Mainline Blind
A church growth consultant hired by First Mainline Church sat down with the pastor after yet another sparsely attended worship service.
“So, pastor, tell me about your church.”
“First and foremost, everyone is welcome,” the pastor said, keenly aware that this was not the case at Grace Nondenominational down the road. We pride ourselves on being a welcoming church. People can identify however they want; one’s identity is sacred. Also, what people do in their private lives is their business, as long as they are loving and kind toward others. Finally, the goal of our services is to allow people to leave more encouraged and hopeful than when they arrived.
“Hope in what, exactly?”
“Well, hope in their faith. That God loves them.”
“Ok, that sounds like a great start, let me do some thinking and get back to you tomorrow with some ideas.”
As the consultant pondered this and drove back toward his office, he was passing Grace Non-denominational Church. The parking lot was packed so he decided to pull in. As the service was wrapping up he asked the pastor for a few minutes of his time, and they walked back to his office.
“So, pastor, what is your secret–how do you attract so many people?”
“We don’t really set out to attract people. And many churches faithful to the Bible are small for different reasons, but we believe there is something mysteriously attractive and compelling about Jesus. And, though his message is difficult to accept, he is worth committing one’s life to.
“Is everyone welcome? I have heard that you are not accepting of LGBTQ folk.”
“Everyone is more than welcome to come, and come as they are, but attending church and giving your life to Jesus are radically different ideas.”
“Like what? What if someone identifies as gay?”
“Actually to trust in Jesus is to lose your identity and to take on his identity.”
“Hmm. That sounds like code for, ‘We are going to tell you how to live your life.’ Can’t people do what they want in their private lives as long as they are loving and kind to others?” What right do you have to tell people how to live?”
“Actually, God is the one who tells us through the Bible how to live. And there is no private life, in that sense, when you trust in Jesus. Giving your life to Jesus is radically invasive. The Bible teaches us to confess our sins to each other, that we belong to one another, and that we are accountable to church leaders.”
“That sounds offensive. Do you think you are better than others?
“Actually, I believe I’m worse than any homosexual who walks in here, but that still doesn’t make it acceptable to God.
“You are kidding me, you think you are worse?”
“Sure–if one could measure sin, I’m worse when you multiply my heterosexual sin by my pride and self-righteousness. But when I submit to and trust in Jesus my sin is washed away, God the Father looks on me as perfect because of Jesus’ obedience, and his Spirit begins to change me from the inside out.” The pastor reflected and continued, “Some of God’s ways seem offensive to me as well at times. But don’t you think that if God is our eternal, holy, and all-knowing Creator, it makes sense that some of his ways would seem offensive to those of us who don’t remotely share those traits?”
The consultant was pulling out his trump card rather than listening: “What about ‘Judge not lest ye be judged?’”
“That is very true, in one sense, but elsewhere the Bible tells us that we actually should judge those who claim to follow Jesus. If you don’t understand the concepts of nuance and context, you will never understand the Bible and true Christianity.”
“Then why are all these people here? I doubt they leave feeling encouraged or hopeful.”
“On the contrary. The Bible does teach that all have sinned and fall short of God’s standard. It confronts us and convicts us about how we are living and how we have offended our holy Creator and Judge. As a result we deserve hell and eternal punishment. One has to understand, believe, and feel this deeply in order for the gospel to be exactly what it means: good news. It is the good news that Jesus, as God, offers to take the punishment we deserve. That he died on the cross for those who trust in him and submit to him. He gives us his perfect record of obedience, and he actually, literally rose from the dead after three days, conquering death. When we give our lives to him he begins to change our lives now, and promises eternal life with him one day soon. The resurrection is of critical importance, is central to our message, and we have no hope or reason to exist without it.”
The next day the consultant sat back down with the First Mainline Church pastor.
“Out of curiosity I stopped by to talk with the pastor of Grace Non-denominational Church yesterday. He mentioned that they preach the gospel, that they actually believe in heaven and hell, and a literal resurrection. What about you guys?”
“Well, we do use religious language—words like transformation, love, community, generosity, justice and kindness. And we mention sin in a general sense sometimes, but we choose to focus on God’s love. Teaching about judgement and hell would just turn people off.”
“Do you believe in the physical, literal resurrection, and in heaven being an actual physical place?”
“Well, actually, that is kind of above my pay grade. I don’t know how that all works.” The pastor looked around uncomfortably and leaned in, “Between you and me, many of the pastors in our denomination don’t actually believe in the physical resurrection, or heaven and hell.” He leaned back in contemplation, “I guess over time we have just defaulted to keep things vague.”
The consultant didn’t really understand these finer details of theology, but went back to his hotel room to come up with a proposal. The next day he met again with First Mainline.
“I think what you guys need is a new program with sleek, colorful marketing. I recommend something informal with hands-on arts and crafts, food, and fun activities for all ages. I call it Sticky Church.”
The First Mainline pastor smiled and began writing feverishly, feeling hopeful for the first time in months.
