“Why are American Christians so opinionated in the church and out of the church?” I asked my to-be American husband. As a mainline protestant Canadian Christian immersing myself into Midwest American Evangelical Christianity, I was struggling with the personality of the American Christian. The American Christian was far too outspoken and politically active for my Canadian sensibilities.

I came to understand and believe that my American Christian friends were simply a by-product of the larger American revolutionary personality; outspoken, confident, proud, generous, courageous, action-oriented and reflecting the entire political landscape, not just the extremes of the right OR the left. I learned that American Christians, living in a culture that values personal opinions and debate, needed to have discourse concerning any and all church matters. My experience was that the stereotypical Republican American Patriotic Christian was the exception and not the rule.

At the same time, I was blessed to experience the American Christians’ generous and courageous personality when Believers from my church community rolled up their sleeves to become the Body for me in my darkest days while facing the illness and death of my husband. I was privileged to witness American Christians at their best, ministering to me in the most difficult of situations when boldness and confidence were needed to proclaim victory in Christ in the midst of tragedy.

After spending almost two decades in the US, I returned to Canada, socialized as an Evangelical American Christian. Even after three years of working to re-establish my Canadian Christian identity, there continue to be times when I feel that my adopted American Christian personality is too much for the fundamentally strong but gentle, reserved, quiet “living out your faith with few words” Canadian Christian community and the larger very tolerant Toronto Canadian culture where the cultural narrative declares that Christianity is at best one of many equal paths to God. I find it harder to live out my life as a Canadian Christian than as an American Christian, despite the outward niceness of the Canadian Two Solitudes personality (two nations trying to live side by side peacefully).

The culture wars are an ever present part of daily life in the US; court battles on behalf of the Christian Right (but not always on behalf of all American Christians) are a daily event. Despite the larger political and societal conflict, I lived openly as an American Christian, with freedom to discuss my faith with friends and decide my position on any issue independent of any personal political affiliation. In contrast, proclaiming Christ as The One and Only True Way to God in Toronto is viewed as un-Canadian, narrow, and God forbid even intolerant and American. Living out my faith in Toronto Canada feels counter-cultural and indeed subversive as I try to find ways to proclaim Christ in a culture that at best values equality of all religious beliefs in the name of peace and tolerance.

Nonetheless, God has used the Canadian national personality that is exhibited in Canadian Christians to bless me, support my healing and to further my growth as a Christian. The faithful and committed Christians in my spheres of influence in the Toronto/Hamilton area have demonstrated gentle caring for me during my transition back into a Canadian life and have modeled a contagious desire to grow deep in Christ. At this time in my faith walk, this is what God had clearly ordered for me that the Canadian Christian can deliver in a sensitive, strong yet gentle manner.

God does indeed work in wonderful and mysterious ways through the very cultures that greatly influence His precious Saints!!

I find it difficult to belong. You would think it wouldn’t be that hard. I am a Christian who sees many positive things in many traditions. If feel quite comfortable in many types of church settings. I am however, in my core beliefs, an Evangelical.

The problem is that where I live, Evangelicals are in the minority. In my community of 27,000 there is one Evangelical church. I helped start it. It was a Pentecostal church, and although I am not Pentecostal I figured that having one Evangelical church in town was better than having no Evangelical church, and so I offered my help.

My wife and I served under two Pastors there. We led worship, served on the leadership team, served on the pastoral search committee, taught Sunday School, and organized outreaches and banquets. All the while I was dreading the time when the church would become large enough to receive its “organized” status. For when the church received this status, membership would have to be formalized. We didn’t qualify. Membership required agreement to the statement of faith, and we didn’t believe the Pentecostal teaching on tongues.

Eventually we felt God calling us away from this church community, and we had a very amicable parting of the ways. We ended up at a church in another community, which unfortunately due to competing visions within it’s elder’s board, ending up closing its doors three years later. As we looked at other churches, most had something in their statement of faith, that excluded us. They were either too Calvinist, or too dispensational, or too anti-Charismatic for us to fit.

After a long search we found a church in a third community. We quite love it, and I have some very good things to say about it. Again, we didn’t qualify for membership, this time because my wife’s mode of baptism differed slightly from theirs. Although we do not believe in rebaptism (especially for those who have already been baptized as believers), our desire to belong eventually became stronger that our distaste for rebaptism and my wife was rebaptized. We became members shortly afterwards.

Are there others like me who have difficulty belonging? Conversations with people at places like Internetmonk.com make me think that my experience is hardly unique. So here are some questions I would like us to consider:

1. Does requiring agreement with a statement of faith lead to increased fragmentation within the body of Christ?

2. Or are there essentials that need to be agreed upon no matter what in order for someone to be accepted as a member?

3. If Christ has accepted me as a member of his body, are there ways to make it easier for me to be accepted into a local church body?

4. Could we lessen the requirement of membership in many evangelical churches, so that prospective members do not have to give complete agreement to a statement of faith, but instead will agree to uphold it and not teach contrary to it?

