A Prodigal's Path

Considering “Old Couches” - The Accidental Part 3

One of Northridge Church's most respected and eldest members, Jack Robson, called me this morning saying he had read my post "Considering Couches Part 1". I immediately thought "Whoops . . . " After all it wasn't my birthday, or our anniversary.

First, he told me that if John MacArthur can write books that I very well could too. I was speechless and got that warm tearful feeling that guys aren't supposed to have. While that may be an aspiration in my future, I don't believe I yet possess the contextual or spiritual depth to pull off such a project.

Second, he told me he had called Lucy Parsons and read my article to her. I held my breath and waited for the report of her response. She liked it too. I could relax and I let out that deep anxious breath I'd been holding in.

Jack then began to tell me about Phil Parson's wood shop behind the house. He told me about how over the years Phil would spend hours in his shop using old, trusted, and classic hand tools to craft, chisel, and shape wood into art. Sure he could use the "new" tools. But the old tools worked better and required long lost skills. Skills lost because of the advent of "new tools". But why pound a nail with a hammer when you can shoot a nail with a gun? I quickly began to realize this wasn't a story about tools. It was a story about the need for tried and true craftsmanship that is carefully handed down from one learned generation to new and learning generation.

Jack is right. Some things can only be handled and handed down by skilled hands and sharply honed hearts. We chatted away about balanced churches and we shared our ideas about two major points.

First, a church needs to be multi-generational to be in balance. I need Jack, June, Phil, Lucy, and all the others that make up the generation that can answer the questions I have. I need their footprints to follow on the path I now tread.

Second is that a church needs youth in order to have life and longevity. Someone needs to be there to be handed the torch before the lights go out and the doors locked.

As much as I've written about the need for objective change, I so often love, and need, the aged and familiar tap on the shoulder to remind me I'm being watched, loved, and guided by some really smart people who have stood where I now stand long before I ever walked this earth. Like a son, I need to know patriarchs like Jack are carefully watching and are there to guide me with sage biblical wisdom.

A couple quick thoughts on my blogging; If I've made people think, question, and challenge their ideas, and my ideas, about how church is done then I think the process is a success. It means we are taking a closer look at what we do and why we do it. And when I am writing about The Church I am pondering The Church at large. I'm speaking about all churches everywhere regardless of what name may be on their sign. "Considering Old Couches Part 1" & "Considering Old Couches Part 2" are both of the "church at large" genre.

Being a member of Northridge has been a unbelievably rewarding experience. I've never imagined being part of such a self-aware, self-conscious, Church whose genuine love and concern for the application of the Great Commission drive it to consistently confront itself for the concern of others.

Church Shopping 101

As previously mentioned I had taken a 20 year vacation from Church and worship. After being brought to my knees in a few areas of my life I decided it might be worthwhile to start fresh and try Christianity one more time. After days of discussion Lori and I decided to go "Church Shopping." It was 2003 and here's how that went:

There was a time when people still read newspapers and we tore out the weekly published list of "Local Churches." Being a big fan of the "Red Marker Treatment" I took my felt tip and crossed off any church that had the name "Fellowship" or "Community in it.  I did four years hard time in a Catholic High School and I didn't want that either so the big red "X" to them too.

From there I sorted them on how far from home they were. I'm a busy guy and travel time is wasted time. Next came the rankings of how interested I was based on their name and anything I might know about them from driving by on occasion or knowing someone who might go there.

Sunday, by Sunday, we piled into the truck, headed down the street. We timed our appearances just right. Too early and you might get caught in that awkward silence that occurs while waiting for everyone else. Too late and the "good seats" towards the back left side would be gone. It was best to sneak in with the crowd. Once safely inside the critiquing began. No. That's not true. Critiquing began with the newspaper.

I made mental notes of how everything looked, felt, and smelled. I would search for familiar items, or anyone I might know, want to know, or anyone acting out of sorts that I didn't want to know. My "weirdness" radar was highly active and waiting to detect any instance of strangeness or cult-like activity. I would read the church bulletin from cover to cover to see what was of interest not only to me, but to that church. Like a film critc I evaluated everything about the "production". Did things make sense in terms of how things happened, when they happened, and why they happened? We're people friendly, inviting, helpful, or was I left to piece this all together on my own?

