Many of you aren’t going to like what I am about to write. It isn’t that I haven’t touched on this before; I have, and a lot of folks balked at the ideas. But it has to be said. Today’s truth is that much of why our congregations are dying is because many of our members aren’t engaged. I see articles every day on my feed telling me why people aren’t going to church anymore, and much of what they say is valid. Yes – it is true that organized religion has been its own worst enemy in many ways, and we have allowed our own spiritual hubris to get in the way of serving God and our community. Part of why this has happened, however, is that too many good people have kept silent when wrong decisions were being made. Instead of helping to steer the ship, they have jumped overboard. Every system has weak spots that need to be corrected, but if the people with the best vision leave, those who are left are often myopic. The blind leading the blind, if you will.
I’m not looking backward and pining for the good old days. The truth about Christianity in America is that we have only had one period of time in our history – post WWII to around 1960 – when we had around, or a little over, 50% of us in worship every week. Most of us believe in God, or at least are searching for answers, so I am not saying that we aren’t good people. But every time I hear someone ask why the conservative mega-churches are doing so well – they are struggling too, by the way – I give this simple answer: their people are engaged, and they work in bulk. Their seats are, mostly, full on Sunday mornings, and their bank accounts have enough in them to pay their staff and do enough mission to make it look like they are doing a lot. Some do more, others do less, but it is enough to seem extravagant. Most of our smaller churches do good ministry, but it seems minimal in comparison, even though my research has found that the smaller the church, the higher percentage of their income they give to mission work. It’s the widow’s mite if you will.
Jesus understood that people choose priorities that matter to them. “Where your heart is, so is your treasure,” He said, again and again. His challenges were often about choosing one thing over another, and He didn’t force people to pick what He wanted. Jesus pushed His followers to be honest about what mattered to them. Some chose to follow Him, with all the risks and sacrifices and joy that brought, while others chose to walk away. Our disengagement has ripple effects; consider many of the laws being passed around the country to limit people’s rights. Much of this is part of an agenda being pushed by conservative churches and their engaged members. For decades, middle-of-the-road religion kept those wolves at bay. Now, they are savaging the sheep, and there’s nobody left to protect them. Our choices matter beyond our own lives, so choose well. Our priorities are important to more than just us.
Prayer – Holy God, we love You and want to do what is right in Your eyes. Show us the path. Amen.
Today’s art is a mural in Albuquerque, NM called “Bobby Ray’s Bass Face”.