5. Are there similar situations in other faith traditions? If so, are there resolution that have been seen to work?

6. Finally, what could you do in your church to help people in my situation become part of your congregation and membership?

I don’t have a problem with a church having a statement of faith. I feel it is a good tool to say “this is what we are about as a church.” Is it not possible to say that “We welcome those who have slightly differing viewpoints” as long as they agree to uphold and abide by the statement of faith”?

Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

It was the sort of house that you never seemed to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places.

I love the book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.  Honestly, there are too many things about the story that I love, to recount them all in this post.  This photo made me think about the Wardrobe.  In Lewis’ story, the four Pevensies  are evacuated from London because of the air-raids during WWII.  They are sent to the home of Professor Digory Kirke.  When in the house, the children become enamored with an old Wardrobe that, as it turns out, is a portal into another world – the world of Narnia.  In this, C.S. Lewis is brilliant.  He has found a way, through the mechanism of a children’s story, to create an experience that gives his readers a frame of reference for understanding the Gospel:  A land that has been cursed, subjects who live in fear and slavery, a Queen who rules by lying and manipulating the desires of her subjects, A  Great Lion who gives his life to break that curse, the Kingdom of that Great Lion vanquishing the curse by redeeming slaves and freeing the oppressed.  It’s just so great.

I also find it fascinating that the children enter into this “true vision” of the world, when they enter a Wardrobe that is found in the house of Professor Digory Kirke: that is Professor (a Teacher), Digory (the British word for a levee of water), and Kirke (the Scottish word for church).  I believe that in this, before Lewis ever begins his epic tale, he establishes a subtle way of telling us how people are taught this true vision of the world.  Let me explain.  As a character, I believe that Professor Digory Kirke symbolizes the Holy Spirit in much the same way that Aslan, the Great Lion, symbolizes Christ.  This view of Professor Kirke as the Holy Spirit is further founded in Lewis’ description of him in The Magician’s Nephew, which reveals that the Professor had been present with Aslan at the creation of Narnia.  I believe that Professor Digory Kirke’s name emphasizes three works of the Holy Spirit: “Professor” – Revealing the Word of God, “Digory” – Applying the Water of Sacrament, “Kirke” – Establishing the Church of Christ.  So then, Professor Kirke is the Holy Spirit who works through the Word, Sacrament, and the Church.  The Pevensie children have run away from a war they don’t understand, to seek safety in a house of refuge, and to be taught by a Professor through an epic story that is discovered by entering through a Wardrobe found inside the Professor’s enormous old house.  Isn’t that cool?

So let’s play Lewis’ thought out a little further… I think it is safe to say that when people come into the Church on Sunday Mornings, they are running away from a war that they do not understand.  They are running away from a world that makes no sense.  They run into a House of Refuge.  Yet, when inside this house, they need more than safety.  They need strength, they need nourishment, they need truth, and they need their vision to be adjusted.  In other words, they need to see and understand.  They need to peer through a “window”,  move through the back of a wardrobe where they will see the world as it really is.  They need to see the truth of the Gospel.  They need to be baptized into the waters of the Church.  They need to adore the beauty of Christ through the power of Word and Sacrament.  This is Lewis’ view, and in this vision, he is so dead on correct.

Sadly, in recent times, modern Christians seemed to have lost faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.  And, having done so, they have also lost touch with the power that comes through the Holy Spirit – the Spirit working through the Word, the Spirit working through Sacrament, and the Spirit working through the Church.  So often, Christians abandon the Spirit of Christ and run off – chasing after the idols of the age.  We abandon God’s Story – the powerful, trustworthy, unfailing narrative of the Gospel found in the Bible.  We abandon God’s Sacrament – where the Gospel in Baptism and Communion are like the front of the Wardrobe of Earth intersecting with back of the Wardrobe of Heaven.  And we abandon God’s People – the household of Christ, where the power of the Gospel is relationally affirmed, again and again and again.

Getting back to the photo above – nothing seems out of the ordinary. Does it?  It’s just a room.  A window.  A desk.  And a dresser.  Yet, look at the mirror.  Like the Wardrobe, it reveals something special.  It is a portal, leading us into another world.  O how Christians need to reaffirm a trust in the Holy Spirit, who reveals Himself to us and leads us through this portal.  With a firm grip on the Gospel found in the Word, Sacrament, and the Church, we need to follow the Spirit as he leads us through the old coats and hats of the Wardrobe until we feel our hearts adjusting to the truth that comes from another world.  For in following the Spirit in this way, Christians renew themselves in the excitement of Lewis’ description of Professor Kirke’s old house: “It was the sort of house that you never seemed to come to the end of, and it was full of unexpected places“.

