in Forrest.. More later.

When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." But He said to them, "You give them something to eat."

And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people." For there were about five thousand men.

And He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty."  And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. - Luke 9:12-17

This miracle is the only one reported in all of the gospels. It's too bad that, with all the hungry people in the world today, that we can't repeat it now.

Or can we?

At 8:30AM today, I'll be rehearsing with my church's praise band. At 10:30, we'll be part of the service at the Harvest Festival in Forrest Illinois.

Three churches will come together to celebrate the harvest to which we all contributed. Two urban churches - * Grace Lutheran Church & School of Forest Park, IL and Plainfield Congregational United Church of Christ - sponsored acres of land tilled by members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Forrest Illinois. The harvest of corn will be sold at market rate, and the money raised will be used in a growing project in Africa. The United States Agency for International Development will match the money raised. So from the modest contributions of two churches and the labor of a third, sustainable agriculture will be developed so that people can feed themselves.

This is the work of Foods Resource Bank. 15 Mainline Christian denominations participate in reproducing this miracle of feeding the multitude.

I'd go on, but I have a celebration to prepare for.

Jesus said to them:

"You give them something to eat."