WHAT DOES THE CHURCH OWE THE COMMUNITY?
/Listening to Christian radio this morning I was struck by the conversation. The show centered on “how does the church get its attendees back post Covid?” It was stated in the broadcast that many churches are seeing as much as forty percent decline from before Covid and that most of those who have defected show no interest in returning to church at all. This struck me as a biblical prophecy concerning a departure from the faith in the last days and the righteous scarcely being saved but that will need to be another discussion.
However, one person suggested that to get its attendees back in the building that the church had to get outside the walls (great concept and I agree) and start giving things away to the community (this is where I fell out of the hearse).
The speaker stated if you give people something they will come to your church! The way she stated her position made me believe that the speaker was inferring that this giving is owed by the church to the community. This struck me hard because I know numerous churches that give heavily to their communities and it was the practice my churches followed when I was a Lead Pastor. The idea of giving to be owed a visit to my church is what struck me as a dangerous plan of action for the church. Let me explain why!
From personal experience I can attest this is not true. While in my last pastorate of 13 years our church body regularly did community outreach. Nearly on a quarterly basis we canvassed our community with door to door visits, door to door evangelism, numerous giveaways, prayer walks, and community carnivals/block parties. The community knew us so well that we no longer had to introduce ourselves at the door if their homes. They greeted us in the streets. Yet, with very little exception our church remained a commuter church…… I would love to have seen more people from our immediate vicinity in our building. However, our goal was not to get something out of the people but simply to show them love and to be a point of light in the community.
If you truly try to get people into your church with giveaways and creating a sense of obligation, you are contributing to the secular consumerist ideology that it already prevalent in the culture and church. One person said it like this, “ what you use to win them is what you’ll have to reproduce to keep them,”. What a tragedy it is when we build a hand out culture in the church where people feel they are entitled to get stuff from the church…There must be a greater reason for individuals to become a part of our family and a greater reason for which they stay.
So, this leads me to the original thought. What do we owe our community? Let me offer three things.
Authentic Christianity when we walk away from our buildings. This means all members being the hands and feet of Jesus in the marketplace. Real Christians are people who exemplify the fruit of the Spirit before their fellow man. This type of living builds bridges to get people from the world to Christ instead of building walls that we try to tear down with a gift.
Opportunities to authentically engage Christ in Worship when in the sanctuary. Let the worship service be about worshipping Christ. Get the traditions of man out of the way. Get the politics out of the way. Remove the barriers that separate the needy from the hem of his garment.
A sound presentation of the gospel. There are three things to be mentioned here about a sound presentation of the gospel.
Let it be faith building (strengthen those that believe)
Let it promote discipleship (teach biblical practices)
Make it confrontational… confront the sin of the sinner with love and truth.
Brothers and sisters, let the church be the church!