OF PEWS, ROBES, AND BULLETINS

“I don’t even know what church looks like anymore,” said the voice from across the table in the Board Room.  By his count, the Board had done 7 things to de-church the church:  ending Sunday night and Wednesday night services, stop taking an offering, got rid of the organ, took out the pews, packed up the choir robes, and now, doing away with the bulletin. He was savvy enough to know that 7 is the biblical number of completion.  So he felt “biblically” justified in the pronouncement of the church’s demise. From his point of view, the last vestige of the “church” was gone.  All that was left was just a group of people and a building.

Church of the Immaculate Conception,
the chapel for the Sisters of Providence
of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana.

Every item on the list of “Holy 7” was painfully deliberated.  But, not one of those decisions changed the essential or biblical nature of the church.  It certainly changed the North American model of church which has reigned nearly 200 years. And yet, his voice echoed with the pain of others who have experienced the loss of the security of sameness that mere religion doles out so readily to its’ followers.  There is more comfort in the vestments of pseudo-sacredness than in something that is actually sacred.

No one would ever say out loud, or even admit to themselves the possibility that these things approach “idol” status.  We all know better.  We've read the stories.  We all know that idols are carved statues, right?  But one look at the visceral reaction that many people have had to these types of changes and you know the heart is involved.  The church had American Idols way before Fox network.

This is a symptom of an affliction which infects many of us from time to time.  We so strongly desire a “visible” quality to our “invisible” spirituality that we will accept almost anything.  We are generally uncomfortable with the metaphysically mysterious.  We seem bound to find something material to validate the reality of our spiritual existence.  Something isn't real until we can see it or touch it.  We want these various objects; pews, robes, and bulletins, to be the evidence of our spiritual status.  We want them to silently affirm our relationship with the Almighty; that we are OK.  Has our spirituality become so pathetically inert that we have settled wood, cloth, and paper to encourage us in being the church?

Maybe, just maybe these items are doing quite the opposite.  They may be the very witnesses against us that we have lost the heart of what it means to be the church.  The Apostle Paul suggests that one of the marks of the last days is “having a form of godliness but denying its’ power.”  Have we been pretending to be spiritual giants by parading about with sacred clothes, furniture and paper?

Moses asked the best question ever.  “What will distinguish us from all the peoples of the earth other than your Presence God?”  No amount of tents or trunks or candlesticks or bread loaves will do.  Only the Presence of God Almighty would make the difference.  It is alone the distinguishing mark of identification. 

Now I am all for pillars of smoke and fire.  I could be really jazzed about a heavenly cloud forming in the ceiling of the sanctuary.  Hey, even a self-ripping tapestry would be very cool.  But all of those sights could be cleverly manufactured by creative humans.  All this may have already been done in some sanctuary near you. To my way of thinking, the indisputable manifestation of the Presence of God is a transformed life.   A transformed life that then finds a home in a group of people who are being continually transformed.  Together they learn to “un-naturally” love one another and the world around them.  Clearly, a God is thing.

But, I appreciate God’s sensitivity to us tactile types.  He knew there would be those of us that needed something we could see, taste, and touch to really understand the message of His Presence and work among us.  So, He gave us the sacraments (ordinances, if you prefer) of Communion, Baptism, and Foot Washing.  These external manifestations are a tangible reminder of His work and presence with us and in us.

So, please don’t start burning pews and robes and bulletins.  There is nothing inherently evil about them.  But neither is there some inherently sacred about them.  What we must do is re-examine our measure of what makes a group of people the Body of Christ. 

What can we strip away from the church still be the church?  Why aren't we?

Or maybe, I’m just sitting in my own pew.

Why The Pew?

Why this blog?  Why this title, “Sitting In My Own Pew”? It is quite symbolic.

A Pew is the quintessential symbol of the Western/American church, outside of the steeple, of course; which is, in fact, outside. Both steeple and pew have fallen on hard times and seem destined for some endangered species list in an architect’s office somewhere.  People keep lists like that you know. 

This long time metaphor of Sunday piety is being replaced by a much comfier version of sitting in rows, interlocking chairs.  Gone is the sanctifying ritual of butt numbing, back aching suffering for an hour or so every Sunday.  The new angled-back, deeply padded chairs truly make Sunday mornings a day of rest for many men.

So “pew” means it will have something to do with the church or at least being religious.  Besides, “sitting in my own comfy padded chair” sounds like I’m at a movie theater.

Pew has the added connotation of being odorous.  Usually, this refers to something of an unpleasant smell, like a diaper that needs to be changed.  But, it can also mean too much of a good smell, like in Anne of Green Gables when the cranky old spinster proclaims her young protégé to be “drrrrench in scent”.  Both can be overwhelming, which usually isn’t a good thing.

Whatever the symbolism might be, it is important to know, I am “in my own” pew.  It is my view, my observations, my thoughts, my stench, if you like.  So rightly or wrongly I am living in it.  I own it, which does not mean I am right!!  I just have an opinion.

