Church

We just finished hosting an amazing gathering of Lutherans from all over the state. This is no easy feat when you realize folks are traveling over a thousand miles to get here. It's a really big state.

But we know how to gather. 

There is lots of laughter, study, worship and fabulous food. I love that part of gathering as a "big" church, but there's also the regular conversation about the new program that is going to save the church.

My favorite part is hearing the new name for the new program that's going to save the church. We've been through transformational ministry, evangelism, renewal, and now vitality. I'm sure there were many more, but I stopped listening. If I worked for Churchwide, I'd have to name the new program, "F%#&ing Die."

I have no desire to save the Church. I don't see Jesus transforming, renewing, or revitalizing anything. Stuff dies and something completely unexpected rises. The best we can do is be honest through the process.

So, I'm not only going to suggest a fabulous new program name, but I'm also going to invite churches to be honest about who they are.

Here are the basic categories I'd break churches into, but feel free to add more:

1. Hospice Church: This community walks with folks faithfully into death. The pastor is a chaplain and the community supplies hot dishes and support.

2. Kingdom Church: This community is a mess trying to witness to God's vision of the Kingdom where all God's children are fed at the table. All of them. So there's healthy conflict, fear, failure, lots of forgiveness and compassion (and food).

3. Nut Sack Church: This community realizes how vulnerable and exposed the church is called to be so it seeks to protect and insulate what seems precious. It encapsulates the seed of life worried for its survival until it shrivels and dies. 
(I'm not going to make any "He is risen" jokes because you might be horrified at this point anyway. But I am going to point out that there are many fertility images around Easter. If you have never thought of them before, then you would fit right in with my favorite Swedish ladies who raise a pole and then dance in a circle around it without seeing any sexual implications.) 

The vulnerability, intimacy, and nakedness that's part of sex is also part of the Church as the Bride of Christ image. I'm not making that up. The nut sack church tries to cover nakedness with all kinds of things: programs, piety, buildings, divisions, new carpet. . . 

It doesn't really matter to me where your community of faith is in these categories as long as you're honest. I do find it annoying when  the hospice church calls a young pastor hoping they will then be the young and eternal church. Or when the nut sack church calls someone who is trying to be faithful to God's calling, but they really want someone who will keep things the same and help them survive. I think those churches will die, but I'm okay with that. I actually believe this death and resurrection stuff. 

It scares the snot out of me, but I try to trust that reality.

I think that's part of why we gather. Our courage is fed when we come to the table as a messy community and laugh, worship, hear the good news of life out of death, and feast on fabulous food.