The BIG questions to be answered was; "Were we comfortable?"

"The Show" starterd and music was the big one in terms of variance. We had choirs, robes, no robes, bells, organs, HUGE organs, books, no books, guitars, never any drums, good music, and not so good music. It's subjective I know, but sometimes I would just grit my teeth and think to myself "Oh No . . . not that thing again!"

There was the "seat count." Was this church empty, or full?  Was at it was it young, or old? Were there kids here and how many, what ages, etc. What was Sunday School like and did my kids have a good time? What did they learn and what were they bringing home? A coloring book page with a story about Jesus "Good" or some craft project that was supposed to be a gift for mommy "Nice, but Not So Good."

We experienced some interesting worship services that ran the gamut from very predictable to very strange. At times I would sit in a service and think to myself "I don't get it." Or "what's that all about?" Kneeling I never understood, or the sign of the cross thing before prayer, or how people remember what to recite back during those very liturgical services where the worshipers are to recite things back. Where did that come from?

Communion. This was easy. No, you're not going to touch that before I do and I can find my own mouth. One cup? Too medieval for me and NOT happening. Where's the water fountain?

Three very memorable experiences are these: First, we left a church one Sunday and Lori said "I really love the people, they're great! It's too bad their worship service is so weird." I had to agree. We were a bit disappointed that we couldn't put the two together and make it work. Second, a church on our "short list" had virtually no parking. It was raining and we would have had to park 3 blocks away on a narrow residential street and make a dash for the door. Instead we ended up all dressed up at a Uncle Bobs Family Restaurant eating pancakes and waffles. The last church on the list, and the one we ended up staying at, is located in the city limits neighboring one of the roughest areas of Rochester. I thought it best to do a little "scouting" so we casually, as if we were just lost and turning around, drove through the parking lot as church was letting out one Sunday. We wanted to make sure we fit in. Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

The next Sunday we showed up at what is now Northridge Church and our church home. That was seven years ago. It was the most comfortable, most friendly, and we walked away the first week with a feeling that we mattered. People noticed us, talked to us, and made sure we knew they were happy we found them. On the surface I would evaluate it this way. North wasn't overly stringent and liturgical. Nor was it too loose. It was simply, straight forward, and genuine. There were no odd man-made, or imposing rituals. No bizarre recitations. Just simplicity and a clear, concise message and worship. It all made sense in so many ways. We felt at home and home it has become.

But the bigger story here is how "Church Shopping" happens, the process itself, and what's important to those looking for a home. The answer from the clues is 'Everything". Everything gets evaluated and critiqued. Nothing is off limits in the mind and experience of an outsider coming in for the first time. And the best solution for meeting those expectations is this formula and mindset: "Constant and Never-Ending Improvement." in everything we do. Change is a constant and the only place that "Evolution", so to speak,  has an appropriate place in the Church.

Considering "Old Couches" Part 2

If you've heard David Whiting's message on "Old Couches" and read "Part 1" then you may begin to recognize distinct issues "Old Couches" start to present when Churches adopt them as imperatives.

The 1^st Century Church didn't limp onto the cultural scene. It exploded. Quickly read Acts 2:42 & 47. Can you imagine the excitement at a church that mega-formed into existence when its membership grew by 3,000 in a day? When members were being added daily? Sadly it doesn't often echo the church experienced by many, if any, of us today.

If I seem to be insistent upon the cultural relevance of the Church it's because I am. I took a 20 year hiatus from attending any type of worship service or Church as I pondered the following questions: "If Church is right, if it's such a great place, then how come I don't get it? Why is so seemingly monotonous? Why do we go through the motions and nothing seems to happen?" And "If this is to celebrate the biggest thing in the universe where is everybody?"

In other words . . . "Why is it the same old thing all the time?" . . . More candidly, "Why is it so distant and boring?"

