I don't really like church

A phrase that I often hear these days is "I don't really like church". That may not be an exact quote but I hear that communicated in different ways quite a bit. In fact, rumor has it that a pastor even said that from the stage this past Sunday ;)

Church has fallen out of favor with many today. Right now I am sitting in Panera and there is a guy sitting next to me and I am going to turn to him right now and ask him what he thinks about church and then I will write his response. Seriously, I am going to do this. Hold on.

OK, I did it, really I did. I found out the guy's name was Ron and the conversation went something like this...

Me: "hey, I'm sorry to bother you but can I ask you a question?"

Ron: "sure"

Me: "what do you think about church?"

Ron: "In what context?"

Me: "I don't know, I was just wondering what you thought about church. Do you go to church? What's your opinion of church in general?"

Ron: "Well, I became a Christian in 1986. At first when it was just me, Jesus and my Bible everything was great. Then I started going to church and it was OK for a while, I guess. Then after a while I started to see a lot of stuff and, well... I don't know. I know it is bad to say this but it got political, or maybe it was just people's egos that got in the way. The church ended up going through a split and some other stuff. So eventually I just stopped going."

Me: "That's hard."

Ron: "Yeah, it seemed like people had more bad things to say than good. For instance in my denomination people would really slam Catholics and I pretty much just listened and went along with it. Not too long ago a friend of mine was in a situation where he was really in need. The Catholics were the ones who helped him out. No questions asked, they just helped him in his time of need. They helped him when people from my denomination wouldn't lift a finger. If I were to talk to someone from that group now, I would be cordial. But I can tell you if they ever said anything bad about the Catholics I would tell them to take a hike!"

"So when it comes to church, I guess I can take it or leave it to tell you the truth."

Me: "Man, I'm sorry it sounds like you have seen some ugly stuff along the way..."

There was more to our conversation but I think you get the gist. Ron didn't come out and specifically say "I don't like church" but he clearly isn't big fan.

Our conversation was a good one and as it continued he reminisced about his time leading a small group for singles in the church he attended. He told me a few stories. Like the time after one of their meetings they all decided on a whim to just go swimming with all their clothes on. Then there was the time that they ended up helping a homeless guy. He had a smile on his face and you could tell it really meant something to him. He said that he misses that at times.

This makes sense to me because those are the things I love about "church". Not necessarily swimming with my clothes on, but being with people, doing life together and serving God. And the reality is that the things that turned Ron off, turn me off as well. In fact when he was finished he asked me what I thought about church. So I told him that as far as I could tell from reading the Bible, church is all about people. It was never described as a place or something we do, it is the people who gather. I went on to say that there are a lot of things about church that I don't like and that I wondered if God liked them either.

Can you believe it? What are the odds that I would get that kind of response from the first guy I ask? Unfortunately pretty good these days. When the church becomes an institution or an organization rather than the life giving organism described in the Bible, I think we are in trouble. That is where we find ourselves today. Many people see "church" as somewhere they go or this entity that has a life of it's own. Nothing could be further from the truth. We are the church and the church has life because we have life. The church reaches out to those in need, when we reach out to them. The church also can be inward and self absorbed if we become inward focused, self absorbed people.

While the "church" may not be at the top of the opinion polls today, Jesus is still held in high regard. His love is still compelling and His Spirit is still at work in people's lives. Just during a short conversation with Ron today, I saw a part of him come alive as he recounted the times that he was "being the church" with others. So what is going to take for him and others like him to reengage or engage for the first time? As simple as it sounds, I think that they need to meet Jesus. They need to meet the Jesus that is alive and well, living in His people, and they need to see the beauty of the church lived out before them. There are too many cheap substitutes these days, people are looking for the real thing.

Sometimes I talk to people about this and they say "what can I do?" It's really not rocket science, just start by doing the things that Jesus did. Show compassion to the poor. Find a way to help someone less fortunate than you. Extend grace to people who have been marginalized or shunned by society in some way. Extend love and forgiveness to someone who has hurt you and take time to pray for them. Turn to a guy or girl sitting next to you in a public place and ask a simple question like I did. Find a group of people to share your life with on a deep level. Be vulnerable. Live for God and His purposes the best you know how and don't hesitate to share your story with others.

If you do this be prepared. Be prepared to tell God's story of love and redemption expressed to us through Jesus. Because if you live like Him, people will be drawn to you and they will ask...

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." 1 Peter 3:15