A wise person once wrote the following lyrics in a song called Suffer: “All that you suffer is all that you are.” Now, while this statement may not be entirely true – as we are also defined by experiences of happiness, joy and peace – I’m sure we can all agree that going through some kind of suffering is an inevitability for all of us as humans, and that what we suffer does in fact shape us profoundly. Physically, we feel pain, as our body is designed to protect itself and provide us with signals of potential or actual danger. Through trial and error, we become aware of the limits of our existence. We learn that touching things that are hot or sharp can hurt us, so that we’ll hopefully be less apt to make the same mistake again in the future. At other times, our bodies feel pain to let us know that we’re sick or that something within us demands our attention – like a warning system to let us know something’s wrong or that we should consider modifying our routine behaviour. We also feel emotional pain, which is often related to social interaction. At times, we hurt because we are intentionally or inadvertently excluded or insulted by someone else’s actions or words. Other times, we suffer because we are temporarily or indefinitely separated from a person or people who are important to us. Whatever the case, our experience of physical and emotional pain is universal, and has a direct impact on our personal identities, how we view and relate to others, and how we process and deal with spiritual things. Ultimately, what we suffer personally and collectively influences our understanding of God.

C. S. Lewis, in his book “The Problem of Pain”, wrote this:

If God were good, He would wish to make His creatures perfectly happy, and if God were almighty He would be able to do what He wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both. This is the problem of pain, in its simplest form.

Obviously this wasn’t his conclusion on the matter. In this statement, he was merely pointing out that the human experience of pain coupled with a belief in an all-powerful, loving God is problematic. You’ve probably asked this question yourself: why do bad things happen to good people? This question of suffering – the “why” of human pain – is in many ways mysterious and unanswerable – beyond our understanding.

Last year, I was fortunate enough to attend a tour that featured one of my favourite speakers and authors Rob Bell. For those of you who don’t know, Rob Bell is the founder of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the author of the book Velvet Elvis, and the person behind the NOOMA video series. Needless to say, I was really excited to meet him. But what’s more, what he shared at the presentation itself was very helpful and insightful to me. At that particular time in my life, I was struggling a lot with the problem of pain, and this is what he said:

When we try to resolve things too quickly…or offer hollow, superficial explanations…it’s not honest and it’s not right and it’s not real. It’s not how life is. I’ve heard people trying to be helpful in the midst of a tragedy or accident or death by saying, ‘That’s just how God planned it,’ while I’m thinking, ‘The god who planned THAT is not a god I want anything to do with.’ Others with far more wisdom and experience than me have tackled the ‘why’ questions of suffering. [But] I’m interested in another question…not ‘Why this?’ but ‘What now?’

So – instead of focusing on and becoming discouraged by the elusive answer to the question of WHY, the encouragement was to shift one’s perspective to consider WHAT to do with that suffering. Instead of desperately trying to make the pieces fit, accepting that sometimes there is no WHY. Sometimes life just happens and you deal with it. But how? HOW should one respond in the midst of suffering, especially during those times when it’s not we ourselves who are in pain, but those around us who are in distress? HOW should we react when there’s trouble in the world that doesn’t affect us directly, or when someone we know is going through a particularly difficult time? To help answer this question, let’s consider together the experience of Job.

From chapters one and two of Job, we learn about the great suffering he endured. At one time he had seven sons, three daughters, seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred donkeys and a large number of servants (Job 1:2-3); but he lost them all. Raiders from the surrounding region attacked and killed Job’s servants, carrying away his oxen and donkeys (1:14-15). Fire fell from the sky and consumed Job’s sheep and the shepherds (1:16). Another raiding party later attacked and killed the rest of Job’s hired hands and stole all the camels (1:17). A violent wind struck and collapsed the house where all of Job’s children were gathered, leaving none of them alive (1:18-19). And if this wasn’t enough, after all this emotional suffering, he faced extreme physical pain as his entire body was then found to be covered with agonizing sores (2:7).

Personally, I can hardly fathom what it would have been like to be in a similar situation. Some of us have gone through tremendous suffering, but relatively few – if any – of us have faced the degree or scope of pain faced by Job.

Job’s initial reaction to his suffering is found in verse 21 of chapter one:

Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.

I say initial reaction, because as Job continues to process his situation, he confronts the problem of pain head-on, voicing his trouble and confusion out loud. Consider some of these phrases from chapter seven:

My body is clothed with worms and scabs, my skin is broken and festering. “My days… come to an end without hope… Therefore I will not keep silent; I will speak out in the anguish of my spirit, I will complain in the bitterness of my soul… When I think my bed will comfort me and my couch will ease my complaint, even then you frighten me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that I prefer strangling and death, rather than this body of mine. I despise my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone; my days have no meaning… If I have sinned, what have I done to you… Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you? Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins?

I’m sure his words probably don’t sit very well with you. Either because you yourself are going through a comparatively difficult time, and there didn’t seem to be very much hope in Job’s words. Or because you didn’t think Job should be so honest with his suffering and had an urge to share words of your own to help Job understand his situation. Words like: “Everything happens for a reason,” “God has a plan,” “it could be worse,” or “you shouldn’t complain.”

