My Club is Better than Your Club (part 1)

Let's face it: Churches, organizationally speaking, are faith-based clubs, of which you are either a member or not.

They are all looking for new committed members, so that they can continue to exist, or possibly even grow. Every one of them has good reasons why theirs is better than the other ones in town. It might be better music, better drama, a better pastor, better preaching/teaching, better facilities, nicer people, better multimedia, staff, missions projects, community activities, outreach programs, Bible studies, doctrinal statements, counseling, youth activities, kids' programs, political associations, status in the community, etc.

Go ahead, ask any pastor or priest why their church is a better choice than the other ones in town--if they are a good salesperson, you should get a nice list of reasons.

I remember once seeing a Catholic priest meeting with some potential members, saying "the thing about the Catholic church is that everything you see inside the building MEANS something." I don't know...that might be a selling point for somebody, but I don't really care that much about symbolism.

I guess I need a different kind of club--maybe something a little more intellectual and edgy. That's my personality, after all.

There's nothing wrong with joining a club that fits your personality, right? So if you find one you like, why not? Go for it.

What is a club? It's:

"an association of persons for some common object usually jointly supported and meeting periodically; also : a group identified by some common characteristic b : the meeting place of a club <lunch at the club> c : an association of persons participating in a plan by which they agree to make regular payments or purchases in order to secure some advantage." (Merriam-Webster)

That could describe most churches, I think.

So then, what does it take to join a club?

First, you need to be eligible and willing to commit to membership. In the case of church membership, to be eligible, you need to agree to the church's doctrinal statement. In some you need to say you have a personal relationship with Jesus. Of course they hope that you believe the statement with your whole heart, not just agree mentally. But since there's no way of proving that one way or the other, a mental agreement will have to do.

Most churches also have some doctrinal "distinctives" that set them apart from the other churches in town. These might be something along the lines of baptism, communion, spiritual gifts, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the nature of the trinity, predestination, free will, or the end times. You'll need to agree to those too. On the other hand, if you're not sure about your beliefs in these areas, don't worry that much. You'll have plenty of time to be taught these things as a member. Just sign the paper, ok? Let's not split hairs.

Second, you will need to be accepted as a member. You're not going to embarrass the church with your reputation, are you? Or make it seem like the church is condoning a sinful lifestyle? Or, maybe you have baggage from your last church. If you have a pentecostal background, for example, are you going to disrupt our worship services with your demonstrative worship methods? You're not going to fight with us over our view on baptism, are you? We need to make sure you really "fit" here.

But if everybody's agreeable up to this point, you can become a member--you're in! What now?

Well, of course there's the whole money issue. How else can we keep the lights on and the staff paid? We might call it a tithe, or an offering, or something else; the important thing is that our club keeps running. So above all, make sure you are giving money regularly, sacrificially, and faithfully. You don't want to be responsible for "robbing from God" and letting our club fall apart, do you?

Beyond giving money, you should also make sure to participate in the activities and classes as they're offered. It might fill up your schedule to an unmanageable level, but the important thing is that you are getting attached to THIS group of people and that you are learning OUR way of thinking and relating to God. Then you will truly understand, at a deep level, why our club is better than the others in town.

I remember being raised Lutheran, and being taught why their view on communion was right and the other Synod's view was wrong, and why they didn't associate with churches that associated with certain Christian movements, like ecumenism, for example. Later on, I discovered literature from the Worldwide Church of God, where I learned all about why they "got it" about God's plan and all the other churches in the world didn't.

Later, I became involved in a United Pentecostal Church and learned how the rest of Christendom had been deceiving the world with their unbiblical, tri-theistic view of the trinity and baptism. I also learned there that your clothing and appearance set you apart from the world (and the other so-called "Christians") that doesn't know God. In those days, I felt very superior to all the other, less enlightened, Christian clubs. That was a great feeling!

After a few years in that club, however, I started investigating into the world of Fundamentalism, where I learned that everything I learned at the Pentecostal church was wrong. I learned this from the best of the best, at a seminary led by a high-powered Bible teacher named John MacArthur. It totally messed up my previous church associations, and I had to upend my life once again, but at last I had found a better, more biblical club to join...for now.

But then, after a while, I discovered that Fundamentalism not only has deep divisions within its own ranks, but it ultimately cares a lot more about being doctrinally right than loving people (especially people with inferior doctrine)...so, I slowly walked away, shifted my paradigm once again, and joined a more moderate kind of Evangelicalism. It was kind of a mix of former Fundamentalists and Protestants and Catholics and Pentecostals who decided not to talk about these things in the open. Just keep things simple, don't dig too deep, put on an inspiring presentation on Sundays, keep people busy with activities and classes, and we're good to go! That worked really well for quite some time.

But a funny thing happened there, too...

After ten years of commitment to this particular club as a member and as leader/pastor, I was informed that I was a "square peg" where they needed a "round hole". I didn't fit in anymore, if indeed I ever did in the first place. How could this be, I wondered? I thought the body of Christ accepted all kinds of people, even different kinds of leaders? Nope, it really doesn't work that way at this club. You really need to fit in. You really need to be a representative of "our way" of doing things. If you're going to be a member and a leader in our club, you have to see things our way, and fit in with our style. Apparently one of the games they played in this club was "King of the Mountain"--and in the end, I lost.

Fair enough, I guess. If I joined the team at McDonald's and refused to wear the uniform, I would probably get fired. If I joined the local Republican party, but kept bringing up problems and questions with the party, I might get tossed out. I can appreciate that.

I just have to wonder though...what do all of these clubs have to do with the body of Christ? Is this really what Jesus had in mind when He birthed The Church? Didn't Jesus come up with something better than a myriad of Christian clubs competing for members?

Gosh, I sure hope so! More on this to come...