Where There Is No Vision...

Proverbs 29:18 states "Where there is no vision, the people will perish."

In an increasingly individualistic society, the notion of a corporate body within the church has suffered greatly. As notions of individual rights have taken center stage in our culture as ideas based in the concept of "the greater good for the greater number of people" have waned, these mentalities seem to have bled over into the church. We seem more focused on the development of our own personal growth than we are the corporate growth of the body of Christ. We are more prone to think in terms of what we would like to be involved with than we are with what is the overall vision of our church.

We hear words like "intimacy" and "fellowship" tossed around like these are the end goals in our Christianity. I am not saying that it is not important to have intimate relationships and accountability, but these have become end goals in and of themselves rather than things that are natural by products of pursuing a common cause. The notion of "men's fellowship groups" has nauseated me lately and I have been trying to figure out why. I have come to the conclusion that it is because they seem "forced". It is like we have determined that men need to be in fellowship so we try to create these intimate groups. We try to manufacture intimacy by trying to put men together to "share". Right or wrong, good or evil, I have no desire right now to share with anyone whom I do not already have a relationship. I don't see the need for myself. I don't see the purpose for myself. But does that mean I do not think these relationships should exist - "no". But it does mean that I do not think they should be "contrived" either. What is the purpose? How does it further God's Kingdom? These groups seem to be an end goal in and of themselves and, as such, I do not see how they further God's kingdom.

Now, give me a "cause" or a "vision" with which I can come along side other men and fight for, and I can get excited about that, and fellowship will naturally follow from this higher purpose and higher goal rather than us trying to manufacture that fellowship. The focus is completely different here. The focus is the vision of advancing God's Kingdom where corporate fellowship is established as a by-product rather than trying to establish fellowship for its own sake. I don't want a place to share my emotions! I want a cause for which I can fight alongside other men.

Where there is no vision, the people will perish. This perishing is not a sudden death. It is not a dramatic death. No, rather it is a drifting in life without the rudder of vision. It is a "lukewarmness" without the fires of a cause. It is a seemingly eternal floating without the gravity of purpose.

Why are we going to church? Is it because we like it? Because we like certain aspects of it - the worship, the preaching, the fellowship? Because we feel cared for? Or is it because we have a common vision as that of the church itself and we want to come along side others who have this vision and we want to fight for a common cause - the "corporate" progressing of the Kingdom?

This is most probably not my best thought out argument, but hopefully there is some truth to be gleaned here and as always - is hopefully thought provoking.

Broken Beyond Repair?

Is there ever a point in time when you just need to let something fall apart so you can start all over again? There are eleven holes in the dike and more keep popping up. After using all of your fingers to plug the holes, do you start using your toes or do you finally say, “It’s over! Enough is enough”? I ask these questions amidst all of the bank failures that we see in our economy where physical currency has been lost by the billions, and where physical currency is going to be taken from Peter to pay Paul in order to plug the economic dike.

But financial institutions are not what’s on my mind, but rather spiritual institutions. Is there ever a point in time where it would be appropriate to say, “This church simply needs to be put out of its misery?” Seems like a sacrilegious notion. How could one wish that there be one less institution for God in our world, in our city, in our neighborhood? But yet we’ve heard laments for years about how decadent America is and yet America has a church practically every other block. The insinuation here is that some (if not most of) these churches must not being doing an adequate enough job else there wouldn’t be discussion of a decadent America. So the notion of letting a church that is leaking like a sieve simply fall apart completely is not the most outlandish thought.

What do you do with a twenty year old church that has become completely removed from its original vision? A church that started out with good intent, but ran into some of the traps and snares that befall many churches: the church becomes popular and grows too fast; the pastor has an extra-marital affair and steps down; a church with no affiliation to any denomination from which to draw support; a church that cannot seem to find much less communicate a vision to its congregation; a church where doing things a certain way is so engrained in the culture that change is hard to come by; a church that has a large attendance, but only 10% of the attendees actually do the work because other attendees do not feel, see, or understand the need or are not called and commissioned to service; a church where interpersonal relationships are lacking and impersonal emails are the standard mode of communication; a church where there is no established system of Christian education; a church where the bulk of the time is spent on trying to resolve pastor and staff conflicts; a church where the theology is driven by love and care for the congregation in an unoffending style and not driven by truth itself whether that offends or not; a church where more concern and care is placed upon those whom the church doesn’t know or barely knows to the complete neglect of its own congregation (some who have attended for 20 some odd years); a church that does not give a second thought to those longstanding covenanters who choose to leave as they are so focused on those who might attend; a church that is so concerned with offending its congregation to the point of losing attendees that it refuses to establish and communicate a vision for and to its congregation; a church where you can come and go, never engage anyone and never be called to anything; a church whose pastor has tremendous passion and evangelistic skills, yet has been placed in the position of teaching and vision casting which is not the best use of his skills.

