“How big is your church?”
I get asked this question on a
semi-regular basis. There are many reasons why people ask, some more
valid than others. But it seems to me that the number one reason for
asking that question has to do with a quick evaluation: how do you
compare to my church; are you big enough to be taken seriously; and,
do you have or offer the programs I want? All too often it's a
numbers game with people assuming the bigger the church, the better
it is. Or, if numbers don't match expectations, I/we must be doing
something wrong.
But this isn't always necessarily the
case. My former parish in Montana has about 40 people and they are
incredibly vibrant and vital. Numbers don't tell the whole story.
And with the numbers game comes the inevitable comparisons. WE
had twelve baptisms last year. WE had twenty. WE
put in a coffee bar. WE hired a new band. WE'VE
had to expand the building twice. WE added three more
services. And on and on and on.
When we play that game we begin playing
with the sin of pride. We begin thinking these are things WE
have accomplished. Or maybe we begin thinking that God loves us just
that much more. And when we play that game, we also begin seeing
church as just another commodity, or as a transaction to be made,
where if we sell enough religious widgets, we will be successful.
But we are not merchants. We are not
out to sell the most religious widgets in Hagerstown. We aren't
traders, offering this for that. We are not here to build the
biggest church in the area. We aren't here to wow people with coffee
bars and bands. We aren't here to say, “Look what we did.”
Jesus reminds us of this when he sends
out those seventy disciples on a mission to proclaim that the kingdom
of God has come near. He reminds us of this when he instructs them
to carry no purse and no bag. These seventy are heralds of the
gospel, they are not merchants. They are not to engage in trade.
This is not a business.
Like those seventy, and like the twelve
before them, we are here to proclaim the gospel. This proclamation
has nothing to do with our ASA. It has nothing to do with coffee
bars, bands, or expansions. It has nothing to do with how many
religious widgets we sell. Because none of that – bars, bands, or
widgets – makes us stronger in discipleship. None of that deepens
our roots.
Like those seventy, and like those
twelve, we are here to proclaim the gospel. That proclamation,
coincidentally, has everything to do with our mission statement:
Worship, Welcome, Serve, and Encourage. None of these four points
requires a financial transaction. We have no need for purse or bag.
And in none of these four points is it about us.
Worship is not about us; it's about
giving our best to God. We don't welcome people in an effort to get
them to donate. We don't serve people to stroke our egos. We don't
encourage people to be like us. We do these things to proclaim the
gospel and help people draw nearer to God.
But when we do those things well, and
when we do them with God as our anchor, things will happen. We may
need to add more services. We may baptize more people. We may do
more with our music program. We may, like those seventy, proclaim
that we have done wonderful things and that even the demons submit to
us.
And here we need to be on our guard.
Notice that when the seventy returned to Jesus excited about the
demons submitting to them, Jesus refocused them. Yes, you have power
over the enemy, but don't rejoice in that; instead, rejoice that your
names are written in heaven.
Triumphalism is inappropriate.
Reveling in our own power and greatness, even when we claim it is
done in the name of Jesus, sends us off the mark. Another gospel put
it this way: “On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do
many deeds of power in your name?' Then I will declare to them, 'I
never knew you, go away from me, you evildoers'.”
Our joy is not to be found in the great
deeds we did, but in the knowledge that we are brothers and sisters
in Christ and members of the family of God.
We do not measure our worth by our ASA.
We do not measure our worth by the number of building projects,
additional services, or baptisms performed. We do not measure our
worth by coffee bars or worship bands. For this we do not need
purses or bags.
What we do need is a willingness to be
sent out and proclaim the good news of the gospel. What we do need
is a willingness to be called, “Apostles,” for it is the apostles
who were sent. What we do need is a willingness to worship, welcome,
serve, and encourage. Because it is in these acts where we learn
about discipleship. And it is in these acts where we can most
truthfully and joyfully proclaim the good news.
“How big is your church?” is the
wrong question. What we should be asking is, “How deep are our
discipleship roots?”
Amen.
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