Spirit Stirrer

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Matthew 16:15-18

The Church was built on proclamation. “Jesus is Lord,” the early Christians would proclaim. Their way of life grew this movement from a small band of disciples to the universal religion that it is today. Sunday after Sunday we gather to proclaim the reality of the Lordship of Christ and to experience it in the braking of the bread.

In the United Methodist ritual for Holy Communion we call the Spirit upon the gifts of bread and wine and upon us so that “we may be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by his blood.” It is this same Spirit that we count on as we leave this gathering “to give ourselves to others.” In these short words that we repeat Sunday after Sunday we remind ourselves of the purpose of the declaration, Jesus is Lord!

A few weeks ago I wrote about no more church growth. It’s provocative title grabbed the attention of many. The comments that followed were passionate on all sides. Some were even troubled by the suggestion that I as a minister of the Gospel was not into church growth. Others expressed their own frustration over the constant pressures and their desire for something different.

Like the Pharisees and Saducees at the time of Jesus many of us find ourselves wanting a sign (Matthew 16:1-4). More people, more programs, more stuff for us. None of these things prove that God is present. None of them are the yeast that will bring about God’s kingdom! In fact in the book of Acts we read that the gathered community focused on learning the story, eating the meal, and lifting up concerns, holding things in common, and helping those in need. When they did this well, “the Lord added to their number.” (Acts 2:47)

The real yeast comes from the proclamation and its power to bind and loose in the world! For me the key to kingdom sharing is that the people of God have the Spirit’s power to loose the bonds of the oppressed, free the captive, and give sight to the blind. Focusing on our growth for our survival means that instead of loosing we are binding, instead of freeing we are oppressing, instead of giving sight we are blinding.

In the end Jesus told his disciples not to tell . . . maybe he wanted them to be the proclamation instead. Maybe he wanted them to pay attention to what he was about to model: self denial, sacrifice, humility.

As we near Holy Week may we take time to reflect on the way of the cross. This way is not popular, it’s counter-cultural, and it demands our whole selves. As we continue to question the purpose of the church in this changing world we might look not just at Matthew 28 (“Go and make disciples . . .”) but at the totality of Jesus’ life and work and ask: Who do we say Jesus is? Who do others say he is? Upon what rock are we building our church?

I am one of those small church pastors out there. I laugh every time someone calls asking for the Sr. Pastor, I feel compelled to explain to them that I am the pastor, not Sr., just the pastor. I do the same thing when people ask about our youth director, Christian education person, or secretary. “I’m the pastor,”  I say, and go on to explain that there is no one else here but me!

My congregation is one of those small membership congregations out there. I am not sure what this means exactly, other than the fact that there are not a lot people sitting on the pews. On average we might have 60 or so people a week. We gather to pray, sing, hear, and gather around table. Then there are the other times of gathering: funerals, showers, the occasional bible study that 3 or so people attend, and the annual communal festivities.

Often when the “leaders” gather there is much talk about growth. They want to have a better church, bigger church, a church that offers more things for their people, a church that would need a real sanctuary. Then reality sets in, bills are talked about, concerns are brought, what if’s become prevalent. Maybe we won’t be able to get there after all . . .

I wonder what “get there” means?

It’s not only them. I have my own agenda, my own desires, my own dreams. I would like for this congregation to grow also. It would be nice to have more people here, maybe that way I will not be alone during the week, I could preach to more people, I might even get to worship in an actual sanctuary!

Then there are the pressures of the judicatory. Reports outlining your growth, how much increase has there been? In worship, in membership, in giving? How about the formula that keeps me up at night:

No Growth = bad pastoral leadership!

Would it be a bad thing if I do not want more people in church?

See, the truth is that there are some proven ways to get more people in a place. I remember my days in retailing when we would have all sorts of tricks to increase traffic, from lower prices to glitzy windows, we would work hard at making sure that more people came. The more people that walked through the door the better opportunity we had to make more sales. Unfortunately I am not sure that this necessarily works in the church.

I do want more people to experience the gracious love of God. But I know that this might not translate into more people in my church. Plus I am not sure that my own congregation has good reasons why they want more people. Survival seems to be the main reasons why more growth is wanted. The conversations are about our death and demise as a denomination and local church. I’ve been guilty of using the “if you don’t do x you will die” type of scare tactic hoping that this will make a difference. Yet, like our children, churches at some point stop responding to scare tactics and bluffs.

Something does have to change. But I am unsure that the something is our worship style, our preaching techniques, and our gatherings. I know in me it is my attitude. I cannot fear the career formula. Instead I can only continue to be present for all of God’s people, hear their stories, remind them of the larger story, and invite them to claim the story as their own. Doing these things makes church incarnate, changing the way that church is done in most places today. The focus of the gathering is empowerment for the mission of active/incarnate proclamation in the world. This way of being church might not, numerically and/or financially, benefit the local congregation but it does benefit God’s kingdom.

I’m tired of the death talk. We talk, and talk and talk some more. We complain that young people are not coming, that they do not have the commitment needed. We complain that they are not as religious, understanding, and moral. We spend inordinate amounts of time hearing, studying, pondering, reflecting, on what will work, all in the comfort of our four sacred walls (local or not)! I wonder when we are going to get out there, to heal, feed, clothe, and bring back to life? When are we going to take a chance on what God’s Spirit is doing in our communities, even if it does not grow our church?