Is this a church that needs to fail and completely start all over again? Is it worth the energy to make repairs? Can God still work regardless of this church’s future - fail or succeed? Does it make sense to keep doing something over and over again when you always get the same result (that being a negative one)? Is there something unbiblical about a church failing?

Should “church” be this hard? What is the will of God here? Is there anything wrong with tearing it all down and starting from scratch?

Suspicious Minds

You remember the Elvis song from years ago called "Suspicious Minds" (I actually prefer the Fine Young Cannibals version of the song, but that's neither here nor there). The song depicts the often realized scenario of one partner suspecting the other partner of being dishonest and/or cheating. It's funny, and maybe it's just me, but every time I hear that song I still tend to believe that the guy has previously done something to warrant his current plight. And regardless of his explanations and current angst, I still can't bring myself to fully believe he can be completely trusted.

One of the definitions of "suspicion" is "the imagining of something without evidence." Even the definition of the term tends to play on our emotions and almost immediately makes our minds leap ahead to what suspected offense could have been perpetrated. But if you think about it, more often than not, "suspicion" really says more about the "one being suspicious" than it does about the "one being suspected" of something. There is nothing in this Elvis song that leads you to believe that the guy has ever done anything to create suspicion, and even though he is in turmoil by the effects the suspicion has on his relationship with his companion, I would venture to guess that the one in greater anguish here is the girl. She cannot seem to control her emotions and thought processes, and most probably sits and stews thinking of every possible negative scenario of what the guy might be up to creating her own personal torture chamber in which she now is prisoner.

There are many insidious aspects of "suspicion". One, it plays on our tendencies to expect the worst. Suspicion is one of the few instances I can think of where the mind and the emotions team up for "ill" (evil?), and send us spiraling downward into a quagmire of miserable speculation. Most of the time we are either too emotional and need sound thinking to get us beyond our emotions, or we are lost in cold calculated thinking needing emotion to bring heartfelt perspective to our rationale. But suspicion seems to feed upon the sinful nature of both heart and mind.

Lastly, there is Satan. The Evil One lies in wait. As if our own sinful tendencies were not enough, the Deceiver is ready and willing to tell us lies to feed our suspicions with the intent to cause massive harm.

Christians and Suspicions

Believe me, I have seen it! And it is not a pretty sight! Half truths mixed with half lies mixed with legitimate concern mixed with hurtful responses mixed with good intentions mixed with....and before you know it, the well known song it "Only Takes a Spark, To Keep the Fire Goin'" turns into "It Only Takes a Spark, To Keep the Fire Blazin' Outta Control" and your entire church is burned to the ground. I witnessed it in the church in which I grew up (we tended to have brush fires regularly). As I stated before, it was a hellfire and brimstone preaching church. I wasn't afraid of the fires of hell nearly as much as I was afraid of the fires of suspicion and mistrust that were destroying our church at that time. And, again, Satan is just waiting to jump into the fray and fan the flames.

What I Don't Know

Even the most mature Christians can fall prey to suspicion. I now find myself (I guess I should have said least mature) in a situation where I am fighting suspicion with every bone in my body. I have enough information to be dangerous to myself and others, but I do not have the entire story. And I never will. Every bit of information I receive from trusted friends entails some truths mixed with emotional perspectives which are meant to convey truth, but still are "intended truths" tainted by suspicions and emotion. Indeed, it could not be any other way! We are human beings. There is objective truth, but only God knows the truth and God will be the only one to ever know it. I fully believe now that if I tried to gather more information to try and completely understand this situation that the waters would only continue to get muddier and my suspicions would become greater and greater. So I sit straddling the wall of objectivity trying not to be blown off either side by the winds of suspicion. I get some information and I am blown in one direction. I get more information and I am quickly blown in the other direction. I become suspicious and begin to think the worst of people on whichever side of the wall I find myself. I must find a way to stay on top of the wall so that I can remain objective. Or must I?

What I Need To Know

I don't see anything in Scripture that tells me that I must be completely informed on everything. But I do see this - "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you prove what is the will of God." (Romans 12:2). OK, let's refocus here. Let's renew the mind through the Spirit to control the emotions. Let's let the Spirit melt our heart of stone with the fires of compassion. Now, what is the real problem here? Not knowing everything so that I can make an informed decision on who is right and who is wrong? Nope. The real problem is actually the "wall" I mentioned above. The wall was not created by circumstance, nor was it created by Satan (Satan merely wants to use it to his advantage). The wall was created rock by rock by every single piece of new information I received. It grew higher and higher as I tried to learn more and more of the situation and with Satan handing me the mortar every step of the way as I continued to build. The wall is not a wall of objectivity. The wall is a wall of suspicion. I do not need to try and stay on the wall. I need to get off of the wall and tear it down.

