From the United Church of Christ Missouri Mid-South Conference web site:
“As of today, at least 40 UCC congregations from Missouri are on board with a commitment to make extravagant invitations to our neighbors during Lent. These congregations have joined with 82 churches in the Illinois South Association to fund television advertising during Lent. We will be airing the UCC “Steeple” ad throughout the St. Louis MO/IL market to support your local evangelism efforts.”
The “Steeple” television commercial uses a diverse group of people, including several very cute children to communicate an attractive and clear message about the United Church of Christ (UCC).
Child: “This is the church and this is the steeple, open the door and see the people.”
Diverse People: “All the people.”
Announcer: “God accepts all the people and so do we. No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey you are welcome here.”
UCC Logo
This is a simple message, but has very deep implications. It promises a great deal, and I have to wonder if all UCC churches can really honestly make that promise, much less live up to it. Along with “God is still speaking,” “extravagant welcome” has been one of the key slogans used to market our denomination. These marketing efforts have focused on making the UCC attractive to people who feel in some way rejected or unwelcome in other denominations. I agree that it is a great idea to welcome unchurched people into our congregations. My puzzle has been what to do with those unchurched people “after the hug.” Diverse people have diverse needs. Can any single congregation meet all those needs? People who have felt unwelcome in church may be uncomfortable with “church things.” Can we both make them feel welcome and remain a true church?
“All Kinds of People” or “All The People”
The ad raises a fundamental question. Is the church a welcoming place for “all kinds of people” or for “all the people?” I would hope that any Christian church would welcome “all kinds of people.” That is, all people, regardless of age, social class, race, disability, ethnic group, sexual orientation, Etc., should be welcome at a Christian church. I say, “should” because all churches fall short of this goal. Sometimes meeting this goal is practically impossible. Can most churches truly welcome someone who can only authentically worship God in a non-English language? Can a church truly welcome both those who can only feel the Holy Spirit to the beat of a loud bass drum and those who only experience the sacred in a quiet and meditative service? Probably not.
When we go beyond welcoming “all kinds of people” to “all the people,” things become even more complex. As a denomination, the UCC is theologically and socially progressive. The denomination has a Center for Progressive Renewal that aims to revitalize and grow progressive congregations. The center gives this description,
“We understand Progressive Christianity as a faith that believes God’s family includes all people; God’s people are responsible for caring for the environment, the poor, sick and vulnerable; that education, health care and civil liberties are vital to abundant life and therefore the desire of God for all people; and that truth is found more often in honest grappling with the questions than in absolute hierarchical pronouncement of the answers. We further believe that this is the type of faith for which millions of Americans hunger.”
Progressive Christianity has lived out these values by adopting a legislative agenda that most people would see as significantly left of center. Can a progressive church really welcome members of the “tea party?” Probably not.
The view that any church can welcome “all the people” and retain them as visitors and members is unrealistic and possibly dishonest. The mainstream Christian view has always been that some people are simply not called to the Church. They may hear the Gospel but for whatever reason their heart is untouched. Depending on whether you were Lutheran, Reformed, or Methodist you either attributed this lack of interest in salvation to God's predestination or human choice. Even Universalists who believe that all persons will be saved in the end have never believed that all persons will become church members!
“All the people” and the Three Marks of the True Church
The Christian church has traditionally aspired to welcome “all kinds of people.” However, the church has not necessarily intended to welcome “all the people.” Traditionally, the church has welcomed only one kind of person: the repentant sinner. The repentant sinner comes to church first for salvation, not for fellowship, entertainment, or spiritual development.
Because the Church is the Body of Christ of which Christ is the head, we cannot change the essential nature of the church to broaden its appeal. All we can change are the “accidentals,” the details of our worship. For example, we can baptize by pouring or immersion, but we cannot abandon the sacrament of baptism. We can change the kind of music we play, but we cannot skip the sermon. The Protestant reformers named three “marks by which the true church is known”: the preaching of the pure doctrine of the Gospel, the pure administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of church discipline to correct faults. A church that gives up these marks to widen its appeal to “all the people” risks no longer being a true church. In the colorful words of the historic confessions, it risks becoming a “synagogue of Satan.” Can we adhere to these three marks of the true church while welcoming “all the people?”
Our congregation has had a fairly flexible approach to the administering of the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's supper. We can “sprinkle, pour, or dip” depending on the preference of the family or the person being baptized. However, our tradition holds that infant baptism is a proper sacrament, something many disagree with. Can we accept “all the people” including those who believe that infant baptism is ineffective? Wouldn't those people be better off going to a Baptist church? We also have a strong tradition of using wine in communion. Can we accept “all the people” including those who will not enter a church building where wine is served either because of temperance beliefs or because of a history of alcoholism? Wouldn't those people be better off taking the bread and water communion at the Salvation Army?
Preaching the pure doctrine of the Gospel can also create problems when you are trying to welcome “all the people.” Many people find large sections of the Bible to be irrelevant, incomprehensible, or offensive. Churches seeking to appeal to “all the people” are tempted to skip the “hard parts” and often end up preaching a toothless Gospel of self-improvement and positive feelings. It is easy to forget that joining a church means being challenged to learn and grow rather than simply to be comforted and entertained. However, many large and growing churches have preaching that addresses complex issues of Biblical interpretation and theology. These churches welcome new members without any church background. However, as part of the membership process, new members go through an intensive study of the Bible and church doctrine. These churches welcome “all people,” but only if they are willing to work hard, learn, and accept the authority of the churches’ teaching.
