Maybe our expectations are too low.
In most churches, membership requires little more than a public declaration of faith and a quick trip through the baptistery. After meeting these requirements, members hear vague notions about being involved in stewardship, discipleship, and service.
But usually, there are no consequences for members who rarely attend or participate in anything. The Rotary will kick you out if you don’t attend meetings or pay your dues, but many churches won’t even communicate specific expectations, much less establish consequences if those expectations are not met.
Perhaps we are cheating church members.
We assume that most church members won’t evangelize, so we’re happy to stick with the very few who understand the mandate.
We assume that most church members will not get involved in a demanding Bible study, so we water down our teaching to appeal to the masses.
We assume that many church members will never tithe or give of their time in service to the community for the glory of our King, so we budget accordingly.
At best, we hope that people will act on our suggestions.
Our churches don’t know what they’re missing:
- The thrill of leading someone to Christ.
- The excitement of discovering God within the pages of his Word.
- The satisfaction of making an impact in the community in the name of Christ.
- The joy of giving cheerfully to the local church.
There are plenty of simple TV shows out there. There are plenty of simple card games. But winning Uno does not give one the satisfaction that winning Catan
does. Watching a formula show is not nearly as memorable as following the storyline of Lost.
The higher the demands, the higher the payoff.
As Christians, we tell a Story much more engaging than any TV show. We live in a fallen world where the stakes are much higher than any board game. Our expectations should be high because of the transformational power of the gospel.
Perhaps we should stop designing worship services, discipleship programs, and youth events for the “average Christian” (aka – the Christian we don’t expect anything out of). Instead, let’s refocus on our church covenants and clearly communicate the expectations for being a disciple in the kingdom of God.
We receive little because we expect little. And church leaders, church members, and especially a lost world – we all miss out because of our low expectations.
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I can't say "Amen" loud enough to this. The church is somewhat weak in parts of our culture not because the darkness is so dark, but because as leaders, in some ways, we have failed in calling and EXPECTING the light to be the light.
I think our people really want to be challenged. Challenged to give, challenged to serve, challenged to lay down their lives for the Gospel. I know I want to be challenged, not coddled.
You want to know why young people flock to John Piper's church? There are numerous reasons, but I can promise you it's not because they put on a great "show" on Sunday morning. Part of the reason is that Pastor John unapologetically calls his people to lay down their lives for the Gospel and honestly expects them to do it. Sometimes after I hear him preach I feel like I have been hit by a truck. It's bittersweet for sure, but as I read my Bible, I know that is what God calls us to.
I can say for sure that with The Vine, we will call people to three things (Gospel, Community, Mission) and will not apologize for holding ourselves as leaders and all our people accountable for doing those things. Just give me 100 people who are passionate about these three things and willing to structure their lives to do them and (on the human responsibility side) we'll turn Madison, WI on it's head.
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