When we see and hear that someone is suffering, we are often tempted to either: (1) Fix our eyes on something else, thereby ignoring the existence of a problem; or (2) We try to fix the problem so that suffering is alleviated. Clearly, the latter approach is preferable – that is, trying to help someone in need. But HOW we do so is crucial. Because sometimes we think we’re helping someone, when in fact we are causing even more damage. Sometimes we incorrectly assume that we have the answers to some of life’s greatest questions and feel compelled to share this with others. Like when Job’s friends gave him what they thought was wise advice. So – let’s consider together a few examples of how those closest to Job dealt with the problem of pain, and why the Lord himself later said that they did not speak what was right (42:7). Hopefully then, when we encounter suffering in the world and in the lives of those around us, we can learn from their mistakes, and then in my opinion, do the one thing they did right.

After so much loss, the few people that remained in Job’s life gathered around him to give him counsel regarding his unfortunate situation. In particular, there were five main people who offered their insight into WHY he was suffering and WHAT he should do about it.

First, there was Job’s wife, who offered this advice to her husband: “Give up.” In her own words from chapter 2, verse 9: “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job himself responded: “You speak foolishly”(2:10). Life is made up of good moments and bad moments, and though we don’t always know why the bad happens, is the solution give up on life itself? When trying to cope with severe emotional or physical pain, as the one who is suffering, it might be tempting for us to conclude that death is a preferable option to agony and affliction. This is essentially what Job claimed in chapter 7. But if you were Job in that moment, would you really want someone to say to you: “Yeah, you’re right…what are you waiting around here for? Die already!” This is not helpful in the least.

Second, we have Job’s friend Eliphaz, who’s advice could be paraphrased as: “Bad things won’t happen to good people like you…at least not for very long.” Perhaps in an ideal world, but as you and I both know, this is wishful thinking at best. The fact that someone is good or godly doesn’t preclude them from suffering. It’s clear from the opening chapter of Job that he was, “blameless and upright…feared God and shunned evil”(1:1), and yet, his suffering was awful. Bad things happen both to supposedly good and allegedly bad people alike. There is no direct, fixed correspondence between the two. Some people suffer for years regardless of their obedience to God. Perhaps eschatologically-speaking, the faithful will experience ultimate peace and relief from their pain in heaven. But again, how is that helpful advice in the moment of one’s anguish or grief that may persist indefinitely? In that case, you might as well offer the advice given by Job’s wife, which we already heard was foolish.

Third, we need to consider the instruction given by Job’s other friend Bildad. His assessment was essentially this: “You’ve done wrong and have brought this on yourself.” According to him, Job must have sinned and is therefore responsible for his own suffering, and shouldn’t complain. Once more, the fault with this line of reasoning is that there is not always exact correspondence between one’s actions and destiny. Granted, this may be the case sometimes, as we often do face negative consequences for mistakes that we make. But is saying “I told you so” or pointing out the obvious really that constructive? Is making someone feel guilty for their own pain helpful, especially if there’s also a chance or likelihood that they aren’t to blame at all? I don’t think so.

Fourth, there’s Job’s friend Zophar, who essentially says: “If you don’t sin and have more faith, everything will be alright.” This view links suffering with sin and faith with triumphing over suffering; basically, combining the advice of Eliphaz and Bildad. That being the case, it remains problematic and unhelpful. Case in point: if you have ever been in a situation where you were really struggling with your faith – no matter how well meaning a person is trying to be – you know that the suggestion to have “more faith” is anything but encouraging. The implication of Zophar’s position is that more faith equals less pain, which just isn’t true.

Fifth, and last to offer Job advice is a young man named Elihu, who eagerly and passionately shared this so-called wisdom: “Suffering is always for a reason, and its purpose is to bring you back to God.” The message here, as proposed by Elihu, is that pain in life is meant to teach us a lesson. That all human suffering is intended to draw us back into fellowship with God. That agony, anguish, sorrow and grief are restorative and have a specific purpose. But would you honestly – with integrity – say something like this to someone going through tremendous affliction? Did God “plan” each and every natural disaster? Did the Lord have a “purpose” for the holocausts at Auschwitz, Treblinka and the other death camps of World War II? We must be very careful if ever we feel compelled to link meaning with personal circumstances or world events. Who are we to infer or deduce the WHY of human suffering? After Elihu spoke, the first words we hear the Lord say before questioning Job are these: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge”(38:2)? As I said a couple weeks ago when we were considering Jeremiah 27 and 28, if we’re not absolutely sure something is from God, sometimes it’s better to keep our mouths shut. And even if we are 100 percent convinced that we’re speaking the truth, we might be wrong. How, then, is what we say going to help someone in need? Sometimes it’s better to say nothing at all, and let our actions do the speaking.

To be fair, Job’s friends didn’t get it all wrong. Consider what it says at the end of chapter 2:

When Job’s three friends.. heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.

Sitting on the ground in silence. Coming down to the level of the one in pain. Being present. Not offering platitudes. Not presenting unsolicited advice. Willing oneself to leave the comfort of one’s own health, security and preconceived ideas to join the other in suffering. During times of grief and mourning, our Jewish brothers and sisters have a practice called “sitting shiva,” where those closest relatives to the deceased gather together in a home for seven days and sit on chairs that are low to the ground or on the floor itself. Mourners tear their garments, aren’t supposed to shave or bathe, and don’t even open the Bible…unless it’s a passage that specifically deals with lament, like the book of Lamentations or Job. And though this time of sitting on the ground together may not necessarily be altogether silent, mere presence can be more beneficial than a thousand words. I’m convinced that we can learn a lot from this, that there was much wisdom in what Job’s friends did first, and that we can and should do the same (or something similar).

