Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Three things the Church of Christ is in danger of losing... and they are important
I grew up in the church of Christ -- or Church of Christ if you think it ought to be a title instead of a description. So did my wife. And that is where we raised our kids. I think my people have gotten a lot of things right in our heritage. And some of us have missed on a few. Lately I hear a lot of talk about whether the church of Christ will survive in the future. I am not real worried about it. God's people, his church, will be here until he sends his son back to get us. But I do think we offer some valuable insight for the Kingdom as a whole. But lately I have started wondering if we are losing sight of some of the really valuable things that made us grow so fast. And I am not talking about baptism, though I really am thankful for our emphasis on that as the way to participate in the death, burial, and resurrection. And I am not talking about acapella worship, though I like that and think it is a great tradition. It is special when other groups ask our advice about how to use it to enhance their worship experience.
But here are three things I think we are losing that endanger our future.
1. We used to really emphasize every member is a minister. Sometimes we were pretty much anti-clergy. But for us, ministry was something everyone did. Some just got paid to do it full-time. We were adamant that preachers were not pastors. That was what elders did. We believed that every man was minister able to perform weddings, do funerals, preach, preside at the Lord's table, read Scripture, lead prayer in the worship assembly. Our boys grew up watching their Dads do this, and they learned how from them. (and this is not about women's role so not going there). We are not that way in our big churches anymore. More and more I see our churches led by "professional" ministers. They do all the public ministry, they lead all the ministries, and they make most of the decisions. So for a lot of our men, the expectation is to show up. Not expected to lead, not expected to teach, not expected to do much of anything. Well, we still want their money. Don't have a professional minister? Show a video (and by the way I know some good ones -- my point is not the quality, it is the mindset behind it). And we wonder why men are dropping out.
That is one reason I think smaller churches, and house churches, are the key to the future. Or very active groups within our big churches. They are driven by members. Not top down, but with everyone needed and expected to lead.
2. We don't know the book like we used to. We expect the professionals to do our study for us, explain it clearly, and then tell us what it means. We used to know Scripture. We would debate what it meant, fight over different interpretations, and have intense arguments over it. But we knew it. Not just our preachers. Not even just our elders. Not even just our men. We all learned the Bible. I think we are losing that. You can sit in a lot of our "Bible" classes and not hear much Bible. You can hear a lot of application. You can hear a lot of felt needs addressed. But if we don't know what the basis is, I am not sure the application is much different than you could hear at any active civic club.
So we have got to get back to learning the book. Good for theology. Good for practical ministry application. We are building a house without a foundation.
3. We are not evangelistic. We have lost sight of the mission. We have got to be serious about all of us making disciples. We have got to be courageous and fearless in sharing our faith. And we won't always be liked by our world if we do that. But they crucified Jesus, so...
Churches where members share their faith grow. Churches that don't, die. We sometimes confuse social justice with sharing the good news. Or we think relief efforts are the same as mission work. Jesus thought they all went together. We used to.
So here are three quick questions:
Does your church expect anything out of you besides showing up, giving, and living right?
Do you need a Bible to understand the sermon and/or Bible class you attend?
How many first generation Christians do you know in your congregation?
And if not, what are you going to do about it?
But here are three things I think we are losing that endanger our future.
1. We used to really emphasize every member is a minister. Sometimes we were pretty much anti-clergy. But for us, ministry was something everyone did. Some just got paid to do it full-time. We were adamant that preachers were not pastors. That was what elders did. We believed that every man was minister able to perform weddings, do funerals, preach, preside at the Lord's table, read Scripture, lead prayer in the worship assembly. Our boys grew up watching their Dads do this, and they learned how from them. (and this is not about women's role so not going there). We are not that way in our big churches anymore. More and more I see our churches led by "professional" ministers. They do all the public ministry, they lead all the ministries, and they make most of the decisions. So for a lot of our men, the expectation is to show up. Not expected to lead, not expected to teach, not expected to do much of anything. Well, we still want their money. Don't have a professional minister? Show a video (and by the way I know some good ones -- my point is not the quality, it is the mindset behind it). And we wonder why men are dropping out.
That is one reason I think smaller churches, and house churches, are the key to the future. Or very active groups within our big churches. They are driven by members. Not top down, but with everyone needed and expected to lead.
2. We don't know the book like we used to. We expect the professionals to do our study for us, explain it clearly, and then tell us what it means. We used to know Scripture. We would debate what it meant, fight over different interpretations, and have intense arguments over it. But we knew it. Not just our preachers. Not even just our elders. Not even just our men. We all learned the Bible. I think we are losing that. You can sit in a lot of our "Bible" classes and not hear much Bible. You can hear a lot of application. You can hear a lot of felt needs addressed. But if we don't know what the basis is, I am not sure the application is much different than you could hear at any active civic club.
So we have got to get back to learning the book. Good for theology. Good for practical ministry application. We are building a house without a foundation.
3. We are not evangelistic. We have lost sight of the mission. We have got to be serious about all of us making disciples. We have got to be courageous and fearless in sharing our faith. And we won't always be liked by our world if we do that. But they crucified Jesus, so...
Churches where members share their faith grow. Churches that don't, die. We sometimes confuse social justice with sharing the good news. Or we think relief efforts are the same as mission work. Jesus thought they all went together. We used to.
So here are three quick questions:
Does your church expect anything out of you besides showing up, giving, and living right?
