An Opportunity Often Missed

During December a choice comes before Jesus-followers and congregations of disciples. Most do not know that the choice exists. Because of this, churches end up making a critical decision by default. The choice comes from the convergence of two dynamic factors.

First, many church-goers regard Christmastime as the season in which church traditions should be followed most carefully. Places of worship should be decorated just so. We expect to hear certain songs at church worship and at holiday events. The same things should happen that take place every December; such as special church dinners, children's Christmas pageants, Christmas caroling events, gift collections for the needy, Candlelight Christmas Eve services, etc. All of these are important and meaningful. And the attention of folks in the Body of Christ tends to be on themselves, and the feelings that the season will engender once again.

Second, December draws people living far from God to places of worship like few times of the year. Motivations may vary. Some may come for no other reason than that Dad, Grandma, or somebody wants the whole family to be together in church on the Sunday before Christmas or on Christmas Eve. Some may show up out of guilt, realizing that Easter was the last time they darkened the door. Some may attend worship out of some vague sense that Christmas is some sort of a "religious" holiday, and going to a church is "the right thing to do." Others may answer a longing within them that they can't explain, describe, or understand. In any case, no one will be in church on Christmas because they had nothing better to do, and on few other occasions will so large a number of newcomers take the courageous step of showing up at a Jesus-focused worship service somewhere.

The problem is that this high percentage of guests come at the very time when Christians, with no ill intent, are most focused on their experience of the season and that of those who are closest to them. Without critical examination of the circumstances, their awareness of new faces in Christmas worship settings may go no farther than, "Isn't it great to have the church filled?!" or "Who are they?"

Opportunity missed...

What would it be like if Jesus-followers focused the most on their hospitality during December, and especially from December 24th into the new year? It's the rare Christians and churches that set aside their own experience of the holidays, and aim their sights on those who are being drawn to God in this special season.

I'll see you around the next bend in the river.

Disobedience

Since 1979, when I first experienced the central power of the "Great Commission" to go and make disciples for Jesus, I have heard churches evaluated on a continuum that runs from "growing" to "dying." In the early days, this was a numeric evaluation. At first, growing churches were those that increased in numbers of members, while dying churches had a higher number of members passing away or leaving the congregation for other places of worship. Then we began to understand that having a name on a membership book didn't really mean much, if that didn't correspond to regular attendance and involvement. So we decided that growing churches increased their worship attendance year after year, while dying churches did the opposite. Eventually more people began to talk about the primary importance of a relationship with Jesus. (Imagine that!!) Then we started to say that growing churches had a high number of people who professed their faith in Christ or renewed their faith in Christ each year, while dying congregations tried to depend on people transfering from other churches.

In his book Direct Hit, Paul Borden reframes the entire issue. Instead of relying on the categories of "dying" and "growing," however they are defined, he says the issues are really obedience and disobedience. Rather than thinking only of the quantitative measurements that lean in the direction of assessing institutional maintenance only, he suggests that a missional assessment is in order. Either a church is obeying Jesus' commandment (not "suggestion") to go and make disciples (not to "stay put" and maintain and institution) or it is not. Borden says, "Perhaps the greatest sin of denominations and most congregations is the lack of urgency to bring good news to lost individuals." (Page 56.)

If you are a Jesus-follower and part of a congregation, how is your fellowship doing by the obedience/disobedience measure? I'll see you around the next bend in the river.