I've never been a member of a country club, but I DO think that Caddyshack is one of the funniest movies ever. As I was watching it the other day (I really don't know why I was watching it- I've seen it so many times that I can quote it line for line all the way through) it just hit me that Bushwood is not just a snobby country club- it's like the church.
That got me thinking- what are the characteristics of a country club? I came up with four:
1) You show up when it is convenient for you.
2) You join to be around other people that are just like you- same race, same socioeconomic status, same values, same lifestyle, etc.
3) You pay your dues and expect benefits.
4) When something goes wrong, you complain to management.
Unfortunately, far too many Christians look at church in this way. They show up when it convenient (when it's not too dark, not too cold, not too nice outside, not when they've been up too late, not when they have homework or laundry or housework or a sports commitment, etc). They want to be around people just like them, who already know Christ and know how to behave in church. If they pay "dues," they see it as justification for getting what they want, and when things don't go like they want to, they complain and complain and complain.
Is this what the church was intended to be? Unfortunately, that's what many of my pastor friends describe their church as being. However, I think God intended for the church to be different than this.
I think God intended His church to be a team.
Now, I've been on many sports teams, and I've even coached sports teams. Here are the characteristics of a team:
1) You show up when the team is together.
2) You join because you have a common purpose and goal.
3) You want to win.
4) When things go wrong, you practice.
What if Christians started viewing their church, not as a country club, but as a team? What if Christians showed up when the team was together, not simply when it was convenient? (If I was the coach of a team and someone skipped a practice or a game because they were out too late, had homework, slept in, or because it was too cold, I'd kick them off the team faster than anything.) What if Christians joined the church because they agreed with the common purpose and strove to achieve it? What if Christians joined a church because they had a burning desire to WIN? What if Christians, instead of complaining when things go wrong, went home and practiced?
The church would look a lot different. However, hundreds of years of church culture has created and instilled the country-club atmosphere, so that Christians literally think they are being Biblical when they do the four things describing the country club. Many Christians can't even fathom the mind-set shift that would have to take place for them to start viewing their church as a team.
However, for the church to truly be the Body of Christ, it has to start functioning like a team.
Part 2 tomorrow will discuss the next step of becoming a team.
That got me thinking- what are the characteristics of a country club? I came up with four:
1) You show up when it is convenient for you.
2) You join to be around other people that are just like you- same race, same socioeconomic status, same values, same lifestyle, etc.
3) You pay your dues and expect benefits.
4) When something goes wrong, you complain to management.
Unfortunately, far too many Christians look at church in this way. They show up when it convenient (when it's not too dark, not too cold, not too nice outside, not when they've been up too late, not when they have homework or laundry or housework or a sports commitment, etc). They want to be around people just like them, who already know Christ and know how to behave in church. If they pay "dues," they see it as justification for getting what they want, and when things don't go like they want to, they complain and complain and complain.
Is this what the church was intended to be? Unfortunately, that's what many of my pastor friends describe their church as being. However, I think God intended for the church to be different than this.
I think God intended His church to be a team.
Now, I've been on many sports teams, and I've even coached sports teams. Here are the characteristics of a team:
1) You show up when the team is together.
2) You join because you have a common purpose and goal.
3) You want to win.
4) When things go wrong, you practice.
What if Christians started viewing their church, not as a country club, but as a team? What if Christians showed up when the team was together, not simply when it was convenient? (If I was the coach of a team and someone skipped a practice or a game because they were out too late, had homework, slept in, or because it was too cold, I'd kick them off the team faster than anything.) What if Christians joined the church because they agreed with the common purpose and strove to achieve it? What if Christians joined a church because they had a burning desire to WIN? What if Christians, instead of complaining when things go wrong, went home and practiced?
The church would look a lot different. However, hundreds of years of church culture has created and instilled the country-club atmosphere, so that Christians literally think they are being Biblical when they do the four things describing the country club. Many Christians can't even fathom the mind-set shift that would have to take place for them to start viewing their church as a team.
However, for the church to truly be the Body of Christ, it has to start functioning like a team.
Part 2 tomorrow will discuss the next step of becoming a team.
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