Conclusion

When others around us are suffering, let’s do what we can to be there for them, to stand beside or sit with those in pain. As best as you can, be Incarnational – there, “in the flesh.” One of the greatest comforts of the Christian life is knowing that God himself can relate to our struggles in the person of Jesus Christ. He too lost close friends and family, experiencing tremendous emotional pain. And he was no stranger to physical suffering either. But what’s more, he suffers still, and deeply. Jesus, though raised from the dead, was raised wounded (see John 20), and to this day bears the heartache and hurt of humankind – continuing to suffer with those in pain. Accordingly, as a follower of Jesus, one is similarly called to “bear each other’s burdens”(Galatians 6:2). To be willing to suffer alongside those in need. Like Job’s friends did for seven days before they spoke. Now – plainly, this isn’t to say that you shouldn’t speak to someone who’s going through a difficult trial. By all means, pay a visit, pick up your phone, write a message. You don’t want silence to come across as avoidance or indifference. But think before you speak. Choose your words wisely. And if you don’t know what to say, that may be just as well. “Let your words be few”(Ecclesiastes 5:2), “be quick to listen and slow to speak”(Galatians 1:19). Do however much is at your disposal to be present with those who are suffering. And though the problem of pain may remain to us a mystery, we can all be assured and provide assurance by our presence with others that none of us face the challenges of life alone.

As always your thoughts and comments are welcome.

Mission Baptist Church

In no particular order:

1. A website that is kept up to date, and has all the key information of the first page. if you were to google “Hamilton Ontario Baptist Church”, you would find us among the first few entries. I am a web developer, and while I am not responsible for the development or maintaining of the website, I appreciate the fact that it is effective and well done. Many of the new people who have come to our church have found it because of the website.

2. A church that, while seeking to be contemporary, has not neglected the traditional. I have had a couple of newcomers comment to me that we still sing some hymns and have a choir that sings during significant times in the church year.

3. A church that was willing to embrace change. The church was founded as a German church, by German speaking Canadians, with German services. They realized that they would have to change if they were going to continue to survive as a church, and change they did. At our recent church retreat, half of the congregation attended (despite the fact that it was a four hour drive), and half of those attending were between the ages of 5 and 17.

4. A church that is welcoming. The church has picked up quite a few families over the last two years. All of them have been warmly welcomed into the church, and I believe feel at home in the church. I appreciate the wide smiles and handshakes I receive on Sunday morning.

5. A church that cares about its students. We are close to a University campus, and the students from the University add a certain vibrancy to the church. I have noted that especially at the start of each semester, the church has made a special welcome to students. The church also provides a lunch for the students once a month.

6. Members who aren’t afraid to share the gospel. While this is not yet what I would call a strength, I like that fact that some of the newest attendees come from a beginner Bible Study that some ladies are running in their neighborhood.

7. A church that supports small groups. For those under the age of 50, there is quite a high involvement in small groups (the older ones still have their own German study). The Pastors and leadership team promote them from the pulpit, and held a small group fair to encourage involvement.

8. A church in which worship music is consistently “well done”. As a former worship leader, I am discouraged when not enough of an effort is put into planning services. At Mission Baptist, the worship team has a philosophy of “If you don’t practice, you don’t play.” I wish more churches would have this philosophy.

9. A church that has very good leaders. Both the Pastors, along with the Elder’s board, are quality people, dedicated to Christ, and are good examples for the rest of us to follow.

10. A church that values both men and women in leadership. I am an egalitarian. This is important to me.

11. A church that believes in a plurality of leadership. There is no “cult of personality” here. Instead the Pastors work in close cooperation with the Elders’ board.

12. A church that is not into legalism. Being followers of Christ is emphasized rather than rules and regulations.

13. In additions to number 12 above, we have a Senior Pastor who believes in: “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, and in all things charity.” I appreciate the good things he has to say about other denominations.

14. An Associate/Youth Pastor, who leads the youth in meaningful Bible studies, and who isn’t content with “pat answers”, but is willing to explore some of the issues that youth face today.

15. A church that believes in second chances. Our Senior Pastor was divorced a number of years ago. For many churches that would automatically exclude him from ministry. Our church recognized God’s calling and gifting in his life, and was willing to call him as Pastor six years ago, a decision which they have not regretted.

16. A church that supports missions. Constant attention is given to our own missionaries who have gone out from our congregation. Support is also given to those serving at home in full time ministry, as well as those going out on short term mission trips. This is a church that does “Missions” well.

17. A church that encourages further ministry. Along with those ideas stated in the previous point, the church has been very active in encouraging an older youth in our church who is interested in ministry as a Pastor.