And the answer came back: "Because it often is."

Where The Church struggles is in the accomplishment of its sole, and soul, imperative. And that imperative is how to best implement and execute the Great Commission at any given point in time. Simply stated it's the answer to the age old dilemma of how to best win souls for the sake of Christ and The Kingdom. From time to time we, The Church, have come up with some brilliant ideas. We've risen and met the needs of a culture and made the Gospel accessible and desirable to that day and age. Throughout history Christ body has stepped up and stepped out of its' comfort zone and accomplished amazing works for the glory of God and our Savior. But between those markers we seem to sink into the backdrop of the decades and fade into the gray background of time. We lose touch and, as they say, we become "out of sight and out of mind."

Once again the Americanized version of the Church may be at an imperative crossroads where it will need to step up and catch up to a culture that is changing at lightning speeds or choose to be locked in time and passed by like the 19^th century antiquity it often mimics. While we haven't abandoned the framework of our doctrine and teachings we've neglected our relevance and our attractiveness. We've forgotten to change the faded fabric and our appeal to match the needs and desires of today's culture.

We're often standing at the door offering Kool-Aid to a RedBull culture.  They've grown up and moved on.  MTV and VH1 aren't cutting edge anymore and haven't been for 28 years.  Metaphorically, some Church cultures are just getting cable in a wireless age and yet others are still wrapping tin foil around the rabbit ears. Recognize it, or not, most Church "traditions" lost their relevance and were dragged to the curb decades ago by a culture that has passed us by in search of something more tangible and something they can relate to.  We can sit, arms crossed, on our old couches and we can stand in the doorway defiantly holding back the cultural winds of change while we defend our traditions against ourselves, and strangely enough, often for our own comfort.  Somehow we've adopted an attitude that seemingly equates the antiquity of The Gospel with the acceptable antiquity of our buildings, seating, practices, habits, and list of "must dos".  We've locked horns with the idea of cultural adaptation. And the light, once set upon a hill in a steepled church, is growing dim behind stained glass, marred wood paneling, musty carpeting, millennial aged verbose hymns, and programs that still offer watered down cool aid to a new generation that thirst for The Truth. The "real" truth . . . the truth it can relate to, understand, and grab onto.

The message of Christ has an amazing ability to cross cultures, continents, languages, and generations. It's the Church's duty to ensure that the barriers to Christ are removed. Our obligation is to keep it the things we do, implement, and practice, real and meaningful to a human culture that is easily lured away and swept downstream. Agree with the culture of the day, or not, Christ matters to the culture because the people within that culture matter to Christ.

 

Considering "Old Couches" Part 1

Yesterday's message at Northridge brought a variety of thoughts to mind about Church practices and "Old Couches". 

There's a link to the audio message at the end of this post. But to summarize, an "Old Couch" is a program or practice that a Church may have adopted generations ago that has outlived its' useful purpose. That practice, or program, has become such a tradition that it has procured a nearly sacred status. So much so that it's off limits in terms of getting rid of it despite the fact it does nothing to enhance the spread of The Gospel. In fact, the Old Couch may be not only detrimental to the cause of the Great Commission, but to the welfare of the Church itself. I typically steer clear of commenting on sermons . . . but well, here goes:

A few brief additional thoughts:

Old couches can be "visually unappealing" . . . meaning they don't look "Up To Date"; such as old carpeting, wood paneling, and 1950's bathrooms in a church building. It may convey that a church is staunchly antiquated both visually, and in its' practices. It's out of time and therefore out of touch.

They can be "stained" . . . a church can be burdened with a blemished reputation from careless actions from its' past . . . like abortion protest, Koran burning, internal scandals, etc.  While we are called to have a somewhat radical disposition in our opposition to sin, we are also called to a message that imparts hope through love, not offensiveness.

They can be "broken or dysfunctional" as in having a broken spring, leg, or arm rest . . . like a church that doesn't function biblically as a body, suffers from the lack of leadership or lacks financial support.  Their vision and balance are as askew as their broken parts.

