To Be or Not to Be

Are you a cat person, or dog person?

Me, I probably lean more toward a cat person, but love dogs, too. My wife is most definitely a dog person as our late cat once gave her cat scratch fever. She never really warmed back up to the cat after that.

This question is one of a few that tear our nation apart, along with white or wheat, mountains or oceans, sunshine or rain, and the super catastrophic question that has deep spiritual significance--red or blue carpet. Seriously, churches divide over this controversial question.

These questions, though simple, go to the heart of human kind: We have our preferences. That is why some churches are liturgical, others more...free spirited. Still others are a mix. Some churches are very modern and loud in their music choice. Others are more austere and yet still loud, but what do you expect with an organ the size of Rhode Island. Some churches expect a suit and tie, while others may have an unspoken "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service" rule. I guess there are some that don't have even that rule- especially the shoe part.

And so, in our consumer minded society, we have a '31 Flavors' variety of churches. (My favorite Baskin and Robbins flavor is Daiquiri Ice, speaking of Ice Cream metaphors) I contend this is both good and bad. The bad, is that we are not ever truly united as we are meant to be. We all serve one God, yet we serve Him differently and separately. The good is that we are all different, and we are provided ways to serve Him that fit with our uniqueness.

But the overall problem is that we seem to have a tough time committing to BE the Church we are a part of. People may be attending a Body of Believers for years, yet they are never a part of the body. It's sort of like dating someone for forever, never proposing just in case someone better comes along. They refuse to commit, to engage, to go deeper than simply showing up. Of course, the other side of that is that some churches make it difficult to really connect. They have things the way they want it, and new body parts only complicate things, so they keep you at a distance. It's like the body rejecting a transplant, literally.

So, how do we overcome this trouble with 'being' the church? We need to find the church that needs us. If a church doesn't accept you, find one that does. (This is not an excuse to leave a church that tells you you are sinning to find one that says its OK. I'm saying if you try to belong and they don't want you, move on, if possible.) Look for churches that need your skills and be willing to offer them.

Be involved in the lives of the other people outside of church. I'm serious when I say Facebook and the like have been awesome for this. We know what is up with each other almost constantly. But we have to be honest- and this is the biggest problem most churches have. We had behind a facade that we have it all together. We can't BE the church, if we aren't BEING real with ourselves.

You need to be the biggest supporter of church. Do not rely on marketing or the staff to tell people about Christ and what He is doing with you. Your desire should be for everyone you meet to have what you have, to be able to BE the Church with you.

If we begin to look at being the Church rather than attending it, the questions will fade, and so will the divisions. We don't argue over the carpet- and not just because we have beer soaked, glass etched hardwood floors. No, we are just glad to be together, and we want you to BE that, too.