Have you ever been told by a Pastor who is trying
to justify all the expensive lights and the excellence and professionalism of
their Church workers that they are doing these things for the “unchurched”? They
believe that the high level of professionalism and the fact that the place of
worship looks similar, if not better, than the best night clubs and concerts is
what brings in people who want to have nothing to do with Church.
First of all, let me just say that I agree
totally that whatever we do as a body, we should do it well. We shouldn’t be
seen as sloppy and mediocre. There is a Spirit of excellence that I believe
should accompany a believer. When God created the world, he looked at his work
and saw that it was good. He never did anything halfway good or a little
corrupt (every element of corruption we see now is as a result of Adam’s fall).
Therefore, I believe we should be diligent and efficient in all our fields of
endeavor. I also believe that when we gather, people who have not been gifted
in an area of ministry have no business in that ministry; especially in music,
and I believe those that have the gift have a responsibility to get better at
it. I also believe that mediocrity can be a big turn off to an unbeliever;
where everything looks sloppy, the “unchurched” professional who is used to
excellence might not be tempted to come back
However, I don’t think attracting the unbeliever
should be our motivation for excellence. Neither should it be excellence just
for the sake of excellence (perfectionism) we are excellent because we do
whatever we do as a means of worshipping our Lord. We are not peddlers or
salesmen and we certainly are not a business organisation. We are a community
saved by Grace and partaking of the Life in the Trinity through our Lord Jesus
Christ. And it is that life that the unbeliever sees and wants to partake of.
All the lights and stuff can bring in the “unchurched” but it cannot usher them
into a relationship with Jesus, it cannot give them life. The unbelievers are
not looking for a morally upright place that looks like a club, they’re looking
for Life. They might not even know what they’re looking for. They might not be
able to articulate the inner longing, but they know there is more to life than
flashing lights and money (I know, because I have been an unbeliever before).
That is what Jesus came to give us, the relationship with the Godhead that we
were created for. This is the deepest and eternal purpose for our existence; to
be embraced by God and to embrace him back. And we will not be satisfied until
we are enlightened of this glorious truth of the Gospel; that God embraces us,
accepts us and will never leave us.
This is why I joined the Church. I went to a
wooden shack, where you had to take off your shoes and worship barefoot on a
floor that wasn’t tiled and had no carpet. But I was accepted for who I was; no
one expected me to change before they became friends with me and they gave me a
sense of belonging. They loved me in spite of my imperfections and saw the good
person in me that I did not even realize. That is the community that all humans
long for. Even now, many years later after many of us don’t fellowship in that place
any longer. There is a deeper bond and fellowship that defies distance between
us. It was there that I began to see the real Jesus through the way I was
treated and it was attractive, regardless of the fact that we were doing most
things in a very mediocre and unscriptural way. This is what all people long
for, and we are attracted and stay in such a place whether it is in an air
conditioned room, in someone’s living room over dinner or in a wooden shack,
with or without professional singers and ushers. Interestingly, most people
that came and complained about the mode of worship or lack of professionalism
were Christians (me included) who were comparing the Church to others. Most
mega-churches are packed full of Christians cross carpeting from other Churches
to a better looking place and unbelievers who just come to have a look at the
place.
When we lose sight of what we are and devalue and
dilute our message, we find ourselves trying to be like the world in order to
win the world over. The truth is that the world has won US over to them. In this scenario, the lights might draw them in
but it can’t make them stay. In an attempt to stay “relevant” to the unbeliever,
motivational speaking becomes the message of the Church. It becomes a place
where you come to hear tips for success spruced with some Bible verses every
Sunday and the only catch is you have to “give your life to Christ” for these
tips to work. How laughable!! This is why there is almost no difference between
believers and unbelievers nowadays. In fact, it seems like some unbelievers are
more loving than believers. What do we expect? When we are being taught the
world’s way of thinking and succeeding in the cutthroat economy, we end up like
the world; ruthless and only concerned with being millionaires. Even our giving
is in order to see it multiply a thousand times, so we only “sow” into “fertile
soil”. We no longer give because we are generous; it is to satisfy a very self centered
purpose.
Let me reiterate that I absolutely believe in
doing whatever we are doing well. I have no beef with the lights and the great
music and efficiency. But there is more to being a Church than just looking
like a well run office. There is a Life we have and a loving fellowship we
share- with God and with each other. That is what we offer to the unchurched
and the backslidden and nothing should distract us from that.
I pray the
Lord opens your eyes to the reality and beauty of his Church and that his Grace
be with you.
