In his book Dirty Word:The Vulgar, Offensive Language of the Kingdom of God, author Jim Walker spends some time discussing the current nature of the church. He looks at how many churches seem to function and then suggests how he believes the church (Kingdom of God) should function.
Walker compares the current church to a store. Like a store churches use flyers, signs and television and radio commercials to get people to come into their doors and check out their "product". Like a store churches hire professionals (pastors, youth pastors, church administrators, etc.) to do the "work". Like stores, it seems that churches are constantly in competition with other churches to offer their parishoners (customers?) the best, most exciting "product". According to Walker, the worst part of the church acting like a store, is that those who are members of the church, act like customers. This means that people come to church looking to get their needs met, looking for the best, most exciting product available. And if they don't find what they're looking for, they will simply move on to the next store...I mean church.
Instead Walker suggests that churches should be like bridges. He explains that while a store is valued because of what it has, a bridge is valued because of what it connects. Stores attract people with signs, flyers, advertisements and flashy new products (and sales). Bridges attract people because they allow people to get where they're going. Walker points out that the church, or Kingdom of God, is supposed to be about connecting people to God. This should make the church the most valuable and important bridge in existence!
What do you think? Is your church a store or a bridge? Are you a customer or a traveler? Maybe you're a customer and your church is a store, and gosh darn it that's the way you like it, and that's the way it should be. Maybe you've already sampled several other churches (stores) and if your current church begins to slip, you'll move on to the next one. But maybe you agree with Jim Walker and think the church is not a store, that it's not about products, slogans, and amazing employees, but rather that it's about connecting the world to God and being a bridge.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor John
No comments:
Post a Comment