18. A church that is multicultural and open to others. Along with the English services, there is a Bible Study in German, and an afternoon service in Spanish. The church facilities are also used weekly by a Korean church, as well as the Navigators campus group. Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship also uses the church from time to time.

19. A church that encourages those in their spiritual gifts. Despite being new to the church, and not yet a member (another story for another time), I have been given opportunities to use my teaching gifts within the church is ways that I probably would not have gotten in other churches.

20. A church that is not afraid of the charismatic gifts. Although the church is not outwardly very charismatic, there is an openness to what the Spirit might want to do, in ways that I have not seen in many Baptist churches.

21. A church with a plethora of volunteers. Having come from some very small churches, it is nice to be able to sit back a bit, and see so many people engaged and active in ministry so that the work load is quite well shared. It is also nice to see so many who are willing to invest time with my children.

22. A church where many work quietly behind the scenes. We have a great group of trustees, who while never very visible, get much done around the church in terms of maintenance and upkeep.

23. A church that assists the less fortunate through its monthly communion offering.

24. A church where youth are actively involved in the ministry of the church.

25. Finally, but certainly at the top in importance, a church where the “good news of Jesus Christ” is preached faithfully.

These are a few of the things that I have come to appreciate about the church. I am sure that I will have more that I will add to the list as they come to mind. All in all though, over the last two years, Mission Baptist has been a pretty wonderful place to be.

What are some of the things you appreciate about your church?

I recently published this post at InternetMonk.com

In my previous post at Internet Monk, I looked at two surveys conducted by The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life: Faith in Flux: Changes in Religious Affiliation in the U.S. that was released a few weeks ago, and which was a followup to their U.S. Religious Landscape Survey that they released last year.

By working with the numbers of the surveys I was able to come up with a chart that showed how Americans have been changing from their childhood faith to their current faith. One of the key findings was that Christian denominations are losing adherents though the back door so to speak than they are gaining new believers through the front door. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, please check out the original post, as it will help you understand some of the ideas behind this post, as well us understand the magnitude of the changes.

Today I wanted to focus on the “when” and the “why” this hemorrhaging was occurring, but as I have been pondering the data, the “when” seemed to really stand out as being important. I was reminded of my preaching classes back in seminary, when our professor, Dr. Peter Ralph, would constantly remind us to find the “big idea” that needed to be communicated from the biblical text. I think the same holds true when looking at survey data. Here is the “big idea” that jumped out at me when going through the Flux survey data and reports:

Most religious life decisions, even among those who have been open to change, has been set by age 23.

Of those who were raised Protestant (Evangelical, Mainline, and Historical Black), and are now “unaffiliated with any religious group”, 85% left their childhood faith before the age of 24. Of those who were raised Catholic and were now unaffiliated, 79% left before the age of 24. The same holds true for those coming back the other way. Of those raised unaffiliated, but who are now affiliated with a religious group, 72% left the ranks of the unaffiliated before the age of 24.

I can’t emphasize enough how huge this is. I will state this again: Most religious life decisions, even among those who have been open to change, has been set by age 23. There is another much smaller group that will leave their Christian faith group between the ages of 24 and 35, but only 3-4% who will make the change after they turn 36.

Before I look at the implications of this, I would like us to consider some related statistics that also come from the Flux survey. Of those who were raised Protestant but are now unaffiliated, 64% attended weekly worship as a child, but only 29% attended as a teen. This too is huge. When we relate this back to our first set of numbers we can see that of those who left the faith before age 24, a large percentage had already made that decision by their teenage years. For Catholics, the decision to leave is somewhat delayed. Of those from Catholic backgrounds who become unaffiliated, 44% are still attending regularly as teens (down from 74% as children). As noted earlier, before the age of 24, most of those who will leave have already left, whether they be Catholic or Protestant.

So what does all this mean for us?

These numbers have significant implications for both discipleship and evangelism. While I have focused primarily on those leaving, it works both way. Those coming to faith make the decision when they are young as well. Let us look at the discipleship aspect first.

A friend of mine, Mitch, became a Youth Pastor of an Evangelical Presbyterian church a number of years ago. While the Church was of quite a decent size (about 300 attendance), they had no youth group, and almost no youth attending. I believe Mitch was hired as the church’s first ever Youth Pastor because the church knew that they had potentially lost one complement of youth, and were afraid of losing those who were approaching that age as well. As hard as Mitch tried, he could not get those youth who had left to come back, even though their parents will still attending the church. So instead he focused his energies on the kids in Sunday School and Junior High. By building into those kids lives, they had gone through significant discipleship well before they hit high school, and Mitch had the joy of working with them all the way through high school. Even after Mitch moved on to another church in a distant community as a senior pastor, he was invited back to participate in their weddings. It was wonderful to see those teens move into adulthood, still actively engaged in the church.

My point is that if we are not serious and intentional about engaging our young people before they hit their teens, then we may have left it too late.

After the teenage years comes young adulthood, and College and/or University have often been fingered as being culprits in the move away from the faith in young adults. Steven James Henderson in his 2003 study entitled “The Impact of Student Religion and College Affiliation on Student Religiosity” writes:

Railsback’s 1994 study of “born-again” Christian students… found that the vast majority of Christian students attend non-Christian colleges. As previously mentioned, of the group that attended public universities, approximately 52% either no longer called themselves “born again” or had not attended any religious services or meetings in over a year by the end of their college experience.

