By Amy Butler
On Facebook this week some members of my church posted this phrase they saw on a church sign: “Visitors Welcome. Members Expected.” Another church member commented: “Pastor Amy would love this.” It’s true: I do.
That Facebook post, along with Pentecost recently, has led me to ponder the church a little more intently than usual. Today I’m thinking specifically about the yawning divide between church members’ expectations and the reality of living in community. What is it really like to be the church, the gathered community of Christ? You know, the place where everybody loves each other, lives as witnesses to the transforming power of the gospel, welcomes everyone, and unfailingly offers generosity and kindness at every turn?
Uh, yeah.
As a human institution tasked with reflecting the divine, the church has been asked to live the impossible dream. And the truth is, we often fail. But who started the rumor that being the church should be easy all the time, filled with fun 24/7, not too demanding, conflict-free, or really all that different than any other part of human life? I don’t know that any of us would actually publicly admit to holding such an idealistic view of the church, but we sure behave like we do sometimes.
For example, we forget that being part of a community takes a considerable commitment. When the glow is still there and the sermon is interesting and we think we’ve found that special place that will likely prove all our hesitations about the church completely wrong, it’s easy to give it our all. But after awhile it gets a little trying. I mean, who can really afford to tithe, anyway? And, it’s really limiting to have a commitment every single Sunday morning. And, let’s be honest: while most of us would say we want diversity, living in a community where everyone holds a differing perspective can get rather annoying, if not completely untenable.
It seems to me that we’re setting ourselves up for quite a disappointment and even considerable pain the longer we go on behaving like the church is some kind of magical utopia existing for the purpose of convenience, comfort or entertainment. It’s not, and it shouldn’t be structured, preached or advertised as such.
No, the church is not a perfect place, absent of all the regular rigors of human living. However, I often wonder if — with our deep and tangible commitment, it might be something even better than that?
Of course we experience conflict, discomfort, stress when we’re part of a faith community — any human community, for sure. But with the gospel mandates to love God and love each other as our gathering themes, the church has the unique potential to become a place where we experience grace, even in the midst of all the typical human challenges. Grace and forgiveness, love and resolution, peace with a depth that comes from walking through tough times together, and community that we rarely find anywhere else in this hate-filled, weary world.
So if times are hard and conflict is at the forefront, if uncertainty and stress are currently the most prominent parts of your church experience, please reconsider throwing in the towel. Building transforming gospel community is hard work, but surely worth everything we have to give to the effort.
And, with that I will temporarily step down from this soapbox. See you Sunday, everybody!
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