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Church On the Run
by
Beverly Vines-Haines
The American church is going AWOL. One family, one pastor, one
person at a time, people are walking away. Because thousands of
dedicated families and individuals still attend church every
week and new people continue to drop in to see what's going on,
these departures have gone largely unnoticed. Mega-churches with
thousands of members can still be found in many cities and the
Internet has spawned numerous International ministries. But
there is an exodus and it is well underway.
Christianity is not for sissies. These days it's about as
popular as lighting up in a Cancer Ward. Media sources, in an
effort to keep George W. Bush from being reelected in 2004,
blamed Christians for everything from global warming to the 9/11
attacks. Liberals declared Open Season on grandmothers,
pre-schoolers and traditional families all over the country for
nothing more sinister than going to Sunday School and bowing
their heads in prayer.
Are there crazy, narrow-minded Christians? Absolutely. Probably
in about the same percentages as there are crazy, narrow-minded
journalists and politicians. I propose we stop believing
everything we read in the papers, hear on the radio or watch on
the evening news. Christians are not responsible for the war in
Iraq, the gay marriage debate, gas prices or the struggling
economy. They do not think with a single brain. Their opinions
are as diverse as their many denominations. Some are overly
compassionate and some are too hard-hearted. The same can be
said of all Americans. It would be just as polarizing and
incorrect if I tried to leave an impression that liberals and
the media are the only reason people are leaving the church.
Even if you are tough enough to swim against the current and
live your life as a Christian, you'll still face many challenges
to your faith.
Churches, like businesses, fraternal organizations and clubs,
never seem to have enough workers. Therefore, a few people end
up doing almost all of the work. When enough weeks, months or
years have passed, they get burned out. They feel put upon,
unappreciated and used. Sometimes they simply walk out the door.
Other times they get their feelings hurt or get angry because
they don't get their way. In church lingo, they pick up an
offense. Or they pick up the offense of a best friend, a child,
a parent or a spouse. Then guess what most of them do? They
leave.
In addition to using burnout and offense as a license to leave,
people also succumb to disillusionment and doubt. They come into
the church, work hard, give regular tithes and offerings, read
the Word and even take notes during the sermon - only to find
they are not making headway with their personal problems. Why
isn't it working? What about the promises of God? Thousands of
people have stumbled over the scripture that says God does not
play favorites. (Acts 10:84) He doesn't. But when they are tired
and hurting and someone else receives the very thing they have
been praying for, it can feel like God favors others. This can
cause some people to get angry and start to doubt everything.
Besides all those pitfalls, there is plain old boredom. The,
"Been there, done that, got the T-shirt," attitude that takes
the edge off those feelings of love and ecstasy that initially
accompanied their Christian walk.
Like I said, Christianity is not for sissies. It's a tough
life. You work hard, no one appreciates you and then you find
out on the evening news you're the reason the Dow Jones toppled.
None of us are Christians because it's easy. We are Christians
because God has courted and called us into His service. Maybe it
happened by being born into a Christian family or we were led to
church by a grandmother or aunt. But deep down, each of us knows
we are chosen. We know that sweet feeling of being right with
God, knowing we are utilizing the talents He placed in us or
developing our gift.
Being 'right' with God leaves us with a sense of peace. We feel
good. That's why people who run from God (leave the church) go
into hiding. They refuse to contact old friends from church. Or
Christian family members. No matter what they do, job, social
life or romance, they cannot find a sense of completion or joy.
The solution is simply to tough it out. Don't leave the church.
Don't pick up an offense. Don't compare yourself to other
Christians. God knows what you want, what you need and when you
have to have it. He won't be late but He won't be early.
The rewards for this life far exceed those good feelings we
just talked about. I am a Christian because my great grandmother
Sarah McNutt prayed for me every night before she went to sleep.
Without fail, every night, without ceasing. She gifted me with a
heritage of peace, tolerance, and joy. I have tried over the
years to walk away, to backslide and turn my back on God. I
don't like the way it feels when I am out from under His shadow.
I don't like the empty places that echo inside me when I reject
Him.
Eventually I had to accept a harsh reality. It really isn't all
about me. It's about Him, about fields white unto harvest and
loving our fellow man. Imagine if all His children came back to
the church, laid down their offenses, their doubts and
disillusionment, their boredom and their burned out attitudes
and just got back to feeding orphans, taking care of widows,
loving the lost and breaking bread with those same kinds of
people Jesus loved?
Beverly Vines-Haines
has published newspaper feature stories, magazine columns and
several novels. She ghostwrites for celebs and people on lecture
circuits. Managing Treasure Leaf Publishing, she primarily
writes for
www.themustardtree.net.
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