Home, Imperfect, Home
As a person who has moved a lot in my life, I’ve become sort of a professional church hunter. It’s actually not a title that gives me any satisfaction, as it’s quite a draining process, but it’s also taught me a lot over the years. Taught me what’s important to look for, what to avoid, and when not to compromise (rare, but important). So it always piques my curiosity when I talk to people about why they chose a particular church or choose to leave the one they currently attend.
Thankfully, I have never been compelled to leave a church I was a member of except to move, but I have left plenty of churches before a commitment was made, and even at that, it was never an easy choice. But what strikes me in many conversations is the complaints some people have, not about important doctrinal concerns, but in what ways a church fails to serve their needs. Even when church hunting, I think it’s probably common that people want to check off boxes to find a church as close to perfection as possible before they will even consider attending.
I have attended seemingly perfect churches…or at least ones that come pretty darn close. In fact, I still find it fascinating that I came upon one such church when first moving to Grand Rapids. Oh boy, did it check off all the boxes, and yet it left me feeling hollow. You would think I’d be thrilled to have found such a place, even I was surprised by how unenthused I was. So what made my current church so much more compelling to call home? Believe it or not, its shortcomings. Not that there weren’t things about it that thrilled me, the important things, but it was almost equally the things it lacked that confirmed it was where God called me.
Call me strange (you wouldn’t be the first) but I don’t see much value in attending a perfect church. What position could there be in such a place for me? If we are mature believers, it should occur to us how God might be able to use us in a place that needs our specific giftings. It saddens me when multiple people recognize a weakness in a church and rather than praying and working together to strengthen that area, they abandon ship for greener fields. But fields don’t get green without God’s people planting and watering. If your church is hurting in an area, consider that may be the very reason you were called there — to make a difference!
What joy can possibly be found in attending a church that has already arrived? Sure, it will be fun for a season, but you’ll soon find there are few ways to contribute in a meaningful way. That usually leads to boredom and a feeling of being disconnected. What areas of your church are struggling? In what ways can you be a part of helping it flourish? I will warn you though, it won’t happen overnight. In fact, the changes may be so gradual you don’t even notice it until you’ve looked back years later. But it’s far more thrilling in the trenches than in the audience. That’s one thing I’ve learned for certain.
