Church as Courtroom

The final metaphor I will use to describe my observation of the contemporary American church is "courtroom." It doesn't require much explanation does it?

We sit under our steeples and pronounce judgment on the world outside. "Why can't they be more like us?" "What is wrong with this culture?"

Here's the thing. They aren't called to be Jesus' disciples. We are. We are the salt and light of the world. That means we need to be out in the world, not huddled inside doing the tsk-tsk shame finger thing to those on the outside. God is the only judge.

Church as Shopping Mall

Another good metaphor for today's churches, in my observation, is a shopping mall, geared toward consumers, where we can get everything we might need. Of course, it is easy to criticize the mega-churches for this. But the same is true for smaller churches as well. We're just not as good at it.


Eugene Peterson, in his book The Jesus Way, says:


It didn't take long for some of our Christian brothers and sisters to develop consumer congregations. If we have a nation of consumers, obviously the quickest and most effective way to get them into our congregations is to identify what they want and offer it to them, satisfy their fantasies, promise them the moon, recast the gospel in consumer terms: entertainment, satisfaction, excitement, adventure, problem-solving, whatever. This is the language we Americans grow up on, the language we understand. We are the world's champion consumers, so why shouldn't we have state-of-the-art consumer churches. 

Given the conditions prevailing in our culture, this is the best and most effective way that has ever been devised for gathering large and prosperous congregations. Americans lead the world in showing how to do it. There is only one thing wrong: this is not the way in which God brings us into conformity with the life of Jesus and sets us on the way of Jesus' salvation. This is not the way we become less and Jesus becomes more. This is not the way in which our sacrificed lives become available to others in justice and service. The cultivation of consumer spirituality is the antithesis of a sacrificial, "deny yourself" congregation. A consumer church is an antichrist church. (p. 6, emphasis mine)

Church as Civic Organization

Last post, I wrote about the the opportunity the church has to be a hospital, a greenhouse, and an army. This post I want to explore why churches so often don't operate as such and what, in my observation, churches often are.

It goes without saying that many churches to day have become little more than civic organizations. Actually, civic organization might be too kind a term; social club would be better. There are many civic organizations doing a better job at world-transformation than we are. We seem to have lost a sense of mission. This old, old story says it well:

A Hospital, a Greenhouse, and an Army

Today I was preparing for tomorrow's worship service where we our receiving four new members. I was reminded of something my dad observed a long time ago regarding a church. It's not original, not then and certainly not now. However, the truth of it rings for me now after 25 years of life and work in the church. He told us that a church is a hospital, a greenhouse, and an army.

A church is a hospital for those that find themselves hurting and on our doorstep. It is these that we have the opportunity to receive and to love. It usually isn't easy or romantic because, after all, hurt people really do often hurt people. However, just as the doctor doesn't judge the emergency room patient, we needn't judge the walking wounded that God sends to us.

A church is a greenhouse for those interested in growing in their relationship with God and others. It is here that we learn together, encourage one another, and, ideally, practice our faith in a safe environment.

A church is an army--not, as I used to understand it, as an army to march and convert the world to our way of understanding God, but as an army assembled to march against the darkness of injustice and hopelessness which shadows our world.

I don't see these as a progression, necessarily, moving from A to B to C. I will experience these dimensions of the church many times each. There will be times when I am able to engage and grow, there will be times when my call is clear and my ministry on fire, and there will be times when I need to step back and allow my wounds to be tended.

What do you think about these three experiences of the church? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Tomorrow, I will write about other experiences of the church that keep us from what I see as these three most important experiences.