Not The Church I Signed-On To
Mark Tidsworth, Team Leader
Remember that time in the life of the church? If you are older than 30; certainly if you are older than 35 and have grown up in church, you will recognize it. I’m referring to a certain church culture, an ethos which permeated our churches wherein driving values were things like:
Niceness
Politeness
Decorum
Restraint
Conventionality
Sameness
Remember those days not so long ago? Members quickly learned what we discuss and avoid in church conversations and certainly in worship. Our ultimate goal it seems was not to offend anyone or increase discomfort in any way. Yes I’m exaggerating, yet those who were raised in these kinds of churches (which were most churches) know of what I speak. Clergy and church staff recognize the limits beyond which it was dangerous to go, honoring prescribed boundaries around topics and issues, remaining employed. All of this resulted in perfectly calibrated cultural church systems which reinforced those who honored its unwritten rules. Over time, many churches were organized around personal devotion to Christ and personal salvation, while avoiding most societal issues of the day, leaving those to secular leaders to address. Churches became purveyors of a certain culture that resulted in members who were zealous for….well, conventionality. The ultimate outcome for churches who pursued this kind of faith expression was irrelevance. Younger people fled when they gained freedom from parents to do so, perceiving their churches as spiritually bankrupt and/or irrelevant to much of anything beyond its walls. Statistics tell us that people of all ages abandoned these kinds of churches even as the American church continues to hemorrhage members as we speak.
So where to from there? If you don’t recognize the church culture just described, I hope it means you are part of a church which is beyond this description rather than becoming numb to this culture and accepting it as inevitable. Many of us are extremely familiar with this way of being church, yet are unwilling to continue promoting a lost cause.
Fortunately, or rather providentially, something is rising. More and more churches are becoming woke, discovering greater bandwidth in their capacity for engaging the gospel in its fullness. Disciples who are under age 40 are raising issues in church which they are discussing the other six days of the week….as if this is normal. Younger clergy and church staff are less aware of unwritten church rules about what’s acceptable in polite church company and are marching forward as if the gospel is relevant to every aspect of community life.
Increasingly, we are watching church cultures clash. So in this article, I want to speak to those who find themselves thinking, “This is not the church I signed-on to.” These disciples love God and love God’s Church, but they are simply unused to churches openly acknowledging and engaging the real issues of our society. They feel unsettled and discombobulated and unsure where their churches are going. At the same time, a small voice in the back of their minds is rejoicing, recognizing their churches are growing relevant and maybe coming alive. As they live into this church culture-shift, hear are four suggestions that might help the transition:
First, gather your spiritual resources, drilling down in your faith for God’s sustaining power.
I can remember preachers during my childhood encouraging us to “gird up our loins.” Though certainly a strange phrase even then, we all knew this meant to gather ourselves and prepare for spiritual engagement. We are all going to need a robust, enlivened faith to make this culture-shift in churches.
Second, learn to accept and bless the discomfort that comes while engaging real issues.
No, I don’t mean learn to tolerate this shift, though toleration may be a step in our growth. I do mean growing to where we not only accept but also bless this church culture shift. Many reading this article are influencers in their churches though they may not recognize their power. When we bless our church’s shift toward relevance and embrace of the fuller gospel (includes social justice), we partner with God’s movement among us.
Third, determine to support and embrace pastors, church staff, and lay leaders who embody this church culture-shift.
Our church leaders need support and encouragement to continue leading our churches toward relevance. When we grow uncomfortable due to a sermon or Bible Study or e-news article, may we recognize our discomfort is due to the issues of our world rather than the transgression of unwritten church rules. Rather than blame church leaders, determine to support their leadership during uncomfortable culture shifting.
Fourth, banish our fears of member-loss and embrace our commitment to faithfulness.
This one deserves its own full article or a series of articles. Sure we all care about institutional strength, but God calls us to care about the gospel more. Being faithful to our calling to embrace the gospel in every way, even when we fear we might lose members, is so much more spiritually gratifying and God-honoring.
So, the next time we find ourselves thinking, “This is not the church I signed-on to,” may we immediately follow it with another thought, “And thanks be to God.”