Anyways, I was asked to plan the worship for Sunday morning. I accepted and was very excited, until I remembered how traditional the United Methodist Church is, in general. The Annual Conference Committee met last week to talk about the entire 4 day conference, they talked about themes and songs and everything. They don't like "contemporary" music, so I have to select hymns. I can include a couple "contemporary" songs, but they have to be at least 5 years old for the attendees to even have a chance of knowing the songs.
This all got me thinking about how ridiculous tradition can be for tradition-sake. It got me thinking about the church in general.
The church. I'm talking "THE CHURCH". God's church. I'm not talking about each individual denomination, even though I'm looking directly at my own when I say all of this. I'm not trying to be hypocritical, I know that the United Methodist Church isn't exempt from this problem.
The problem is this. We are supposed to be drawing people into the Kingdom of God, right? We are supposed to be forming community with them and loving them as Christ loves us, right? So then why is the church dying? Why are people leaving the church? Why are people so against going to church? Why do people feel that the church is irrelevant?
Irrelevant? Really? You think that I'm overly dramatic? Think again.
A report, titled “U.S. Religious Landscape Survey,” showed that of the 35,000 people sampled that 44% of adult Americans have either left the faith of their childhood to join another religion or have no religion...Seriously?!?! 44% have left the faith they were raised in. You wonder why the church is dying? You wonder why churches across America are closing their doors? You wonder why our culture doesn't care about church?
The report also indicates that the group that had the greatest net gain was the unaffiliated. Sixteen percent of American adults say they are not part of any organized faith, which makes the unaffiliated the country’s fourth-largest “religious group”.This whole thing scares the crap out of me. What happened to the church? Why is it that nobody cares anymore? -- I quoted a report above, what I'm about to say is completely my opinion, it has no related "official" basis.
I feel like the church has gotten so wrapped up in the words of John and Paul. John writes, quoting Jesus, in his Gospel chapter 15 verses 18 & 19:
"If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you."And Paul writes in the Book of Romans chapter 12 verse 2:
"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will."We (the church) are so convinced that anything of the world is bad, that we (the church) refuse to approach it or accept it. Now, try to follow me here, I'm not a heretic, I'm not saying that we have to accept the world. Not by any stretch am I saying we need to accept the world. The world that we live in is most definitely Satan's playground. He rules the earth. I'm not denying that, but I believe that the church has gotten so wrapped up in that concept, and afraid of it that we have become irrelevant to our society.
We are fairly basic creatures, we like to think and have opinions. We have beliefs. We have dreams. We have desires. We have fears. We have doubts. We have a life to live, and we want to live it to the fullest. We don't want to be told what to do. We don't want to be "preached" at. How often do Christians get a bad rep because of a few individuals "preaching" about eternal damnation, the fires of hell, the evils of the world, and so much more. --- Granted, I have HUGE issues with people who think that is the Gospel of Christ. Fear is NOT an effective way to create a disciple. Following Christ has to be a choice, a purposeful choice, not just a "no other options" choice. But I digress... This society, this culture doesn't want to be "preached" at. We want to be able to choose for ourselves. We want to be a part of something that culturally we can connect with.
So how does a church connect with the society that we live in, while still following the words of Jesus and Paul? -- That's a really tough question. It's what you may call a "slippery-slope". It's so easy to get too culturally relevant and lose the Gospel of Christ in an effort to entertain the masses. There are so many churches that satisfy society rather than spread scripture. Churches that captivate the culture rather than communicate Christ. It's so easy to fall into the trap of social balance. Yet, so many churches refuse to even try to reach the current culture. Churches that are so stagnant and determined to remain adherent to their traditions that they are closed off from society completely. This is where my church falls. My church (United Methodist) as a whole is so wrapped up in tradition that we are dying. We are failing to encourage growth. We are failing to reach people. We are failing to share Christ in a way that people will understand.
Society does not understand our traditions. Society does not understand where our traditions came from. Society sees our traditions as old fashioned, which they are. Society isn't going to approach the church if that is all it sees. Now again, I'm not trying to be a heretic, but there is a point where enough is enough. There is a point where someone has to stand up and say 'stop.' There is a point where we choose to pursue the lost. There is a point where we choose to love the lonely. There is a point where we choose to abandon our tradition and approach our commission.
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." -- Matthew 28:18-20Think about it, and make a choice.
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