It's A Matter of Trust

What is really important here? Trust. Trust that God is ultimately in control and trust of one another. Perfect love outcasts fear. Suspicion is fear of being wronged, fear of being duped into believing something that is not true, and fear of being made to look like a fool. So after all is said and done, suspicion is not ultimately concerned so much with the person under suspicion as it is with ourselves - our own security, our own pride, and our own self-worth. We are really concerned about our rights to self protection and self dignity. Hmmmm - was Christ concerned about these things when he was wronged? Was Christ concerned about his dignity when he was spat upon? Was Christ concerned about self protection when he was crucified? Ultimately, what happens to us or to our church is in God's hands. If we do not believe this, no matter how bad the circumstances, then we are mistaken. Either God is working in our church or He is not. There are no other choices here.

God may be working to restore it. He may be working to refine it. Maybe God wants the church to grow. Maybe God wants the church to shrink. Maybe God wants the church to dissolve. I don't know the answers here, but I do know that my main concern should be with what God is trying to do and how I can be a part of that and that ultimately I should trust that God is in control even if I do not know all of the details or answers? Do we trust that God is in control? Do we trust that the leaders in our church are well meaning and trying to find God just as we are? Or do we believe in the infallibility of our leaders when we certainly do not believe that we ourselves are infallible? Do we believe that God can work out His plan regardless whether or not we make the right decisions? We supposedly believe this for our own personal lives, why is it hard for us to believe this for our church?

There is one more thing I know. Suspicion will absolutely destroy a church. I am not advocating blind faith of our leaders or other people, nor am I advocating never questioning our leaders as to their understanding of why certain decisions were made. But this can be done in an edifying way. There is nothing edifying about suspicion. And suspicion does not focus itself on decisions that were made, but rather focuses on the integrity of those making the decisions.

I repeat - suspicion will absolutely destroy a church.

Martin Luther Has Ruined Church For Everyone!

You have heard the stories before. They start like this - "I love my church and I really love being there and plan on staying..." or, "I really do not like my church because of such and such and that is why I am leaving..." or lastly, "We love our church but are forced to leave because we are moving..., or going on missions..., or feel called to such and such".

But there is a fourth scenario and I may now find myself in this "quandary" – “I really do not like my church at all, but I feel like I probably should stay". If nothing else, this should really sound very strange and counter-cultural. After all, our society says to "Look out for #1!", "What's in it for me?", "How am I being ministered to here?" Some of these questions are cultural. Some of these questions are legitimate. But I guess we need to first answer a basic question - "What is the primary purpose of church?"

There are several purposes you might put forth:

1. To grow in my relationship to Christ.
2. To raise my kids in a Godly manner.
3. To minister to others through the use of my spiritual gifts.
4. For personal growth through teaching (although this one is apparently on the wane).
5. To worship.

But do any of these answers really completely encapsulate the purpose of church or even borderline on the correct answer. I would say the answer here is a resounding "No". In my mind, the main purpose of the church has more to do with "ecclesiology" (living together as the Body of Christ) than with "soteriology" (salvation). Yet the majority of our churches operate like the main purpose is the former and do this in many different ways.

Some churches preach "fire and brimstone" and the need to repent or face an eternity in hell. I grew up in this type of church and what I remember most is the lack of love and caring between the congregation members. There was much “back-biting” and inner turmoil that still affects me to this day. I remember thinking that this can't be all there is - there has to be more to church than just being "saved".

Now in my older years, the trend among vibrant churches seems to be making sure the church is culturally relevant, inclusive of everyone, and evangelizing; to bring people to faith through friendship evangelism and an upbeat worship service, and loving and accepting people where they are. Now, granted, this has merit and is miles away from the backbiting I experienced in my childhood, but the main focus again is still on salvation and bringing people to faith; sort of a “mile wide and inch deep” mentality – a higher quantity of Christians vs. a higher quality of Christians. So, although, this latter type church is more vibrant and much healthier, it too still misses (in my opinion) the main purpose of the church.

I sometimes wonder if Martin Luther has not ruined Romans (and in someways the church) for everyone. There is probably not a more influential book in the Bible than Romans! And probably not a more influential interpretation of Romans than that put forth by Martin Luther (which is the classic interpretation of Romans). Luther’s interpretation focuses on what he feels is Paul’s main intent – to put forth a doctrine of salvation. But one cannot read Romans without hearing the statement from Paul – “First the Jew and then the Gentile” over and over again. This phrase permeates Romans as well as what I feel is really Paul’s main concern in Romans – NOT salvation, but rather Jew and Gentile living as one in the body of Christ (the church). In other words, I believe Paul (in Romans) is more concerned with how church members get along with one another than he is with their salvation and the nature of their salvation.

