Remember when you were a kid and you went to church camps? It was so easy to be a Christian there because you were in a tidy little Christian bubble that kept those heathens out while you sang Kumbaya, played stupid youth group games, and did those dumb group chants..."We love Jesus, yes we do. We love Jesus, how 'bout you?" Don't get me wrong, I love church camps and am sending six middle schoolers to one through Youthfront this summer, but it reminds me so much of what it's like to be in church now.
We have our own ways of communicating with eachother using Christianese and regularly discuss just how bad off society is as we comfortably sit in our pews, singing worship songs, nodding our heads in agreement with what the pastor says. We've created a place for God to live and if you don't come to this place, you're going to have a hard time meeting God as if God only shows up in church buildings.
Ok, I know I'm being pretty condescending towards our churches, but there's got to be a better way to think Kingdom growth rather than church growth. St. Francis said, "preach the gospel wherever you go and if necessary, use words." I love this quote and I think it sums up what McNeal is getting at. I'd take it to the next level though. Words are important as we articulate what it is we believe and just how it is that God has changed our lives. Without this life changing power, Christianity has no relevance in the lives of anybody inside or outside the church.
I want to give a couple quick examples of how we're trying to do this at First UMC.
- Adopt a street - an idea just popped up the other day in my head. Early this year, we had a HUGE ice storm knocking over thousands of thousands of tree branches. Many of them are still sitting on the curbs waiting for city trucks to come pick them up. Couldn't all the churches in Salina adopt a street block or blocks and take a day to work together to help clean this mess up? It's going to take the city a long time, so why not help?
- Child Sex Slaves - an increasing problem in today's world is the use of children as sex slaves. Last year we did a benefit concert for the people in Darfur, Africa and raised over a thousand dollars to help provide health kits to those involved in the genocide. What if we raised money to be able to buy a child out of sex slavery?
What can your church do to show it cares for the people in your community? Surely we can do more than just tweak our worship services in a way we think best brings others to us. Let's go get 'em!
1 comment:
The struggle is in the balance between being the "sanctuary" and "living out the mission". What I mean by that is after a week like I've just had I need to know that there is a place that I can call my safe haven, my harbor, my sanctuary where I know God dwells and wants me to dwell as well. The church then becomes the place where I "go" to regroup, to be encouraged, to get my strength back. Even the Israelites had a sanctuary that had a sense of comfortability as well as a predictability of sorts (reciting the Psalms in an antiphonal manner for example). We need that.
We also need to be "missional", to use the latest buzzword, where we are intentional in reaching out to others so that they might be able to experience the "sanctuary". One without the other is merely the problem James was addressing when he said that faith without works is dead.
I'd like to see a little more humility in McNeal and others in his camp. I really like what he says and agree with much of his conclusions but even he (at times)fits into the category of folks of whom he is pointing the finger.
Lest we become too harsh, let us not forget that not all the Pharisees were Pharisaical. Many would have put us to shame regarding relationship with God and others.
Since it's still Lent, Psalm 51 seems quite appropriate - "Create in me a clean heart O God, and renew a right Spirit within me." A clean heart will enable us to experience both the sanctuary as well as live out the mission.
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