Well, friends, I’ve put it off too long. I never got the chance to extensively detail the rest of my experiences in Chicago this May, but after spending the weekend there in two vastly different churches, I think now is as good of time as any. I’d like to tackle the question, “What is the role of the Church?” So I’m splitting it up into two parts. The first will discuss the events of last weekend, and the second will tie-in what I learned from Chicago in May.
As part of a summer-long quest, a group of young adults from my church in Elkhart has been venturing around the area in attempt to explore a few churches that are different than our own. The goal of this experiment is two-fold: to witness the variety of ways that congregations worship, and to observe what different churches are doing well that could be incorporated into our own church. After exploring a few local churches, we stepped it up a notch this week and made the trip to Chicago, visiting the megachurch of Willow Creek and Lawndale Community Church, which is, you know, maybe slightly smaller… First, let me tackle Willow.
After reading a few things about Willow before the weekend, I got the impression that I was going to hate it, or perhaps even despise it. It is easily one of the largest churches in the country, with an auditorium holding 7,500 people, and a supposed weekly attendance of 23,400 (not sure how that math works with only 3 services, but maybe it includes its other campuses). It also holds a food court, large bookstore, and several other buildings on its 155 acre property. So, this is not exactly my idea of how Jesus intended his Church to function, but as we headed towards the church, I tried to keep an open mind. Surprisingly enough, it vastly exceeded my expectations! …But I still kind of hated it. The music was awesome; it’s hard to beat a thousand people singing in one voice, worshiping God. The sermon was awesome also, and very scripturally based. But I couldn’t help but be aggravated by the hypocrisy of it all. Something immediately seemed a little off when we drove in, as the long winding driveway included a pull off “scenic outlook” place. But I digress. The sermon was on John 6, and the message is summarized in verse 27, which reads, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” As I said, the sermon was great. It was incredibly moving, because it was the Truth of Christ. But, to me, the Truth of Christ doesn’t mesh with those surroundings. How can you receive a sermon on gaining sustenance from God instead of the material world while millions of dollars, massive projector screens, unrealistically perfect people, and two artificial waterfalls stare you in the face? I am truly at a loss for words, I can’t comprehend it at all. Do these people read the words of Christ? Of course they do! They preach about them every week! And as far as I can tell, their sermons are right on! But somehow they read the Bible, speak the same words, and take an entirely different message away. I have never been so confused and conflicted by a church service in my life. During the time of prayer, I couldn’t focus; I just kept asking God what was going on, and I wondered how he was even in that place at all. I don’t want to condemn Willow Creek without understanding more about it, so I won’t say that this necessarily applies to it, but I would say that any time the Church is allowed to be the least bit comfortable with its selfish pursuit of the American dream, then it turns from Satan’s greatest threat to his greatest asset. I am afraid that in our attempts to be seeker friendly, we lose the heart of the Gospel. We lose its sting and its potency. While in Willow Creek, I heard the teachings of Christ, but all I saw was money.
So, I guess you could say that I needed a little boost and clarity after that conflicting experience. Luckily, I was in Chicago. Chicago is a lot like the Christian Church in that it encompasses all ends of the spectrum economically and racially (and also spiritually, if I may ironically add). In a drive of just 30 minutes, we were able to go from one of the richest areas I’ve ever been to one of the poorest. The contrasts were amazing. It is really stunning to see that such great differences can exist in the span of just a few miles. (more…)
The Llama and the Cow 