Theological Musings

ome good discussion resulted from my last post about small groups and house churches. I appreciate all who participated. Ironically, the conversations that I’m involved in seem to be converging into some common areas of discussion.

Dan Edelen’s basic premise is that the church overall (encompassing both small groups and house churches) has failed (or, more accurately, continues to fail) in its mission. I’m not really sure anyone here would disagree with that, as Dan pointed out in his original post. And in the conversation over at Ray’s X-Change, Tony Sisk has commented that he feels that Raborn, ded, and I are blaming the institutional church for the failure in making mature disciples.

I started to respond on Raborn’s blog, but my comment got so lengthy (hmmm, a common problem for me!) that I decided to just post here instead.

“Ded” already hit on some of the points I would have made over there, so I don’t want to just repeat what he said. However, I would like to add my thoughts to the discussion.

I want to emphasize that I do not merely “blame” the institution or its leaders for any failure. Tony is correct that people are responsible for growing in maturity themselves. And to that extent, the people are to blame.

However, Ephesians 4 also makes it quite clear that the gifts that were given to the church (gifts which we typically equate with leadership in the institutional church) were given for the equipping of the body so that all could grow in maturity.

So, responsibility lies on both sides. It’s not one-sided either way. What ded has tried to explain (and with which I concur) is that the system that is currently in place, having evolved in various ways over the centuries, is inherently flawed.

Let me state that again, very succinctly: I believe that the system is inherently flawed. In that sense, I’m not blaming anyone at all! I just think that we need to take a good, long look at what we are trying to accomplish, and ask if we are going about it in a way that is conducive to accomplishing that.

As Raborn has pointed out, it is slightly oxymoronic for a man to be standing on an elevated platform with people sitting in a very spectator-oriented fashion, while that man tells them that they don’t need a person elevated above them (spiritually speaking) in order to have abundant life in Christ!

No matter how much a pastor understands, or even teaches, that people don’t need him to be preaching to them every week, the very fact that he is preaching to them every week counters that!

Now, a little interjection here. None of this is meant to be a criticism of anyone in particular. As ded so graciously pointed out in clarification on Raborn’s blog, he has respect (as do I) for people like Gordon Cloud, Tony Sisk, etc., who are doing what they are doing within the institution. Many, many blessings on them in their endeavors! So, please, guys, understand that I’m not criticizing you. If, in reading this blog, you feel led of the Lord to modify what you’re doing, then to God be the glory. I’m not so arrogant, however, to believe that I have a word for you in how to operate within your ministries. I’m asking questions, providing food for thought, but that is all I’m trying to do! If anything, my interaction with you guys here makes my heart long to fellowship with you in person!! And Lord willing, we will do that someday.

OK, so back to my musings about the system itself. I’ve used an analogy here before that some of you might not have seen if you’re fairly new to my blog. If a person were to repeatedly attend 12th grade at school, year after year, hearing the same material taught over and over again, yet never graduate, we would never look at that person and say that they were mature. In fact, we would draw quite the opposite conclusion. We would see something very wrong with that picture. There is a point where the student needs to go and actually live what they have been taught, and quite possibly even teach others.

I see the traditional way of doing church as fostering the “unhealthy” idea, however, that maturity is equated with staying in the same place (i.e., the same church), sitting under the same pastor. (”Changing churches” is usually frowned upon, unless there is a geographical move, in which case, they are expected to find another church and pastor to “sit under”.) I think you can see how some of us view that as inherently flawed. Or, at least, I hope so!

Many pastors, like Tony and Gordon, have the greatest of intentions. Raborn, ded, and I were staff pastors at one time or other in our past. All three of us have done our share of preaching. We all had the same idea that God had designed the church in such a way that the people needed us to preach to them in order to lead them into maturity. All three of us have, at one time or other, bought into the line of thinking that sees the Sunday morning service as the pinnacle of the church’s existence. All three of us have since questioned that presupposition.

I have seen estimates (unverified) that as much as 85% of a church’s budget go toward making that Sunday morning service happen. Staff salaries, church building mortgages, utility bills, sound systems, etc… to what end? Even things that are equated with “maturity” and “discipleship”, such as small group ministries, are really just incorporated as ways to get more people into the big church. They are viewed not as a means to send others out to make true disciples, but as a way to keep people committed to the organization.

Why do we spend so much time, energy, and money on that Sunday morning service? Why do we continue to examine what we think will “bring them in”, without really doing much of anything to “send them back out”?

Now, I’m not knocking any of this in and of itself. Please understand my heart here, and the intent in even writing this. It is not that these things are inherently wrong! But when we look to them as the main goal and purpose for our existence as a church, I think that we create an unhealthy situation.

I pray that we all, at whatever level we find ourselves currently, will seek greater maturity in our faith. And I pray that we will seek how we can make true disciples of others. Let us push forward in the declaration of the Kingdom of God which Jesus announced to us. And let us run with great perseverance and endurance the race before us, setting aside everything that encumbers us, even if the very encumbrances are seemingly well-intentioned traditional approaches to doing what we are called to do!

Until next time,

steve