Ecclesiological Euthanasia
Sun 27 Mar 2011 Filed in: Reflections
There exists a rich variety among churches that is reflected in the shape of their ministries, the makeup of their congregations, and even the choice of their names. Church names are interesting. Have you noticed, for example, how many are “First” and how few are “Second” (or Thirty-seventh)? There is an almost infinite supply of First Baptist churches. Years ago I saw a storefront with a sign that proudly announced First Corinthian Church of something-or-other, which made me wonder if they had actually read that book. I drove by a Catholic church recently that couldn’t make up its mind; it’s called Saints Peter and Paul. It seems a bit awkward, but if two heads are better than one, why not two saints? And if we’re going plural, maybe Mars Hill should be Mars Hills now that it has multiple campuses.
Not everybody appreciates the variety. Many folks (especially we pastors) have well-formed (and occasionally too rigidly defined) ideas of what constitutes a local congregation. Those that don’t measure up should be transformed or closed. Some of the ones that choose the transformation option adopt a new name as well, something like New Hope. Just about every community has a New Hope church now; it makes me wonder how many of them used to be Old Despair.
I’m starting to have second thoughts about the readiness of some folks to consign a congregation that they think doesn’t measure up to closure or transformation. I wonder how many needs cease to be met in the transition. It is true that some congregations die, although I suspect they die less often than we think. Sometimes people euthanize the church because they can - and because it seems to be an easy solution to a shrinking and aging membership, an inadequate building, or declining finances. But it turns out that bigness, buildings and bucks aren’t necessary to have a living congregation.
There aren’t many Biblical models for ecclesiological euthanasia beyond the threat to the Ephesian church. Their warning had nothing to do with bigness, buildings or bucks; it was a matter of leaving love. I find myself sometimes wondering what the Lord of the church thinks of people pruning off one of the fingers of His body because they mistook it for a wart.
Usually the only thing that dies is the organizational facade that we mistake for life. It doesn’t actually take much to be a congregation - probably less than most of us think - people (more than one) willing to obey and worship the Lord together. They don’t even need a catchy name. They just need to be what God has called them to be. Those are the kinds of congregations that make me glad that I am ecclesiologically pro-life!
Not everybody appreciates the variety. Many folks (especially we pastors) have well-formed (and occasionally too rigidly defined) ideas of what constitutes a local congregation. Those that don’t measure up should be transformed or closed. Some of the ones that choose the transformation option adopt a new name as well, something like New Hope. Just about every community has a New Hope church now; it makes me wonder how many of them used to be Old Despair.
I’m starting to have second thoughts about the readiness of some folks to consign a congregation that they think doesn’t measure up to closure or transformation. I wonder how many needs cease to be met in the transition. It is true that some congregations die, although I suspect they die less often than we think. Sometimes people euthanize the church because they can - and because it seems to be an easy solution to a shrinking and aging membership, an inadequate building, or declining finances. But it turns out that bigness, buildings and bucks aren’t necessary to have a living congregation.
There aren’t many Biblical models for ecclesiological euthanasia beyond the threat to the Ephesian church. Their warning had nothing to do with bigness, buildings or bucks; it was a matter of leaving love. I find myself sometimes wondering what the Lord of the church thinks of people pruning off one of the fingers of His body because they mistook it for a wart.
Usually the only thing that dies is the organizational facade that we mistake for life. It doesn’t actually take much to be a congregation - probably less than most of us think - people (more than one) willing to obey and worship the Lord together. They don’t even need a catchy name. They just need to be what God has called them to be. Those are the kinds of congregations that make me glad that I am ecclesiologically pro-life!
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