However it has been shown that those who do not attend College fall away from the faith in ever greater percentages than those who do attend. Regnerus and Uecker write:

The assumption that the religious involvement of young people diminishes when they attend college is of course true: 64 percent of those currently enrolled in a traditional four-year institution have curbed their attendance habits. Yet, 76 percent of those who never enrolled in college report a decline in religious service attendance.

So what do we do?

In Henderson’s more readable summary article, he points out that:

Students who attend institutions that are members of the Council for Christian College and Universities (CCCU) showed significant positive differences on almost all individual measures of religious commitment as well as an overall increase in that commitment compared to those who attended non-member institutions.

These numbers may be misleading because if I want to become and Engineer, I am going to go to a school that specializing in producing Engineers. If I want to become a Pastor, I am going to go to a school that specializes in producing Pastors. So it may be that those who enter CCCU schools are more intentional about their future Christian involvement, and as such score much higher in the surveys.

Even if the numbers are not misleading, this still gives me a bit of a problem, primarily I believe that Christians cocoon themselves far too much, and secondly, because as pointed out by George Wood, a leader in the Assemblies of God, only 15% of their students choose schools affiliated with the CCCU. His figures, based on the 2005 Church Ministries Report for the Assemblies of God show that there are:

315,000 young people between the ages of 13 and 17 in the 12,301 Assemblies of God churches in the U.S.

210,000 (two-thirds) will enter one of the 4,000 colleges or universities in America.

178,500 will enter a non-Christian college or university, while

31,500 (15 percent) will enter one of the 102 CCCU schools, including those affiliated with the Assemblies of God.

In nine years, after these 13- to 17-year-olds have been in college for four years (and if the same percentages hold true for those who don’t go to college) up to 189,000 of Assemblies of God youth – out of 315,000 – may no longer be following Christ.

So, while giving additional consideration to a Christian College may be of benefit to our students, we need to consider the large majority who are not going to go that route.

This is why I am such a large supporter of Christian Campus ministries like Navigators, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, and what was formerly know and Campus Crusade. Church “College & Career” ministries are very important too. My wife and I were involved in three different Campus ministries while at University, and one significant Church College ministries. All four had a huge impact on our spiritual growth, as well as in establishing life long relationships with like minded Christians. I look at those I was involved with and so many of them went on to become Pastors, Missionaries, and leaders in their respective churches. It is for that reason that my wife and I give 25% of our tithe to Campus ministries, spreading it out over four campuses. Being able to contribute to the spiritual well being of University students is something I believe will have a lasting impact on both their lives and the future health of the church.

Henderson has a number of excellent suggestions for students, parents, and Pastors, for ways that students can remain strong in their faith during their college years. It is well worth reading.

I would like to add a couple of other thoughts to his list as well as tie back to some of my original comments about teens.

I realize that I am about to pick on Pastors here, but I see Pastors as the key implementer of change withing churches. Pastors, how intentional are you at engaging youth and young adults in your sermons? Go over your last 10 sermons. How many of the sermon illustrations were ones that young people could really relate too? Have you ever alluded to a group like “Cold Play”? Do you have a visitation schedule? If so, have you ever included a teen or a young adult in that schedule? Have you ever taken a teen in your church out for a baseball game or even a cheese burger? When was the last time someone under the age of 18 did a Bible reading in the service? Ushered? Ran the sound board, or video system? Joined the worship team? Let a Bible Study? My son who is 14, does all kinds of complex presentations at school on all kinds of subjects that he has researched. Why doesn’t he get the same kind of opportunity at church?

My point is that many of our people have become disengaged from their faith at a very young age. It isn’t enough to tread water, but we need to become intentional at engaging them. You should note that I am not advocating that we become youth focused in our churches, but that we should at least become much more youth aware and youth inclusive. We need to engage them beyond the time spent in their Sunday School class or youth group, and make sure that they are an integral part in this bigger thing we call “church”

My final note has to do with Evangelism. As noted earlier in the post, of those raised unaffiliated, but who are now affiliated with a religious group, 72% left the ranks of the unaffiliated before the age of 24. My friend Tim immediately came to mind when I read this. When I was at University, he amazed all of us in our Christian campus group by leading his entire residence floor to Christ. One of the guys who became a Christian went on to become the President of our group three years later. Yet this is something that should not surprise us, because this is a stage of life when people are seeking, learning, and discovering so many new and amazing things about the world around them. We need to take the opportunity to introduce them to the most amazing person of all: Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior.

As always, your thoughts and comments are welcome.<i

The Internet has been a real blessing to me. It has enabled me to continue my education, expand my Christian contacts [like you, I hope, dear reader], entertain myself with youtube and blog-reading and even help me to witness the Truth in love and minister to those in need. It also drives me right out of my mind.