They can be "worn out and uncomfortable" with much of their useful life used up generations ago. The inner material that initially provided a firm base for support and made it inviting to sit in is now broken down, depleted, and tired.  The old couch has outlived its' usefulness . . . it no longer meets the needs of a new generation . . . it doesn't provide the comfort and support that young, needy believers are looking for. Aside from looking old, it feels old, and it doesn't work today . . . but we keep it because we're use to it.  Churches can often fail to recognize the social need to modernize their efforts to effectively relay a timeless message.  They're often caught standing still and locked in time amidst a culture that is hurtling ever, and obliviously, forward.

They can harbor the "smell of the past" . . . like old couches that seem to hang onto the odors of "yester-year".  Churches can be stuck in the glory days of the past. Members and leaders harbor in the safe history of what once was a great congregation. Unfortunately those memories can keep a church blinded from today's needs and challenges.

Then there are the "slip-covers", "cushion flippers", "re-upholsterers", and the old sheets that try to cover up and fool everyone that enters the room.  They mask and costume the old tired ugliness with a glaze of white-wash only to trick a few and disappoint the majority. There is no substitute for "whole hearted" change and Churches that seek a comfortable compromise accomplish just that: a "compromise" at the expense of effectively achieving the eternal life goal of Christ and the Great Commission. We hang on to the past, deny cultural change, and oppose relevance in exchange for our own comfort.

Ridding ourselves of "old couches" often involves a group effort . . . hopefully we become aware that change needs to occur and preferably before it's an emergency that has pushed a Church into dire straits. We make the calls to get friends to help.  We build a consensus and a plan. Someone may hold the door open. Another may remove the cushions to make the burden lighter. Someone else may remove the legs in preparation for a tight doorway squeeze. Then collectively the antiquated article is heaved to the curb. In its' wake the room is open to new ideas, freshness, and a clean design.  

Change, as unwanted as it may initially be, breathes new life into a room and Church.  A new couch means a new pattern that will require new windows dressings to match. We now recognize now that the walls need painting. The complete, new and modern look feels consistent, smells fresh, and meets today's expectations. Interesting enough, within the house as within the Church, the function of a couch hasn't changed.  Its' renewed spirit through modernization has simply made it more inviting and appealing while providing better support and comfort. The critical message is the same and will never change; "Come. Sit, Learn, and Live."

David Whiting's Message "Old Couches"

 

45 Seconds and a Funeral.

On July 30^th of this year I met Tim. It was a 45 second 'across the room' encounter consisting of some friendly banter about real estate and the weather. I was surprised how much he knew about me and I continued to fill my plate and wandered back out to the pool never to see him again, ever. In my mind I had just added Tim to my "friend" list. In that brief moment he was kind, funny, generous, and interesting.

On August 30^th I attended Tim's funeral. Of the 4 funerals I've attended in my life I never imagined one would bring so much laughter, so much fondness, and so much heartfelt gratitude and appreciation from everyone who spoke about Tim's life and friendship. I had encountered his "big as life" persona and absorbed every passionate expression of his life amongst the 536 people that filled Saint Ambrose Church.

It was "all good" so to speak, almost too good, and that nagged at me a bit . . . well, because we're all inherently flawed in some way . . . but I was happy and content knowing the Tim that I did. And hearing his stories from his lifelong friends I chose to accept all the "goodness" and to believe that Tim was amongst the best of my friends.

From my corner of the Church I began to realize that this too is how our God chooses to see those who accept Christ as His son and as their salvation . . . as "all good". That like Tim's gathering of friends God's Holy Spirit and Son intercede for us, they plea on our behalf, they assist in relaying only the best of our lives, and we are washed pure; cleansed clean; and adopted as faultless through a Christ that calls us His own.

The Intercession of Christ.

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.  Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace ~ Hebrews 4:14-16

The Intercession of God's Holy Spirit.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. ~ Romans 8:26-27

The Result.

 In Christ you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. ~ Ephesians 1:13-14