June 15, 2014:

Ponderings of a Pilgrim Pastor

“When Did “Church” Become A Dirty Word?”

All over Chattanooga and in other cities, new churches are springing up with names such as “The Vineyard,” The Crossing,” “The Connection Point,” “Abba’s House,” “The Lighthouse,” “The Turning Point” . . . Excuse me, they don’t want to be called “churches.”  As one describes itself, they are “Christian gatherings.”  Nearly always they meet on Sunday morning at 10 or 11 a.m.  While the buildings they meet in don’t look like traditional church buildings, they often have exterior crosses, sometimes enormous crosses, to make them identifiable as Christian.  Inside the rather stark buildings, there are Christian songs sung by praise bands, Bible readings, prayers, and a Christian message offered by “Pastor Bob,” dressed in jeans and an open-throated sport shirt.  Oh, yes, there is also an offering taken up!  Except for a few minor details you might almost think you were in a church.  To misquote “Romeo and Juliet,” “A church by any other name would seem the same!”

Quite frankly, the content of songs and sermons (excuse me, “messages”) are the same as in the hundreds of Evangelical, Conservative, Fundamental, Literalist churches here in Chattanooga.  So why not call themselves “churches?”  I’m glad you asked!  Conservative Christians — some of them, at least, are masters in the “bait and switch” technique of marketing.  Since a growing number of Americans say they are “turned off” by churches, change the name to something more catchy and “with it” and they will come.  Since most of those who try such “churches” stick around, the only problem seems to be in calling such gatherings a “church.”

If one were to ask those who attend such gatherings why they are so negative about churches, they probably would respond that the churches they have known are boring, out-of-date with the contemporary world, not willing to change, and, of course, the old familiar complaint, “filled with hypocrites.”  To all of which I would like to ask, “My Christian friend, where do you think you’ve ended up?!”  Such gatherings are anti-intellectual, simplistic, and certainly non-inclusive.  My!  Just like the churches they left behind.

If these contemporary church despisers really want a church that honors both head and heart, that takes the Bible seriously but not literally, that deals with real contemporary issues and problems, and whose members accept and respect and attract the diversity of our world, they just might want to check out Pilgrim.  Of course, to make ourselves more appealing, we might want to change our name to “The Pilgrimage!”

Love,
Dave