6 FAITH forum B


View from the pew offers new perspective on church


BY ERIC VAN METER Special Contributor


Things look different from the other side of


the chancel rail. This, if nothing else, has been the great les-


son I’ve learned from working in campus min- istry. Because I don’t pastor a traditional church, I am no longer one of the chief architects of most of the Sunday services I attend. I don’t hear the rumors of who’s cheating who and who’s being true, or have to settle disputes at the ad- ministrative council meeting. I simply go to church, like most people, once


or twice each week. It is a part of my world, but no longer defines my world. And from where I sit in the pew, things look different than they did when church was my life. Truthfully, I’m a bit horrified by this new per-


spective. It sheds light on how ridiculous my in- sider mindset was—how I equated programmatic involvement with Christian disci- pleship, or how I assumed that looking cultur- ally relevant meant something important. And when I think about the sermons I must


have inflicted upon my weary congregations, I have the urge to set fire to my paper files and smash my hard drive, then burn the hard drive too just for good measure. Just because I haven’t done it yet doesn’t mean I never will. Personal guilt aside, my perspective from the


congregational side of the chancel rail has had some positive outcomes. In particular, it has started in me the painful process of detoxing from the pressures of American religious entre- preneurism. But it’s a sinister addiction, and one not easily broken. Our mythology goes something like this: God


has called us to a committed life of following Jesus. Jesus established the church, which de- spite all its trials and schisms remains the vessel for training and organizing dis- ciples. Ergo, if we build the church, we build the kingdom of God that Jesus spoke about. That’s why I and thousands


of other church leaders spend so much time planning and programming. We build gyms. We launch ad campaigns. We try to out-consumer the con- sumerist culture with flashy technology and elaborate chil- dren’s programs and trendy sermon series. The minute number of churches that actually


Eric Van Meter


“succeed” in outward growth keep the rest of us clamoring for our piece of the pie. We trek through deserts to find the magic chalice that will attract followers, be it a basketball league or a video series or something else. And if we can’t find the magic, we make something up and hope no one notices. All of this is a little silly, of course. Even if


you dress Penny Marshall in skinny jeans and a preppy AE T-shirt, she’s still going to be Penny Marshall. But rather than a wise, lively, creative guide and director, she’ll be a ridiculous adult trying to look like a kid. Sadly, this is how our church mythology


looks from the other side of the chancel rail, at least to me. We are so frantic to build the church that we’ve lost sight of the kingdom. As a result, much of our identity is lost in trying to be some- thing we were never called to be. I don’t mean to simply to pick on the Ameri-


can church culture with all its entrepreneurial silliness. She’s like the fattest kid in gym class, an easy target for criticism and outright mean- ness. I don’t want merely to pour insults onto fu- tility. Life’s hard enough for everybody without that. But I do want to suggest that there might be


tremendous value in all of us church leaders (lay and clergy) taking a seat on the other side of the chancel rail for a while, figuratively at least. It might help us restore church to a healthier place in our overall concept of discipleship.


`We are so frantic to build the church that we’ve lost sight of the kingdom.’


When Jesus called his first disciples, it was


not to create a viable new alternative in the reli- gious marketplace (whatever that means). Rather, he called them to give up their lives of selfishness and fear in favor of a much richer— and far more dangerous—life of sacrifice and compassion and even courageous naivete. He called them to not only believe that the smallest good matters the most, but to organize our entire understanding of the universe around such para- doxical concepts. I think most committed Christians want to


live just such a life. I even think most churches would be thrilled to be known for the loving character of their people rather than for their market savvy or programmatic variety. But if most of us want the point of church to


be following Jesus rather than simply attracting adherents, why does it seem so hard to do it? That’s something I continue to wrestle with from my seat in the congregation. And as someone who may very well find myself pastoring a local church again someday, it’s an even more discon- certing question. One thing I am certain of: Any solution to our


church identity crisis begins with individuals standing apart from the anxiety while staying within the community. The decision to do this is transferrable from one side of the chancel rail to the other, but it isn’t easy in any context. No matter. Jesus never promised easy. He only


told us to follow. From my current side of the chancel rail, the path of discipleship diverges more from church life than it once did. But I’m convinced that my new perspective is


valid too, and that Jesus is on the path ahead of me. That, I suppose, is reason enough to keep walking.


