Who do we serve?
Mark Riddle re-posts something that he wrote 10 years ago on his blog today. Here is a snippet:
The temptation is to change things. Get bigger and better programs. Get rid of (or hide) the difficult people. Create a marketing campaign that focuses on certain social classes. But at what point are we sacrificing the Gospel for the crowd? At what point are we pushing aside the "least of these" for an image of success? I think the problem comes with the idea that we believe God is made in our image instead of the other way around. We look at God like He is OnStar. You call him and he gives you what you need. Be it directions, gas, dinner reservations, or to help you when you wreak you life. God serves us. The concept of us serving God is foreign to most of the people in my culture. And if God serves us, then the church's main role must be to serve me as well. Keeping in line with that, if the church doesn't serve me well, then I need to get another one (the church has failed me). Think I'm being cynical? Then why is the divorce rate the same for the church as it is for the rest of the world? I think there might be a correlation there.
This is what makes the job so tiring - and this is also where my greatest temptation lies. You see, Mark is right in what he said. The easy way is to be purveyors of religious goods and services. As Marshal Field once said, "give the lady what she wants." If I do that I will be successful - I will have a big church - I will be important. That is the temptation. But my boss is not my board or my congregation. They are not the one that I need to make happy. Last I checked, my calling came from Jesus, not my church. He is the one that I need to make happy. He is the one that I am serving. And sometimes what he wants me to do makes my church happy, and sometimes it does not. The challenge for me is remembering that he is in charge.
Years ago, I used to watch the show The West Wing. One of the episodes ended like this. "I serve at the pleasure of the President." It choked me up then and it chokes me up now. Not because I'm a political junkie or have have visions of grandeur, but because it is what my job is about today. I serve at the pleasure of the King. I serve at the pleasure of Jesus. It's not my job to please people or the make them happy. It is to do what Jesus says to do. Sometimes that will make me popular and sometimes it won't. When I remember who it is that I'm serving the job gets easier and much more enjoyable. When I remember who it is that I'm serving I'm not longer just a purveyor of religious goods and services. I'm doing what I was called to do. Link
My friends suggest we are all in deeper than we think. We perpetuate all this self-indulgence consumer crap in most of what we do. We ask "what makes our church unique to this city?" as our Ikea-congregations are trying to figure out which local "building-based group of people who call themselves Christians" best represents me as a person, we are well on our way to helping folks categorize themselves away into superficial oblivion. ...I drive a $50,000 Range Rover because I like the idea of being perceived as an outdoorsman, heaven forbid, I drive a mini-van... I own a $375 North Face Gortex though I only ski once or twice a year, it promotes the idea that I'm an outdoorsman... though I never camp... that's what I think of myself.... I go to ________ Church because it will make me a better businessman, and my kids the homecoming queen and football captain. Jesus is a great enhancement into my almost complete life.You can read the rest of it here. He asks the question: "Are we pastors or prostitutes?" I realize that this is a touche subject for some, but I can tell you that his article is something that has been resonating within me for the last few years. Pastoring has lost its glamor for me. Years ago, Todd Hunter wrote an article challenging pastors to stop being purveyors of religious goods and services. Quite frankly, that is what the church feels like it has become. I know that we have lost people because we do not offer the newest and coolest programs. I know that we have lost people because the beautiful people of DeKalb don't come to our church. I know we have lost people because there are better networking opportunities at other churches. This is not speculation on my part - this is actually what people have told me. And the challenge is what to do about it.
The temptation is to change things. Get bigger and better programs. Get rid of (or hide) the difficult people. Create a marketing campaign that focuses on certain social classes. But at what point are we sacrificing the Gospel for the crowd? At what point are we pushing aside the "least of these" for an image of success? I think the problem comes with the idea that we believe God is made in our image instead of the other way around. We look at God like He is OnStar. You call him and he gives you what you need. Be it directions, gas, dinner reservations, or to help you when you wreak you life. God serves us. The concept of us serving God is foreign to most of the people in my culture. And if God serves us, then the church's main role must be to serve me as well. Keeping in line with that, if the church doesn't serve me well, then I need to get another one (the church has failed me). Think I'm being cynical? Then why is the divorce rate the same for the church as it is for the rest of the world? I think there might be a correlation there.
This is what makes the job so tiring - and this is also where my greatest temptation lies. You see, Mark is right in what he said. The easy way is to be purveyors of religious goods and services. As Marshal Field once said, "give the lady what she wants." If I do that I will be successful - I will have a big church - I will be important. That is the temptation. But my boss is not my board or my congregation. They are not the one that I need to make happy. Last I checked, my calling came from Jesus, not my church. He is the one that I need to make happy. He is the one that I am serving. And sometimes what he wants me to do makes my church happy, and sometimes it does not. The challenge for me is remembering that he is in charge.
Years ago, I used to watch the show The West Wing. One of the episodes ended like this. "I serve at the pleasure of the President." It choked me up then and it chokes me up now. Not because I'm a political junkie or have have visions of grandeur, but because it is what my job is about today. I serve at the pleasure of the King. I serve at the pleasure of Jesus. It's not my job to please people or the make them happy. It is to do what Jesus says to do. Sometimes that will make me popular and sometimes it won't. When I remember who it is that I'm serving the job gets easier and much more enjoyable. When I remember who it is that I'm serving I'm not longer just a purveyor of religious goods and services. I'm doing what I was called to do. Link
Just saying that I love your blog, good read
Posted by
Logic Midi |
11:29 AM