In the past I could ignore those groups of people who say they are Christian, and may well be , yet practice something I find disturbing, like snake handling, or legalism. Now I am exposed to things I formerly was able to ignore. At the top of my personal Ignorance list was the existence of a cottage industry full of vehemence and bile, that group of people who say they are Christian and spend their lives criticizing everything that happens in a building with a cross on the roof. Don’t get me wrong, there are some loose wingnuts on the wheels of modern Christianity, and pointing out the insanity is healthy! I am not talking about those of us [me] who desire to point out wackos and frauds; I mean people who take on whole denominations, entire -faith-groups of mainstream believers, or really well known figureheads of the faith.

Is there any point in declaring Billy Graham to be anathema? All right he is old and says some odd things today, but have you read his stuff? Did you see his track record? If we were all anathema like Graham there would be a lot more Christians. Is it necessary for the Kingdom to declare John Macarthur a heretic? I have problems with dispensationalism, the whole Jesus just making a touch and go but not really landing is odd to me; I don’t own a Scofield, but MacArthur preaches the gospel! If you do a little googleing you can find somebody against anybody! It is not only individuals that get the indictment of heresy, the Southern Baptist Convention is working for the devil if you listen to some. Now I have been in the SBC tent for 12 years, there are issues. Are they apostasy? Are they anathema? Again, if you look you will find some group nailing away at another group as if they get paid a quarter a word.

Has the discernment of God’s people so decreased that we can not tell a Todd Bentley from a Ravi Zacharias? We can’t perceive a difference in message from Benny Hinn to Tim Keller? We can’t see a change in group dynamic from C.M.A. to the K.K.K.?

We need to read and follow Paul’s advise to the Philippians, “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things [are] honest, whatsoever things [are] just, whatsoever things [are] pure, whatsoever things [are] lovely, whatsoever things [are] of good report; if [there be] any virtue, and if [there be] any praise, think on these things.” I listen to a lot of sermons. I am not seeking an error in another’s ways, I am seeking to be fed on the word of God. If there is something on the plate I do not like, I don’t throw the whole dish to the ground and condemn the cook, I take what I like and praise the meal.

Please look out of the box you live in. Look at Europe. Can you call it Christian? Have you seen England? Do you think we live in an age where we can pick each other apart without serving the Enemy? It just can’t be that hard to separate the wheat from the tares. People my age will remember the Supreme Court decision on pornography. In attempting to define it one judge said, “you know it when you see it.” That definition did not stick, but come on, you know it when you see it. I do not think you need a PhD in theology to know good doctrine from false. Good doctrine may not be perfect doctrine, but it is not purposely false. As for false doctrine, you know it when you see it, it is a lot like porn.

One church was made up of seniors, a group of people who some time ago had resisted change, and so had lost their subsequent generations to other churches.  The other church had a cross section of families, but was struggling to make a go of it in rented facilities in a relatively small town.

In hindsight, both were uniquely and appropriately gifted, to lead their churches into significant growth.

In the case of the seniors’ church.  The church had come to recognize that in order to not be closing the doors in ten years that there had to be some change.  Change however would come at a snail’s pace.  And the pastor had to have the patience of Job in order to keep persevering with small incremental changes that the seniors could tolerate.  He had a true “Pastor’s heart” and spent much time visiting with people and caring for them.  The church came to love their Pastor, and the church grew, largely from other churches whose seniors had become disenfranchised and were looking for a place to belong.  The Pastor told me that his church had done a very good job of welcoming the new people, going so far as to change the language that was spoken in the seniors group, so that the newcomers would feel more welcome.  The church is now twice as large as it was, still mainly seniors, but with more of a hope of a future.

In the other church, the new Pastor was quite a different sort.  He was a visionary guy, with all kinds of ideas of how they could present and grow the church.   His route was to go very contemporary, while not neglecting the importance of things like baptism and communion.  Being contemporary, to him did not mean watering down the word, but presenting it in ways that were understandable and communicated to their target audience.  They also put a strong emphasis on small groups, which they called “small church”, knowing that this was one of the best ways to see people discipled and grow.  The thing that impressed me the most when visiting, was that they scheduled baptisms for every month, trusting that God would be moving in such a way, that people would want to follow Christ in Baptism.  This church has now doubled three times in the seven years that he has been there.  Half of the growth has been new convert growth.

What strikes me about both situations is this.  Both models work.  What is needed is the right Pastor for the right church.    I would venture to say that if each of these Pastors had been called to the opposite church, that both of the churches would still be struggling along, if not closed.

One thing that the denomination of my previous church does, is require any church that is calling a new senior Pastor to do a extensive church and community analysis.  This is done to help clarify and set their mission, vision, and values.  Each potential Pastor undergoes corresponding testing.  The church then is presented with a list of Pastors who are appropriate for their situation.  The church can recommend that certain names be added, but these potential candidates also have to go through a vetting at the district level.   The reason for this of course is to get the right Pastor for the right church, and avoid the sort of church blowups and meltdowns that we here about all too frequently.

I have received permission from the denomination to link to their free resources for those who would like to find out more about the process.