A Relevant Church

Have you ever watched a hamster in its cage? I try not to watch hamsters in a cage because I consider hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs not to be pets but rather to be glorified rats.

Nevertheless, on those occasions that I have watched hamsters in a cage I have been intrigued by their willingness to run and run and never get anywhere as they spin the exercise wheel in their cage.

It makes the hamster quite active. All the running may make a healthy and fit hamster, but in the end it really accomplishes nothing more than to expand the life of a useless organism that is confined to a cage.

As a pastor, I feel that it is important that we in the church contemplate the plight of the hamster. All too often we in the church are very good at running on our exercise wheel. The endless stream of meetings and projects of the church can be quite consuming. While such activity may keep the church very busy and may produce a very healthy and fit institution, such spinning of the wheel may produce a very fit yet irrelevant organism that exists in a cage built by its on hand.

I would like to propose that there are certain indicators that can tell us whether or not a church is relevant. How a church answers these questions has a great deal to say as to whether or not that church is also true to the calling and mission that Christ has given the church.

Does a church have a burning desire to lead individuals into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? John Wesley, the founder of my denomination, told the early Methodists, “You have nothing to do but to save souls.” The last instructions that Jesus gave to his disciples was simply to go make more disciples.

Clearly it is the call of each and every church to introduce others to the saving grace of Jesus Christ. We, like those first disciples, are called to bring others to the faith. Such is the true call of the gospel.

Not only must a church ask if it is reaching others in the name of Jesus Christ, the church must also ask, “Are we helping to shape and define the life of its community. All too often the church has allowed itself to be held captive by the views and ideas of society. That is a sad commentary to be sure. The true call of any church is to be a force for justice and righteousness within its community.

A church should be a shaper of the beliefs and opinions of society rather than be shaped by them. It should be the church that is a leader in seeing that we have both a moral and just society. Indeed the church should be at the forefront of any discussion of the important issues of any era, seeking to move society in way that is in accordance with the will of God.

In sum, a community should be a better place because of the presence of the churches of the community. On a larger scale, our society should be a better place because of God’s people.

Those who are a part of the church should be able to answer the question of, “Does the church enrich my life?” Clearly the church should be a place where a person can strengthen his or her faith. A church should be a place in which a person can find love and support in times of crisis. A church should be a place where one can hear God’s word and worship him. A person should be closer to God because of his or her involvement in the life of the church.

Today I pray that all the churches of our community will be relevant churches. I pray that they will be churches with a burning desire to reach others with the Good News of the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

I pray that they will be voices for justice and righteousness in our community. I pray that they will enrich the lives of those who worship in their pews. I pray for the church, which as the old hymn says, has as its one foundation, Jesus Christ our Lord.