The Rev. Van Meter is director of the Wesley Foundation at Arkansas State University.


SEP TEMBER 30, 2011 | UN I T E D ME T HODI S T RE PO RT ER


Hospitality should kick off right in church parking lot


BY WILLIAM H. WILLIMON Special Contributor


Most mainline Protestant churches are in de-


cline, and the churches of North Alabama are no exception. But not all are. I’ve made it my busi- ness to visit our growing congregations in order to learn more about why they are thriving. I asked a pastor of a congregation that had


spectacular growth among young adults what was her most significant act of leadership that encouraged growth. “I fired the ushers,” she replied. “Those older


men were stiff and cold. All they knew how to do is to hand people a bulletin, thus making a horrible first impression on visitors. I fired them, searched for people whom God had given the gift of hospitality, and the rest has been easy.” I’ve learned that hospitality


may be the key factor in a faithfully growing church. One could argue this theologically. Paul tells us that we ought to welcome others in the same way that Christ has welcomed us. A major reason for the crucifixion of Jesus was his practice of radical hospitality and open-handed, table-time conviviality. “We want church to begin in our parking lot,”


Bishop


m H. on


declared one of our dynamic pastors. “We’re vet- ting and training teams of friendly greeters who meet visitors in the parking lot, welcome them, hand them off to the hosts who stay close to


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Choosing adjectives for immigrants, and parameters for funeral music


I just read your article on Alabama’s immi-


gration law in the Sept. 2 issue. Thank you for writing an open and well-balanced article on this polarizing subject. There is one thing that I would like to point


out to you, and those are the words “illegal immi- grant.” As a United Methodist who works directly with immigrants, we do not believe that people are illegal. It is a negative characterization. The correct term is “undocumented,” as they are in the country without the proper documentation. It’s a small point,but how we refer to people


tells something about how we think and feel about them.


Sergio Picado Dover UMC, Dover, Ark. Because of my unclear written response to


questions for aUMR article (Sept. 16) that also quotes Tom Long’s superb book,Accompany them with Singing: The Christian Funeral, I left the im- pression that I lack standards in funeral music. I


intended that we note there is a distinction be- tween fitting music in funeral homes and in a church’s sanctuary. The article suggested I as- sumed that Elvis Presley’s version of “HoundDog” was appropriate for a sanctuary funeral. By not being clearer, my statement ran


counter to much of Long’s well thought out ex- ploration of Christian funerals. I respect Long’s work to the degree that I published his essay “In Life . . . In Death: The Funeral Sermon” in my new book Transitions: Leading Churches Through Change.This whole conundrum of Christian fu- nerals is where church tradition and modern cul- ture collide constantly. I appreciateUMR for surfacing this question.


David N. Mosser Sr. Pastor, FUMC, Arlington, Texas


The Reporter welcomes brief, civil letters, and reserves the right to edit for space and clarity. Send to news@umr.org or The United Methodist Reporter, 1221 Profit Drive, Dallas, TX, 75247.


them in the service, then invite them to lunch af- terwards.” The most notable change in church architec-


ture in the past 50 years is the enlargement and the open atmosphere of the narthex, the hallway into a church’s worship space. A hundred years ago our churches received people in a dark, cramped entrance hall. Today churches build spacious, open, light, comfortable “Welcome Cen- ters” as a sign that they desire and expect people who are not seasoned members. Indeed, I have learned that the main differ-


ence between a congregation in decline and one with a future is the difference between practicing the faith for the exclusive benefit of “insiders” or passionate concern for the “outsiders.” Jesus Christ died for the whole wide world,


not just for those inside the church. Therefore, a theological test for the fidelity of a church is hos- pitality. In our contesting of the Alabama Legisla- ture’s ill-conceived immigration law, I’m rediscovering the radical nature of the seemingly benign Christian notion of hospitality. Our churches really resent any intrusion into their at- tempts to be obedient to Christ’s mandate to wel- come others as we have been welcomed. Christians are people who know how to welcome people even as Christ has welcomed us. If your congregation has lost the art of Chris-


tian hospitality, let us at the North Alabama Con- ference know. We have learned so much about best practices that our churches have tested and found fruitful in countless congregations.


Bishop Willimon oversees the North Alabama Conference.


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