This church in Veszprem, Hungary was one of many I saw in 1997 that looked beautiful and stately, but was rarely used. |
The institutional church receives
lots of flak these days, and in some respects justifiably so. Nonbelievers perceive
it as pompous, self-righteous, rigid, irrelevant. Even for those that regularly
attend churches, it can seem distant, self-indulgent, out of touch, more focused
on programs than people’s needs.
In my spiritual journey I’ve been
involved with more than a half-dozen denominations, a dozen congregations, and held
leadership and teaching roles in some. I’m not a church-hopper, but geographic moves
and periodic urgings to seek a new “home” have given me insights into this
unique, universal, spiritual family we call “the Church.”
One of the main problems, as I
see it, is many churches act more like organizations than what the Bible says they
should be – an organism. In 1 Corinthians 12:12 the apostle Paul describes the
Church as “a unit, although it is made up
of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body.”
European churches present a unique beauty, but often, as in American congregations, vitality is sorely lacking. |
This human body metaphor suggests
one of the main functions I think a church should serve. (Later this week I’ll
look at another.) Joining a local congregation should be like being admitted to
a hospital. When you’re ill and in
need of urgent care, you don’t hear the hospital staff saying, “Come back later
when you’re feeling better. We don’t want sick people in here.” Of course not.
Too often, however, people
attending church feel they must act like they have it all together, like they
truly “couldn’t be better.” In fact, every one of us is hurting in some way –
carrying baggage from earlier in life, struggling with behavior patterns we
can’t control, suffering from broken relationships. And most often, feeling apart
from a healthy, growing relationship with the Creator.
Instead of being able to enter,
pain and all, and openly share our “symptoms,” too often we feel the need to
put on Sunday smiles – our happy masks – and disguise the hurt within.
The hospital comparison of apt,
too, because typically when admitted for treatment it takes a while for the
medical staff to diagnose the problem and identify the proper course of
treatment. This is true spiritually as well. Romans 3:23 reminds us, “for all have sinned and fall short of the
glory of God.” So recognizing we’re all suffering from spiritual disease is
simple; determining how to remedy strongholds of sin is more difficult.
Yes, the Church today –
particularly in America – has many flaws. And as a member of the family, I have
the right to admit that. But there’s still something special, unique about
being a part of a body of believers sharing the same faith in Jesus, the one
who declared, “I am the way, the truth
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). I
know that sounds narrow, certainly not very “tolerant.” But He said it, not me.
Later this week, I’ll propose
something else an effective church should look like.
1 comment:
This posting really spoke to me Robert. I grew up in a household where Mom was a Roman Catholic and Dad a German Lutheran. My Dad had to agree to raise my sister and I as Catholics. If we attended the Lutheran Church we had to go to confession before we could receive Communion in the Catholic church. Very confusing to a child! I have remained a Catholic my entire life but often a cafeteria-style communicant. My experience had only been with the Jesuits until a year ago. I went through the process of getting a Catholic annulment and was ready to leave the Church entirely. The experience made me doubt my faith. But a wonderful thing happened during a communinal reconciliation service held by the Deanery in my part of NC I sat with a Franciscan friar and felt like I had come home to the more innocent faith of my childhood. I love the Franciscans commitment to the community and issues dealing with social justice. I truly feel a part of something sustaining and meaningful. Christine Gebhardt
Post a Comment