The exercise of church discipline in a church that seeks to welcome “all the people” is even more problematic. In my thinking, church disciple has two aspects: belief and behavior. A person is subject to church discipline if they hold and espouse beliefs fundamentally in conflict with the beliefs of the Christian faith. Second, a person is subject to church discipline if their behavior violates God's commandments. The Biblical “ultimate weapon” of church discipline is excommunication, the exclusion of a church member from the sacraments and the fellowship of the congregation.
The excesses of church disciple—burning heretics at the stake—has led many to question whether church disciple really is an essential mark of the church. Belief is often viewed as a private matter between the believer and God. Some believe that a person is “once saved, always saved” regardless of how many commandments they break. The police, law courts, and prisons, not the church, regulate bad behavior. The question remains, however, what it means to be a church if members can believe and do anything they please without any consequences.
Of course, even the most progressive church maintains some form of church discipline. Sexual harassment, hate speech, and racism are definitely not tolerated. Formally or informally, every community has a line that cannot be crossed. A church that welcomes members who refuse to recite the Apostles Creed may quickly welcome those who believe that “_______ people are just lazy,” to the nearest exit.
Our congregation does not have a strong tradition of church discipline. We emphasize the UCC freedom of individual conscience and we tend to stay out of our member's personal lives. Our tradition asks that members commit to a basic set of Christian beliefs, but we do not take a particular position on controversial aspects of Christian doctrine. We continue to uphold our heritage that Lutheran and reformed believers can worship, fellowship, and work together.
Likewise, our congregation has not taken positions on sensitive social issues such as abortion, health care, gay marriage, the environment, or health care. As a congregation, we are neither socially liberal or socially conservative. Our church has not considered leaving the UCC, but it also has not considered becoming an Open and Affirming Congregation. We continue to financially support the denomination but our members have chosen not be active in denominational affairs. This may seem welcoming to some, but to others we may seem cowardly or wish-washy. When our society is divided by these issues, can any church truly welcome “all the people?”
Implications for Change at Evangelical UCC
I believe that our intention should be to welcome “all kinds of people,” but we should not to expect our congregation will appeal to “all the people.” Our challenge will be to maintain the unity and integrity of the congregation while broaden our appeal to more kinds of people.
Integrity means remaining true to our Evangelical and Reformed traditions. We should never give up our commitment to the Lordship of Christ, our respect for the authority of the Bible, our basic traditions such as infant baptism and youth confirmation, or our commitment to missions such as FISH and the Jamaican Christian Medical Mission.
Unity means that we remain a single congregation united by Christ in worship, fellowship, education, and mission. We should continue to emphasize events and activities that can involve all members of the church from children to seniors. Events that are specific to particular groups of people—children, youth, seniors, men, women—should always be in addition to core activities that are welcoming to all.
Yet at the same time, we need to be willing to change some of the details of our common life to welcome “al kinds of people.” In some ways, I have a good background for broadening the appeal of our congregation. I have worked at a Deacon, Counselor, and Pastor with a diverse range of people from different races, social classes, and ethnic backgrounds, including people with serious mental illnesses and those who are homeless. Nevertheless, I now realize that I have a narrow model of how someone becomes a Christian. My assumption is that the way you become a Christian is to be born into a Christian family, be baptized as a baby, taken to church nursery, attend Sunday school, and finally complete a confirmation class. This is how I became a Christian and I share this background with many EUCC members. My approach to preaching and teaching assumes my audience has been through confirmation or otherwise has learned the basics of the Bible and Christian belief.
However, we know that more and more adults have not had a stable church life while growing up due to divorce and other family problems. If we improve our marketing and “all kinds of people” start visiting our congregation, I need to make sure that my preaching and teaching communicates effectively to those who are Biblically illiterate—who don't even know the Bible stories we learned as little children! Yet I cannot do this by watering down the Gospel. That would just drive away those who want a teaching based on an in-depth exploration of scripture and our Evangelical and Reformed heritage. I need to maintain the integrity of the Gospel while broadening my audience. This may mean I have to conduct an inquirer's class for visitors and a sermon discussion group after Sunday services. I may also need to provide sermon notes or a sermon outline to make the message easier to follow.
I believe that we should be careful not to let the desire to welcome “all the people” divide, rather than unite our congregation. So many churches today are really 2 or 3 separate congregations who share the same building. The participants in the youth service, the contemporary service, and the traditional service rarely meet or interact. Change should unify rather than divide the congregation. There should be one Gospel for the entire church, not separate services, and sermons for different generations and interest groups.
We are not a new church start up. We must be willing to change and grow, but not at the cost of the unity and integrity of our congregation. We are an established congregation with a heritage that is a valuable part of the Body of Christ. We must welcome “all kinds of people” who want to become part of that heritage and join us in keeping it alive and vital as long as God wills. We must welcome every one who can add to that heritage, but we have no reason to welcome anyone who seeks to destroy that heritage.
We must never forget that the church only exists because, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” The church is for “all kinds of people” who fall in gratitude at the feet of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. If we try to deny this even for the admirable purpose of bringing “all the people” into the church, we are destroying God's holy temple.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? 17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple.
Don't mess with the Temple!
Pastor Dan
