UNHOOKED OR STILL TETHERED IN CHANGING TIMES

In both a transcendent universal sense and a locally accessible sense, followers of Christ are called by God to be Church, sometimes called the Bride of Christ. While the transcendent version influences academic and logical conversations, the local church is boots on the ground, the operational model. Lately I have spoken understandingly about believers who unhook themselves from the organized church. Unhooking is an option but know this, a person who abnegates commitment to a local church is not exempt from Christian responsibility. What might such responsibility be?

Look, if you either wish to start your own church with a few friends or you want to continue the existing local church, this is what you can expect. You live within a global network of systems that affect all of our lives, climate, culture, economy, education, politics and religion too. Change is inevitable in our system. Change happens without our consent. Christians whether associated or disassociated with a local organized church have a duty to Jesus to make disciples so let's be realistic about the challenges.

Consumer prices affect church finances so are you making reasonable cost decisions at church? What was purchased for $100 in 2000, now costs $130. Families have doublewide driveways for two or more vehicles, dictating how much land local churches must pave to accommodate the traffic. If you are not caring for the orphan and the hungry (or things comparable) but prioritizing buildings and salaries some Christians should object. When doing church, do we consider that people's lives are significantly impacted by technologies, need for convenience, hectic schedules, weary adults, parents both of whom work, daycare children, catch-up Saturdays, and the demand for a breath of air? Women have spiritual needs but how can these be addressed when 80% of women aged 25-44 are employed outside the home, as compared with 50% in 1970 and 75% in 1990? We have such complicated family schedules and 25% of adults eat breakfast on their way to work. Music has replaced doctrine as the most divisive issue in churches since music has become a dominant force. Juvenile (aged 10-17) arrest rate has tripled in 25 years and the drug culture become prevalent, so what choices should Christians make about ministries and even security. And you and I can be as cynical as we choose about an organized church, but outside it, no one is any different or better when sitting on their hands.

SUPPOSE THAT I NO LONGER ATTEND AN INSTITUTIONAL CHURCH

Would you pretend with me please? Let's suppose a scenario. I haven't quit going to church, but suppose that I have. Suppose that I have made a difficult decision to stop attending Sunday worship at our local church. I am not a cranky irritant. I am an earnest, studious Christian. I love the Lord Jesus and I love his church. Suppose that I have been an active member and participant for many years. I have enjoyed your respect and we have served on committees and boards together. We have always seemed to have similar vision and aspirations for church ministry, expansion and progress. Then over the months of this past year you have heard me question rather than complain about church priorities, practices and methodology. I have expressed concerns about how we spend money, about the weak theology of much of the music we sing, about the topical sermons and lack of scriptural content. Perhaps I have mentioned my need for reverence. Perhaps you have told me, "you sound like an old person." Yet maybe I have pointed out that I like many of my age group do make every effort to accommodate to the changes within church culture and I along with them do not carp and complain. We don't whine or grumble. We sing and we pray and we stay interested and involved. We cherish our church friends and our pastors. We support the evangelistic fervour and outreach into the neighbouring community. What more can any of expect? And then, at some point, for my own reasons, some of which I myself cannot fully understand or explain, I conclude, I can't do this any longer.

This has all been supposition. I am not really thinking about leaving my local congregation, but suppose that I had left. How would you as a church member look at me? How would you treat me? Could you agreeably see me as analytical rather than critical? Could you accept that I was no longer satisfied with the status quo of organized Christianity? Would you trust me when I said that I am still growing spiritually as God's child and that I do desire significant relationships with other believers because I know God has not called me to isolation? Would you believe me when I told you that I made my decision after studying scripture, and because I live in relation to Christ and to other followers of Christ I am convinced that in that relational network I am integrally engaged in church? With how much do you agree?