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Many years ago in conversation with a
friend who was a seminary graduate, he was becoming frustrated with my
observational criticisms of the way church was done. He asked me what my
alternative system would be. I found that I could not describe how I
thought Christianity should be lived in “system” terms.
Most denominations operate as systems
in one way or another because of the legacy of the Catholic church. The
Catholic church was formed by the confluence of several factors. The idea
of the Greek Academy, the reduction of Christianity to doctrinal bullet
points, the influx of pagan religious practices in the fourth century, the
elevation of ritual, and the establishment of clergy.
The idea that one gets to heaven by
meeting or maintaining criteria has popular appeal especially if the
criteria is not burdensome. This might be seen in the biblical injunction
against women speaking in church. Some light is shed on this when it is
further prescribed that they should ask their husbands at home if they
have questions. While usually taken as a insult to women, it can perhaps
be more accurately seen as a insult to men who through laziness,
indifference, or feelings of inadequacy sought to dump their family
responsibilities on the church.
While the mechanical aspects of church
has Satanic origins and have benefited those that administer the system,
the real power behind this configuration comes from those whose
inclination towards comfort and lack of enthusiasm for truth give it an
inertial momentum. It becomes a sort of Christianity on cruise control.
We visited a church once and noticed
the typical children running loose while their parents (possibly starved
for relational connection) visited with other adults. We sat next to an
elderly lady and my wife struck up a conversation. I asked her how she was
doing financially and she mentioned she was having some difficulties. We
were able to help a little, but I was struck by the fact that she had been
a church member for 30 years and even her best friend had no idea that she
was struggling. I am sure the church leadership would have been almost
angry that she had not let them know of her need.
Just like a computer has to follow the
program that was written for it, church systems follow the course set for
it with programs, classes, schedules, and events. I have seen men open
their hearts one on one and even in groups as large as four or five.
However, anything larger and people revert into the classroom mode and any
chance for a relational heart connection is lost.
Christianity is supposed to be about
relationships, ours with God and each other. As pastors begin to see the
obstacle church systems can be to a depth to Christian living, they
sometimes try to change the system to better accommodate relationships.
While well intentioned, organizational systems cannot do relationships. It
is better to try to work with mentoring, prayer partners, or otherwise
encourage church members to minister to each other on their own.
One aspect of relationships is that
they are messy. A church system can seem to be preferable as the quenching
of relationships avoids much of the fallout from misunderstandings, hurt
feelings, and wounded pride that often accompany relational encounters.
This should be the real pastoral work, helping people apply Christianity
to the difficulty of relationships.
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