Seventeen years ago, I left a corporate career and joined a church staff as the communications director. Acting as the church's spokesperson was my spiciest responsibility. In this role, I never knew what conversation would take place when the phone rang.
Abundant trial and error—mostly the latter—impressed upon me two truths. First, "No comment" is actually a strong comment. And second, the church attracts many critics. Based on the number of articles, columns, and blogs that still today take swipes at churches, the second truth seems timeless.
Some writers chastise churches that try new approaches to growth, while others offer biting criticisms of congregations stuck at the same size for years. A quick search yields many articles that describe churches' lack of participation in social justice issues as wrong, and an equal number claiming that concentration on social justice is resulting in churches avoiding their true mission. Huh? No need to even mention societal issues as a lightning rod for critics.
As my daughter says, folks need to "chillax."
Today I work for an organization that serves well over 1,000 churches across the country; including various sizes, denominations, and affiliations. So as a relatively neutral counter-opinion to the critics, I offer five reasons to love churches in 2015. Warning: cynics and others with platforms built on revealing "what's wrong with today's churches" will pick apart these points and eloquently express disagreement/disdain. To them I'll say it now: No comment.
Now, the five reasons I love the church:
1. A rapidly increasing number of congregations serve their local communities in ways that involve building personal relationships—and it attracts positive attention. Many pastors deliberately work to understand the needs of those who live close by and then position their people to extend their hands, words, and smiles—not simply their wallets. Our organization works with nearly 1,200 churches who mentor at-risk public school children, and a healthy 90 percent of those congregations go beyond the program to serve families, teachers, and the broader school community. In other words, when aware of real needs, churches do a great job being the church to people in need.
And those closest to the action—public schools—definitely notice. Because of the tremendous work and life change attributed to these programs offered by churches, we have requests from an additional 2,300+ schools who want church partners. More get added to this list every month. As churches learn of this opportunity to display a radical and selfless love, like 50 United Methodist pastors recently did in Nashville, greater numbers respond every year.
2. Passion for spiritual formation in attendees continues to rise. Yes, this topic attracts critics like a streetlamp attracts mosquitoes. I'm not sure why. Many pastors today earnestly seek ways to lead their people, and themselves, into deeper relationships with God. At the same time, individual parishioners' appetites drive deep hunger for spiritual formation. While methods get debated, the right motive seems to be in place. I believe this is, in part, a result of the first point. Why? Hearts beat fast and strong for God when someone serves others in His name—creating a desire to know Him more. This is a tough point to criticize (but many still will).
3. The Bible remains at the center of churches. While the interpretation of passages varies, sometimes to a contrasting degree, everyone still seems to agree on the overall centrality of the Bible. Funny, the only person who doesn't interpret a book—who knows exactly what was meant—is the author. Every reader interprets. That's the rub; people interpret the Bible differently. We'll find out the real answers in heaven. Until then, though, is it possible to believe in a church's best intentions?
Without going into details about the circumstances, I remember an issue that arose when I worked as a church spokesperson that prompted me to offer this response: "Is it right to form an opinion of the theology of a church based on what's reported in a major metropolitan newspaper?" Substitute the word blog, column, or tweet and that question still deserves to be asked today. While a few folks with loud voices and large audiences seem to enjoy proving how their interpretations trumps those of others, a significantly greater number cringe at all the arguments. Bottom line: ignore the angry mouthpieces and you'll see a body with a healthy heartbeat for the world around them—evidenced by the first point.
4. Churches offer a wide range of styles. Simply venture outside the U.S. and you will see that church style changes dramatically, so why not mix things up here at home? If a person doesn't appreciate the approach a church takes, they can easily find a different church in which to feel comfortable and to become actively involved. Plenty of people attend no church at all, so variety is a good thing. Contrary to some opinions, churches don't compete with one another. Instead, they compete with every other option available to people on Sunday morning (or Saturday night). Could we see resurgences of traditional services and liturgical practices? Likely, and in step with the first two points.
5. The biggest reason I love the church: Lost and wounded people can still go to a church and find Jesus. The evidence for this truth is three-fold: my father-in-law did it, my brother-in-law did it, and I did it, too. Three very different churches. Three changed lives. One reason: we found Jesus. Or did Jesus find us? Let's not debate.
Instead, let's "chillax." If you feel comfortable, please share why you love the church. After a couple thousand years of serving as the hope of the world, it's doing just fine—and will continue for many, many more.
David Staal, senior editor for Building Church Leaders and a mentor to a third grader, serves as the president of Kids Hope USA, a national non-profit organization that partners local churches with elementary schools to provide mentors for at-risk students. He also chairs the advisory board for a nearby college, teaches marketing at another university, and served ten years in leadership for a local church following a corporate career. David is the author of Lessons Kids Need to Learn (Zondervan, 2012) and Words Kids Need to Hear (Zondervan, 2008). He lives in Grand Haven, MI, with his wife Becky. His son Scott and daughter Erin attend Valparaiso University.
