May 23, 2018
A reflection on the General Conference 2018 theme
Churches are very good at discussions. In this day and age, it seems as though we have to be because there are many people who have questions and/or attack the Christian belief system. Christians need to be apologists and be able to turn the questions around and defend the faith. It is a belief, subconscious or otherwise, that underlies this need for discussion alongside a need to be correct. If you know me, it is apparent that I enjoy a good discussion and am no stranger to apologetics. I believe it is important to be able to explain the faith you have in Jesus and answer the questions of those who are seeking. However, if apologetics is all you ever learn to do as a Christian, you have a problem.
Much of what apologetics involves is talking and discussion—which is completely fine. However that cannot be the end-all of being a member of a church. If all being a member requires is learning to talk about Jesus convincingly, is it any wonder that the church sits empty?
In the book of James (2:14-26) it says “faith without works is dead.” The book of Revelation echoes this sentiment in the letter to the church of Laodicea (3:14-22): “I know your works and you are neither hot or cold.” The NIV uses the explicit term of vomit to describe what happens to this church. The word works can easily be substituted with action in these passages and not change the idea of the passage. From these passages it isn’t too much of a stretch to reach the conclusion that a church without action is dead—or at the very least, on the same level as vomit. Ouch! But seriously, is this your church? Is your church lukewarm?
How many times in a year are you out, not as individuals, but as a church in your community, doing and participating? How many people in your area and beyond do you affect beyond Saturday morning worship? Does your community even know you’re there? Because if you, as a body, are not going beyond your four walls on a regular basis, it is difficult to see how you are anything other than, like the church in Laodicea, lukewarm.
So how do we help our churches stop being simply lukewarm? Admitting there is a problem is most of the battle. If you aren’t sure if your church is “lukewarm,” there is a slew of resources available to make that determination. Periodic self-reflection is a good thing. Once you figure it out, discussion needs to happen—and that’s OK. But there has to be an end to the discussion. It can’t just keep going in circles airing grievances and repeating the fact that there is a problem.
Uncovering the problem might take a little time but it needs to be acted on sooner rather than later. There will always be several opinions about how exactly that action needs to be taken—and that’s OK, too. But an action needs to be taken; a change begun. Even if what you try doesn’t work, there are more ideas to choose from and an infinite number of ways to become more involved in your community and to create a church no longer suffocating itself.
This process is not simple and it certainly isn’t easy. Just admitting that a church needs to move from its stationary position of sitting in pews is intimidating because it is out of our comfort zones. It may mean jettisoning some things that seem integral to a church building or service but aren’t important in the context of carrying out the Great Commission— and it might mean more. Every church is unique and what works for one might not work for another. The most important thing is moving into action as a body. Imagine what we could do.