I am not passing through or walking around.  I sitting… which means I’m right in the midst of it of whatever is under consideration. Sitting also means I’m thinking.  Oh I can think standing up and walking; spectacular I know.  But when I really want to consider something, I need to sit and mull it over properly.

So there is the thinking behind the title, “Sitting In My Own Pew”.

I started this blog for a number of reasons. Here’s a couple…

Over the last 20 years, I have had mostly silent struggles with the nature and manifestation of the church in North America.  I love the Bride of Christ.  But I was not sure she was as radiant as she might be. 

I have also struggled with my place in the church as a vocational minister.  If I believe God made me uniquely as a person to make a difference, where did I fit?  I have never been a good play-the-expected-role kind of guy.  And I certainly don’t fit neatly into “traditional” venues.  But, I have learned to maneuver through” traditional” places without stepping on too many landmines.  These lessons came at a price; as I use to run through minefields.

While those two thoughts were swirling about in my soul, the church as a whole was in the throes of what seemed to be a similar struggle.  This “transition”, of sorts, had been going on for some time.  By now, most everyone can feel it, if not actually see it.  The more facile we became with social media and with growing access to it, more people have gotten into the conversation of this “change”.  At the same time, lots more people are on the edges, listening in on all these conversations. Maybe, this “re-forming” will be good for us, good for the Body.

In the meanwhile, I’d like to try to help the Transitioning-Tammy and Johnny-Come-Lately sift through some of the ideas, thoughts and conversation, so that, they can be part of the process of growth.  Maybe, find a place to fit in...

Or, maybe, like Monsters, Inc. odorant, I might just stick up the place.  I’ll let you decide.

NO PLACE FOR “50-SOMETHINGS” – an Open Letter for Culturally Relevant Churches

I recent ran across an advertisement for a church’s job opening.  It started like this:

“Job Description:

If you are married, younger than 40ish, have a degree from an accredited Bible College or Seminary with at least 3 years’ experience of full time ministry in a church, you may be the person we are praying God will bring as our first Associate Pastor.”

At first, I was pleased this church had the guts to state it right up front, “younger than 40ish”.  Finally, honesty in advertising!  Many culturally relevant churches would not be so bold as to state it in writing, but none the less hold this truth to be self-evident.  The fear of a lawsuit keeps it off the paper but not out of the heart.

Under “40ish” has become the barrier for cultural relevancy.  If you are in your forties, you have entered the twilight zone.  There might be a glimmer of light that you can still connect to people younger than yourself.  But all hope is erased as soon as you cross the border line of 50 into the land of no longer relevant.  50-somethings are immediately relegated to ministering to congregations whose nursery’s last human occupant was in 1960’s.

Not all 50-somethings are bound by tradition and hymnody.  Shockingly, they own iPods and smartphones, not as status symbols but tools.  They listen to worship which rocks out with the best of heavy metal icons.  Many 50-somethings are on Facebook, have Twitter accounts, Snapchat and blog; all of which are not merely “retirement recreation”.  My mother has all that access as a 70-something.  Not all 50-somethings have been societally brainwashed into thinking if I can just get to 65, I’m done.  More and more retirement age people in ministerial as well as secular job markets are working well into their 70’s.

A bunch of 50-somethings are career-change ministers who got the call later than usual.  When I say usual, you know what I mean… got saved as a teen at a Christian camp, went to Bible College, married a music major who can play the piano. These career-change men and women had the audacity to think God could use them to minister His love and grace to “this” generation, not just “their” generation!  Any 50-something with kids and grand-kids is learning to relate to these generations every day.  What is really sad for the career-change ministers, they may just be getting into the flow of the converging streams of ministry, theology, and the scriptures. Only to find themselves relegated to retirement congregations whose main purpose is easing their way across the finish line.

While everyone knows it is good marketing to tout “multi-generational” congregations, the reality is the staff better be younger than 40.  Doesn't this reinforce the stereotype that “older” people have nothing left to teach because they can’t relate?  Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul could not possibly relate to those in this day and age under 40, right?  No, they seem to be communicating quite well, all of them well over 50 at this point.

When someone hits 50, are they touched by the magic wand of inflexibility?  Do they instantly lose their ability to think outside the box?  Inflexibility is built-in from an early age and strengthens over time.  Creativity doesn't age out.

I guess what really bothers me is that God is going to have to do something miraculous to get this search committee to look at someone over 40.  Make no mistake; God is well able to deliver the person that fits the criteria listed.  But the bigger question is, if God brings a 50-something that fits the bill, will the search committee be able to see beyond its’ own socially induced blindness?  This may be the bigger miracle – changing people’s minds.  What’s really ironic, this search team touts flexibility as a valued attribute for the successful candidate, while holding to its own rigidity regarding age.