The Day America Went to Church, Part 3

I don’t where I heard this, but I heard it was said that America indeed did go to church on 9/16/2001, but they looked around and found it was just as they left it and so never returned again.? Basically, Americans were coming back to church for answers and got some answers–just not to the questions they were asking.? I know Barna did some research and found that church attendance grew a little bit the months following 9-11, but went back to it’s “normal” trend of decline the subsequent years following the tragedy.

So who’s fault is it? Shouldn’t “these people” just “get right or get left?” Some are thinking “They shouldn’t have left the Church in the first place!” How much blame can be placed on us as church leaders the fact that they simply aren’t coming to the Church?

I think the answer is “Yes!” Yes, many people shouldn’t have left the church in years past. But yes, the people in the church shouldn’t have been so judgmental and harsh towards them! I know, I know–hate the sin, love the sinner! BUT, many times the perception (which is their reality) is that all they hear is the word “hate.” And because they are “one of those people” that “does ‘that'”(whatever “it” is), they believe that we hate them. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that perception is killing the Church. Why would I want to go there? I can stay at home or go to work to get yelled at! I don’t need to go to church to get that!

Case in point . . . When I was a youth minister in my first church, there was a student of mine that invited his friend to church on Sunday night. He was so excited that he finally got his friend to church–it was like pulling teeth to get him there because of a really bad experience at the church he grew up in (sound familiar?). But because of his buddy’s character and relationship, he relented and came to Sunday night church with his buddy.

Enter the reason why “they aren’t coming back” . . . door greeter (I use the term VERY loosely as you will find out very quickly here) guy said “take your hat off, son!” Not “welcome to our extremely friendly, work with you through your issues and the hard times, don’t judge the book by it’s cover, glad your here Church”, but “Take your hat off, son!” The student who invited his friend tried to play it off as a joke and walked on past all the while saying “he’s not really serious.” Oh no, he was extremely serious!! So much so that he came up behind the kid, took the ball cap off his head, smacked it on top of his head, slammed it in his chest and said “I said take your cap off, son. This is the Lord’s house!”? The student took the cap, tears in his eyes, put it on his head and walked out of the church, never to return again.? All the while “greeter guy” thinks that he did the Kingdom a service tonight by keeping the The Bride “pure.” In reality, he grieved the Bride that night by pushing away another person from the love and grace of God.

I know this is an extreme example of ONE GUY in ONE CHURCH in ONE TOWN, BUT I know it happens all of the time.? It doesn’t happen with the severity of that guy, but it happens all of the time. The snide comment from the pulpit about “it’s Adam & Eve, not Adam & Steve!” Yes, it is true that it is Adam & Eve in the garden.? However, the truth was not conveyed in love!? The prayer request expressing “concern for the Smith’s” that is really just gossip! Yes, we do need to pray for them because were it not for grace, there we are right with them–whatever their problem is!? The examples great and small go on and on. So what are we going to do about it?

Well, we started this local church because there are a ton of people who are unchurched and “overchurched.” Many of the people (Barna says almost 60%) who don’t attend church are Born-again believers! They just haven’t found the church to be a loving, warm, accepting place where they can: be convicted by the Holy Spirit of their sins; confess their sins to a caring family (see James 5:16); and move on with the victory that is only found in Christ. The “overchurched” are those that love the Lord, but have become more and more frustrated with the local church (maybe for some of the previous examples). A pastor’s study group I am in are currently reading? They Like Jesus But not the Church by Dan Kimbell. That title sums up that “overchurched” crowd in a sentence. We started this church to say “it doesn’t have to be that way!” They can have their cake and eat it too! They can love Jesus AND the Church, because She is, after all, the Bride of Christ.

9-11 showed us a lot of things.? It showed us that we live in a fallen world and people left to themselves are going to wreak havoc on the entire world around them.? It showed us that the entire world is in need of a Savior.? It showed us that people are automatically hard-wired in their DNA to seek out God when tragedy strikes.? It also showed us in the church that we are just as flawed, just as selfish and just as in need of a Savior!? My prayer for our place is that we can change the perception of the Bride so that when America does come back at the next tragedy, we will be ready to share with them the Gospel of Jesus Christ with great LOVE and PASSION.? And my prayer is that because of the presentation of the TRUTH IN LOVE, they will COME BACK TO CHURCH? . . . often!