I think that this common and prevalent interpretation of Romans by Luther is similar to how today's evangelical church interprets what it feels is its most important duty and responsibility - to bring people to faith. The evangelical church’s main focus is on salvation more so than having a vibrant body of Christ living and growing together as one. “Salvation” has become the all encompassing mantra for the church and elevated above everything else. Almost to the point that we may no longer completely believe that salvation lies in God’s hands alone, but in our own hands as well. The glaringly negative effect of this is readily seen in a church that is dead (again, reference the hellfire and brimstone preaching and the backbiting I mentioned before), but the negative effect in today’s evangelizing and culturally relevant church is less apparent. Great things are being done in the realm of ministering to those in need and evangelizing the lost, and creating a more post modern friendly environment in which to worship to appeal to non-believers. But what has been lost in this is the Body. There is little focus on nurturing and growing new believers/members through the study of Scripture, but rather focus on winning people to Christ and ministering to the poor. Now granted, the church you and I grew up in was most probably too internally focused at the expense of caring for the lost and poor. But the pendulum has now swung in the other direction. And there is now more of a concern to throw people life rafts and get them in the boat than in teaching those already saved and in the boat how to sail and live Godly lives in the boat together as one.

So what does all this have to do with staying in a church you don’t like? I’ll tell you. I now find myself in the church that I just described. There is (in my opinion) great concern for the poor and needy. There is great concern for bringing people to faith. But as a covenanter, I feel like I am mainly an instrument for the church to use to accomplish its ministries and not a cherished member. I feel like a resource and not a person. In my opinion, there is no concerted effort to nurture and grow the Body of Christ. Most times I feel like my family is last on the totem pole as far as our needs being met. When push comes to shove as far as ministering to the community, ministering to those overseas, and ministering to covenanters, the covenanters tend to be “odd people out” (SPECIFICALLY covenantors who have attended church for a long time and are more than willing to help). Not only this, but I find myself typically not liking most of the new modern worship (I have serious problems with the words in a lot of these songs as they even sometimes appear to be worshiping ourselves rather than God – if this seems harsh, I can readily recall counting the word “I” about 14 times in one song and the word “God” or some derivation thereof maybe once). The more modern worship is too “gooey” for me with too much emotion and too little theological truth. Also, there are times that I have difficulties with some of the theological emphasis put forth from the pulpit.

So it’s time for me to up and leave right?

Not exactly. Part of me feels like if I leave the church now I would be doing exactly what I am arguing against. The main purpose of the Body of Christ is to love God and to love one another. Now you would hope that spiritual growth would spawn within the church from loving God and loving one another. You would hope that the worship would be fulfilling (and for everyone else it very may well be). You would hope that you could grow from teaching from the pulpit (and everyone else may be). But my primary purpose as a covenanter (in my opinion) is to be a part of the Body over and above my needs being met. This is magnified obviously by the number of years I have attended my church (19 years). Does it stink that I don’t like worship – “yes”. Does it stink that I am not crazy about every sermon – “yes”. Is that justification for me to leave the church – “I’m not so sure it is”. And it is that with which I am struggling.

I do not think it is coincidence that Scripture refers to the Body as an actual physical BODY when talking about spiritual gifts. Similarly, if I leave my church, then would that not be like the church cutting off its foot (or me removing it)? And what does “leaving a church” communicate to the outside non-believing world? That my needs are not being met and I need to go elsewhere regardless of the ramifications to relationships developed there? And that my needs are more important than the needs of the Body of which I am a member? There is a non-believing world watching! I also do not think it coincidence that Scripture refers to God’s people as the “Bride”. Is our membership not akin to a marriage. I have always liked the fact that our members were called “covenanters”. In Scripture, there were serious consequences when covenants were broken – especially when broken with God. I do not equate my “covenantership” with the church with typical OT covenants with God, but I do take any covenant seriously and I do think there are justified comparisons here between our covenant with our church and our covenant with our spouses.

Again, having attended for 19 years has a lot to do with my thinking here. The ultimate question here is this – is my relationship to other covenant members as a member of this Body more important than my family’s needs or my needs being met? I am not saying that the potential does not exist for me to ultimately leave my church or that leaving a church is always the wrong thing to do. But you have to ask yourself this question before you make that decision. I do not know what my final decision will be, but it is not out of the realm of possibility that my final answer is –

“I really do not like my church at all, but I feel like I probably should stay!"