Spiritual Hiccups - Us, Them, and the Kingdom

I just came out of a finance meeting where the topic turned from money to the changing landscape in which the church lives. Our conversation would have been familiar to many. We talked about the fact that the culture doesn't encourage church attendance any longer, about how congregations are often engaged in a competition for a shrinking number of church folks, about how many mainline congregations have trouble connecting with people who aren't predisposed to attend church, and more.

Such conversations sometimes have a paralyzing effect.  Longtime, dedicated church members can see the situation as overwhelming.  After many years of being quite good at doing worship, caring for one another, and doing a little mission work to boot, they fear they must now become marketing experts, that they must relearn how to worship, that they must outshine mega-churches with mega-budgets.

Such thoughts were bouncing around in my head when I read today's gospel.  In it a Samaritan village does not welcome Jesus "because his face was set toward Jerusalem" (and by implication, the cross). The disciples want to punish the Samaritans, but Jesus rebukes them.  Next Jesus speaks with would be followers about what it means to be his disciples.  And the interplay of these events struck me with regards to the situation facing many mainline congregations.

For example, how to we perceive those who do not join us, who have little use for the church?  I know a lot of church folk who not only do a fair amount of hand wringing over "Where have all the people gone," but they harbor a certain anger and resentment towards a culture that has abandoned them.  I've never heard anyone suggest calling "fire to come down from heaven," but the culture is often viewed as a big part of the problem.

But the gospel reading quickly shifts the focus from what to do about those who don't embrace us to what it means to follow Jesus.  Jesus seems unwilling to worry about "them" and instead hones in on what we, who say we do want to follow him, are supposed to do.  And the two specific things Jesus mentions are a single-mindedness about the work of disciples, and "proclaiming the kingdom of God."  And I think that some of the best advice available for worried, mainline congregations may be found right here.

Put simply, our endless worrying about "them," the people who aren't here, tends toward one of two opposites.  Either we blame "them" and focus on being the righteous remnant.  Or we try to figure out how to lure "them" with the latest and greatest offerings.  But Jesus calls us to a different path, taking our own call to discipleship so seriously that proclaiming the Kingdom becomes our central purpose. 

Interestingly, I have seen a number of surveys done with people who have little use for the church that say one of the biggest factors in their attitudes is seeing little of depth and substance in the congregations they've encountered.  They've not met people who seem to be focused on following Jesus and proclaiming the Kingdom, who are willing to live, act, work, and spend their money differently because they follow Jesus. 

This says to me that if mainline congregations become communities where the people who were there spend more time deepening their own spiritual lives, in following Jesus' commandments and embodying the kingdom he says has "drawn near," we might just find ourselves in a much better position to speak to those around us. Then we could say with real integrity, "See what a difference following Jesus has made in our lives and for the community in which we live?  Wouldn't you like to be a part of something like that?"

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