Do you need a Bible to understand the sermon and/or Bible class you attend?
How many first generation Christians do you know in your congregation?
And if not, what are you going to do about it?
Comments:
<< Home
Amen, true for THE church, regardless of the name on the door, to lack thereof. Good points, thanks for sharing your wisdom.
# posted by 
: 3:40 PM PDT
: 3:40 PM PDT
You wrote, "But for us, ministry was something everyone did. Some just got paid to do it full-time. We were adamant that preachers were not pastors. That was what elders did."
That task of elders (pastoring) is great if you have been in a church for decades and know everyone. For the younger generations, they have no idea who the elders are or what they do. Most elders either run the show directly or oversee committees (in the more moderate congregations). Some probably do visit their friends if they are sick. However, many younger people wonder if old elders know anything about the issues of the modern world. They almost never hear(d) elders speak on any topic relevant to them. Some of the younger people also wonder if the confidentiality of the clergy extends to elders. (There are times that younger people want to talk in absolute confidence.) Some aren't sure that elders can keep info from their parents. Also, young females aren't find of talking to older men about issues. This is why female campus ministers are on many college campuses.
This cofC idea that preachers weren't pastors may have hurt the church. There are many times when younger people wondered if the preacher knew how to do anything but preach. I may be a little hard, but I am going off of prior experience. Some of us younger people are hoping that the new generation of ministers (females too) are more pastors and more open to doing the work of a chaplain.
That task of elders (pastoring) is great if you have been in a church for decades and know everyone. For the younger generations, they have no idea who the elders are or what they do. Most elders either run the show directly or oversee committees (in the more moderate congregations). Some probably do visit their friends if they are sick. However, many younger people wonder if old elders know anything about the issues of the modern world. They almost never hear(d) elders speak on any topic relevant to them. Some of the younger people also wonder if the confidentiality of the clergy extends to elders. (There are times that younger people want to talk in absolute confidence.) Some aren't sure that elders can keep info from their parents. Also, young females aren't find of talking to older men about issues. This is why female campus ministers are on many college campuses.
This cofC idea that preachers weren't pastors may have hurt the church. There are many times when younger people wondered if the preacher knew how to do anything but preach. I may be a little hard, but I am going off of prior experience. Some of us younger people are hoping that the new generation of ministers (females too) are more pastors and more open to doing the work of a chaplain.
# posted by : 5:53 PM PDT
: 5:53 PM PDT
Having visited so many different religous institutions over the years you begin to notice subtle changes between them, but for the most part in my opinion, the christian religions are the same. Big churches equate to big programs, and multi staffed positions, it is a business that has to be productive to survive.
I feel some of the likeness in the christian religions is due to society issues, in that the world looks at everything as gray, instead of black and white like we grew up with. Gray is by defination intermediate in position or character, which to me interprets to neutral.
In theory you are correct, but the question is can independent home churches, or small congerations survive and prosper in today's "gray" society? How much more/less impact will you have on the community that you are trying to reach? Most importantly how does God feel about the church in question, is it christ like?
It seems every small congeration I have heard of, or been associated with had the goal of becomming bigger. The growth itself pushes you forward, and as such small churches become big churches. It is a circle of success.
Just my thoughts, hugs to you and Marsha.
I feel some of the likeness in the christian religions is due to society issues, in that the world looks at everything as gray, instead of black and white like we grew up with. Gray is by defination intermediate in position or character, which to me interprets to neutral.
In theory you are correct, but the question is can independent home churches, or small congerations survive and prosper in today's "gray" society? How much more/less impact will you have on the community that you are trying to reach? Most importantly how does God feel about the church in question, is it christ like?
It seems every small congeration I have heard of, or been associated with had the goal of becomming bigger. The growth itself pushes you forward, and as such small churches become big churches. It is a circle of success.
Just my thoughts, hugs to you and Marsha.
Thanks for commenting Mark. You are right that so much of our viewpoint is shaped by experience. And mine is obviously different than yours. I do think Scripture says so much about older teaching younger -- and I just don't see that much. And of course, I would suggest ministers not being pastors is not a cofC idea as much as a Biblical concept. I do think you hit on one thing that I strongly agree with -- I think elder's wives are very much a part of shepherding. I think that is why elders are to have a wife and a strong home. Makes it much easier for the younger women to approach a couple, not just an elder.
Anyway, thanks for the input. Blessings, steve
Anyway, thanks for the input. Blessings, steve
Hey Eloise. Interesting that many people on Facebook commented that they thought these were issues for many churches, not just churches of Christ.
And you have nailed the ongoing struggle between the house church/small church vs. big church debate. Personally, I am convinced that large churches can do so much in the community and can pool resources to do amazing things. but that church has to have a vibrant small group involvement. But that may be hoping for the best of both worlds. Love you
And you have nailed the ongoing struggle between the house church/small church vs. big church debate. Personally, I am convinced that large churches can do so much in the community and can pool resources to do amazing things. but that church has to have a vibrant small group involvement. But that may be hoping for the best of both worlds. Love you
But elders' wives are not likely to be in their 20s or 30s. Times were different back when they were in college. Also, some females fear that the wife might tell the girl's mother what is going on which could get said female thrown out of her family. Hence the reason that female campus ministers might be more understanding of current problems and less likely to rat someone out.
Post a Comment
# posted by : 5:16 AM PDT
: 5:16 AM PDT << Home
