A Strong Center and an Open Door
In his article last month, Carson invited us to think about characteristics of churches that exhibit newness and welcome. Two of those were joyful practices of spiritual formation—including robust engagement with baptism and the Lord’s Supper—and a constant and consistent outward focus on welcoming the surrounding community. But can we do both? Can we have both “a strong center and an open door”?
This phrase is one that comes from the writings of Lutheran pastor and scholar of worship studies, Gordon Lathrop, and I have found it compelling in thinking about our movement. I imagine that you, like me, can think of plenty of churches that do one of these quite well. Perhaps you know a small church that has a dedicated core of volunteers, welcomes new individuals and families with open arms, teaches Scriptural truths with accuracy and confidence, cares for one another deeply… and yet has struggled to find ways to reach out to its neighbors.
Or maybe you know churches large or small that have vibrant, effective ministries in their communities. Perhaps they host a community food bank, offer classroom spaces for AA or other recovery meetings, volunteer at a nearby school or community center, and/or partner with local non-profits on ministries that are dear to the church’s heart and needed in town… and yet all of this outreach has meant that they know better who they are “out there” than “in here.” These efforts can both bring people into the congregation and also strengthen the church’s witness in the community, but it can also mean that different groups in the church think of the congregation primarily as a community center, or a political organization, or a soup kitchen, etc. Sometimes, the desire to be open to others can result in a sort of “becoming all things to all people” that really means you become “nothing to everyone.”
I don’t think it’s hopeless to think of combining these two emphases. Our Lord Jesus called twelve disciples to him, not so that he might hoard them greedily, nor (yet) that they would be only apostles. Rather, as it says in Mark 3:14, “He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out” (NIV). As a preacher friend of mine once said, this is the life of a disciple—we’re with the Lord, we’re in the world, back and forth—and it’s also the life of a church. Also, the churches in the first centuries were often able to achieve this balance, as they were deeply marked by holiness and compassionate hospitality. There was a clear sense of being set apart from the world, such that there were a number of occupations that Christians worried about holding (teacher, soldier, actor, etc.) because of the ways those jobs inevitably bound their holders up with “the world.” And yet, Christians also became so good at caring for the poor, the widows, the orphans, etc., that once Christianity was indeed legalized, a Roman emperor grumbled that Christians took better care of the non-Christian poor than the non-Christians did!
But how can we do it in our own world? Are there keys to accomplishing this balance? If we struggle to find it, is there a magic formula that will solve the conundrum? I don’t think there’s one “silver bullet,” as they say, but let me return to Lathrop’s writings to make a suggestion that may be relevant for the kinds of churches that we inhabit. I think that we can be bolder about some of our worship practices, especially if they are things about which we can tend to be a bit shy. If we are willing to “go big” on some central practices, they can help us have both a strong center and an open door.
Baptism. These days, we may disdain our old-fashioned church building, preferring to hold baptisms someplace picturesque or memorable or “Instagram-worthy.” Sometimes we even hide our baptistries behind display screens! I want to encourage us to center our baptisms in the gathered assembly as much as we can. Bringing baptisms “back home,” so to speak, and finding ways to make the abundant water visible, not only allows all members to witness the baptism and re-affirm their own, but also allows us to teach about baptism every time one happens. Imagine if we said things like “This is the equivalent of a person’s wedding day—you already know God, and now you’re starting a new life, committed to Jesus and joining a new family. If God is working in your life, come make that commitment, too, amidst this family!”
Communion. Have you ever sat in a pew with folks whose goal at the Table seems to be to take as minuscule a piece of cracker as they possibly can? Or who only drink half of the already-tiny cup of juice? There may be good reasons for doing these things, but as much as possible, let’s be lavish with our use of Communion elements. Encourage your people to take a lot of bread, to break off a big piece. Maybe get bigger Communion cups, or allow people to bring their own to church, pouring multiple little cups into their own bigger one. Imagine if we were extravagant with our bread and our fruit of the vine, sharing the body and blood of Christ in big ways! We call it a “feast,” and newcomers would be right to be confused if we are chintzy. Many churches are strapped in their budgets, but I would say that this is an area where we can splurge. Preachers, would you be willing to buy a couple fewer books each year if your people could get a big portion of Jesus at the Table?
Offering. In my experience, the atmosphere during the offering time is “let’s get the plates passed as quickly as possible” so we can get on to what we perceive as the real business of the sermon. Sometimes we sing, but there are only so many “offering songs.” We can do announcements, but we want people to pay attention and not be distracted. As a result, offering times are often perfunctory, non-meaningful affairs, and in a day of electronic financial transfers, it may not be obvious to outsiders why we’re passing the plates at all! What if we take time during our offering to tell stories of how we are using offerings for ministries in the community or that benefit it? We know the church can’t make it without offerings, and people are rightly wary of institutions asking for money, but we can show hospitality by telling them what we do with that money!
Obviously, there’s more that we can discuss here, but I hope you see what I’m driving at. When it comes to spiritual formation and outreach, we don’t have to compromise—we can really push for both. And our worship practices are a key place where we can demonstrate both of these emphases.
If you’d like to keep talking and thinking about this, let me know. And in the meantime, may God bless your ministries richly!
David
