Engaging the World
For those who lead in mission, service and
peace ministries.
Just remember my name
By Doug Klassen
Today was one of our hospitality Sundays when, during the Sunday School
hour, we invite newcomers for some coffee and light conversation with our
church leaders. The new attenders took turns introducing themselves, sharing
how it happened that they were attending Foothills, and what they enjoyed
about the congregation.
Now it was a young couple's turn to share. Scott and
Jolene had tried other churches, some with large programs, others with high-tech
worship services, but they eventually settled on Foothills, even though it meant
driving across the city to be here. Someone else in the group put words to my
thoughts: "What was so attractive about our church that made you come back?"
The woman responded, "Well, from our very first
Sunday here people welcomed us and were very friendly. But what impressed us
the most was that the next Sunday we were back, people remembered our names.
When that happened, we knew we had found our church."
Accommodating to the culture?
This was welcome news to me. That week I had just been reading about some churches
that were intentionally restructuring their ministries to adjust to the times
we live in. They wanted to appeal to over-committed and over-stressed people.
Some would make worship times available weeknights or Saturday evenings-early
enough not to impinge upon dinner or movie plans. Other congregations went
a step further, modifying worship styles to compete with the entertainment
world and make church an exciting place to be.
I read about a church in California where worshipers choose from thirteen services
in a variety of room sizes, offering five types of music, including bluegrass,
rock, or hymns. Then, after the singing, worshipers would watch the same sermon
on video.
In a 2003 Christianity Today article, Rick Warren forecasts
that the "Cineplex" concept is clearly the way of the future. Here
churches offer multiple venues and worship styles, where attenders are never
late because a service, with its videotaped sermon, is always about to start
somewhere.
Given
all of the new Sunday morning options, who in your community would
even consider coming to your church?
If you have not already restructured your church in that
direction, what goes through your mind when you hear of these new models? Do
they make you think that Sunday morning, with a Sunday School hour and a worship
service, is behind the times? What about sitting in pews, singing out of a hymnal,
following a printed order of service, or being led by a worship leader who occasionally
stumbles over sentences? Given all of the new Sunday morning options, who in
your community would even consider coming to your church?
Why go to church?
Like the 80 percent of Canadians who do not attend church regularly, many in
the neighborhood around Foothills think Sunday morning is a great time to
sleep in, go grocery shopping, or play hockey. From their perspective, just
think of the peace of mind you could have if all of the errands and household
tasks were taken care of before the work week began! Why would you even want
to go to church at all?
The first disciples who followed Jesus and joined the
early church did so because that was where people expressed their love for God
and cared for one another (Acts 4:32-35). They gave hospitality to the early
missionaries, collected money for the poor, and supported widows who joined the
fellowship. In the first three centuries of the church, Christians cared for
children who were abandoned by their pagan parents.
The 16th Century Anabaptists spoke of each other as brothers
and sisters, because they considered the church to be a family. We know that
their belief in peace and non-resistance was rooted not only in Christ's example
but also in the genuine love they felt for each other and for all of humankind.
In describing the Anabaptists, one priest said, "If they were not heretics,
one might think that they have the very Spirit of God within them."
Hospitality for the long haul
How do the Bible and our own history instruct us for today? Does the church
have to invest in thousands of dollars in electronics and worship aids to
attract people? The multi-room services, the professional band, the theatre
seating, and the polished video-taped sermon-these may bring in the curious,
but what are they doing to help people to forge a long-term connection with
a faith community?
Like Scott and Jolene, post-modern people are looking
for the same basic things they have sought for 2000 years. They want to discover
a love beyond themselves. They want to be touched by the love of God and to see
this love coming alive among other people. In the end, they are much less concerned
about convenience and entertainment than about discovering this love. They know
they are on to something when people in the church remember their names.
I have never been in a grocery store or played on a hockey
team that loves and cares the way the church often does. I have a hard time imagining
how churches in the "Cineplex" mode can foster that community spirit.
All gimmicks aside, let the church do what it can do best. Let it be a place
where the love of God is experienced. People will come, even on a Sunday morning.
Consider
hosting a gathering where you can survey new adherents in your
congregation. Ask them, "What brought you to this place?" and "What
keeps you here?" Their answers may provide you with some
insightful feedback for your church council or your outreach
committee as it explores what structures will best help your
congregation engage the world around it.
Doug Klassen is senior pastor at Foothills Mennonite Church in Calgary, Alberta.