Hope for the Church
When our kids come to be confirmed in the church they provide a sense of hope for the future of our church. But for many of our congregations this may in fact be the only source of hope! Should it be that way?
Typically, for growth and stability most of our established mainline churches rely on two sources for membership: 1) The kids they confirm in the faith, and 2) “churched” folks that circulate between churches. Our reliance on these ‘established’ sources for members reveals an “us vs them” mentality permeating our churches.
While the culture around us swirls in a sea of change, we are hard at work making sure our churches remain a safe haven for “us.” Fortressed in our buildings, we do church by gathering for worship on Sunday morning. Meanwhile our congregations have little contact with or real impact upon our neighborhoods, our communities, and the world around us.
In the early church through a vision shared with Peter, God shattered the “us vs. them” mentality that was keeping the faith within the confines of Judaism. Thus the doors were opened into the Gentile world. The “Way” has not been the same since Peter dared to share in fellowship with the Gentile household of Cornelius.
The real source of hope in our churches is not found in our confirmation kids. As it was in Act, it is found in our ability to break down the barriers between “us and them,” between the church and the communities in which we live.
This is a brief summary of a complete sermon which can be found here.
Comment by Tom Robinson on 8 May 2007:
I have always appreciated your thoughts, Jim, in the postings on this blog. I felt that your sermon was right on target. Actually, it ticked me off - I preached on the same text, but I don’t think I did as good a job as you did! I did mention Ray Anderson’s book on “An Emergent Theology for Emerging Churches,” in which he distinguished between the church in Jerusalem and the church in Antioch. The church in Jerusalem has one foot firmly planted in the past, it is seeking to make sure that everyone follows the rules, and it seems to always be on the lookout for ‘heretics,’ which means anyone who doesn’t think like they do. The church in Antioch is on the margins, on the fringes, sending out disciples and missionaries out into the world, looking for ways to engage the culture around us. It’s a tough job we have - we are called to love the people we serve, but to love them in such a way that we are calling them to move outward, not inward, to be centrifugal, not centripedal. Thanks for your words to remind us of what we have been called to do.
Comment by Jim Bonewald on 8 May 2007:
Thanks so much Tom. Sounds like I may need to look into that Ray Anderson book you mention.
I’ve been trying to get a little bolder in my preaching. I really felt with confirmation on Sunday I had a prime opportunity to grab people’s attention about why we should and what it will take to move our church into a more missional direction.
I did have two comments from parishioners on Sunday: one said “That sure is a big challenge.” The other one said “Thank you for your challenge.” So I’m glad I, or the Holy Spirit, got a few folks thinking.