"Church" Four

A pastor recalled a conversation he had with a member of his congregation recently in which there was much debate concerning the style of worship. At one point, the member of the church got so infuriated at the pastor's seemingly unwillingness to bend towards her wishes that she screamed out "whatever happened to the customer's always right!?" 

Although this true story that happened to a pastor I know is almost laughable, it is also tragic. Somewhere along the way, the American church has become consumer-driven. Leadership began to care more about the growth of numbers more than they did the spiritual growth of those that were already present. A successful church is the one that is large. Large church pastors are often held up as authorities, write books and speak at conventions. Speaking for myself, the seduction of ego is just as real as a pastor as it would be for any leader in business; yet even more insidious because it masks itself with spiritual overtones and the "will of God." 

Practically speaking, a larger church provides more funds so that mortgages and staff can be paid, additions can be added to the building and bigger and better lights and sound can be purchased. The more money that comes in, the more a church can do to appeal to the public. And so, like a store would a shopper, the focus of many churches has zeroed in on attraction. The public has accepted this and have treated, in turn, the church as it would any business that exists for their patronage and happiness. Thus, a response like the one mentioned in the opening, although rarely expressed is commonly felt.

Now, permit me two disclaimers. 1. A healthy church should be growing in numbers because those numbers may equal broken souls becoming whole through Christ. As a matter of fact, for all the slamming that megachurches endure, studies, like the ones done by Barna and ones mentioned in a recent Washington Post article, have revealed that those who are a part of a mega church or more likely to feel a part of their church, are more likely to believe the fundamentals of the Bible and are more likely to share their faith.* 2. Many large churches and churches that are on their way to being large, are so because of the life of God in their midst. What I am speaking about here is not specific churches at all but rather a culture that has fallen on the church in America like a mist.

What is desperately needed is a reeducation on what church actually is, based not on what other churches are doing, business books or cultural trends but rather the purpose and function of the church in the Bible. This type of church will not concern themselves with pleasing attendees or with trying to do things better than the church up the street. They may be small and if so, they are content to be so knowing that they are aiming to please God alone. If they do increase in numbers, it will be because Jesus, His life and His mission, are making the people healthy and healthy things grow. 

The kind of person that will be drawn to RCC will not ask "what can your church do for me?" but rather "how can I serve?" Those who feel a pull to be a part of RCC will be those who desire Jesus and hunger for His transformation of themselves, their neighbor and their city. The average person at RCC probably will not rate sermons and songs on a scorecard and compare it to other churches at which they have shopped. They are not interested in going to church any longer, but instead, aim at learning what it means to BE the church.

* For more info, read the Barna study here. As well, you can download a report from outreach here.