The Problem of Vagabond Christians
I had an interesting dialogue with my father about pastoral ministry recently, and he said something in our conversation that really made me think. After having pastored a thriving church for 25 years, he decided to step down and take on leadership at a seminary full-time. I had asked him if leaving was difficult for him because of all the relationships that he had built and invested into for all of those years. His response was that it was not as hard as one would think because he noticed that as he scanned the faces in the crowd on Sunday mornings in the months before he resigned, he noticed that he no longer recognized most of the faces of the people in the room anymore. Apparently, so many people had come and gone through the years that the entire face of the church had changed.
As a pastor, I have observed for myself this incredible shift of people who change churches almost as often as they change clothes. And, I have been amazed as I have witnessed this ongoing flux of Christians who tend to wander from church to church looking for the newest and greatest show on earth. Now, what has amazed me even more is that churches seem to be willingly feeding this wanderlust by strangely competing with one another for their attention.
Having been in pastoral ministry for almost a decade now, I have crossed paths with a number of pastors and churches that are unapologetic about and consumed with their church growth models and marketing strategies, and they will try just about anything to lure the masses into their sanctuaries and even away from others. On a recent Sunday morning that I was free from responsibilities at my own fellowship, I was able to visit a large church that boasted the most expensive facilities and amenities in the area and was amused to find a large bookstore complete with religiously themed t-shirts, Christian skull caps and Bible action figures. There was also an expansive coffeehouse with a full breakfast buffet…all the necessary things we need for a genuine worship experience, of course. But, what struck me the most during my visit was not the multi-million dollar sound system or the state of the art children’s computer check in system, but one simple revelatory notation in the church bulletin.
As I sat down in the back before the service and read through the bulletin I noticed that the church posted for all to see those who had recently “transferred” membership to the church. Now, maybe it’s just me, but the veritable fact that people are transferring from other churches to yours is probably something we should be actually embarrassed of rather than proud of. People shifting from one congregation to another does not grow the kingdom of God but simply reshapes it. And, it seems to me that this ongoing shape-shifting is probably a shameful indictment of a fickle church culture and not a measure of ministry success. So, I’m wondering if celebrating these tidal shifts is wise or even appropriate.
Now, I know that people do move at times from one church to another for understandable and necessary reasons such as a physical move from one community into another or a fundamental doctrinal or philosophical disagreement with their former church home. But, when people shift their membership simply because of their ever changing tastes, styles and preferences, then what we have created and permitted is a formula for a hollow Church.
The author Calvin Miller in his book Once Upon A Tree put it this way: “Fields of suburban Christians migrate from congregation to congregation, propelled by a wanderlust for the greatest Christian show on earth. This ecclesiastical restlessness thwarts the holy work of God’s saving community. The saving work of our Savior cannot prosper while his community wanders in search of something glitzy to fill its shallow heart. The reverbs and amps and colored spots of contemporary worship can come to focus on a plastic discipleship where shepherds replace their crooks of pastoral care with vaudeville hats and canes.”
What he is saying is that the wanderlust of vagabond Christians who skip from church to church with the attention span of 4 year olds is not only undermining the stability of the local church but is also stifling the progress of spiritual growth. There was a time in the first few centuries of the church that there was only one notable church assembly in each city for people to attend and, and if they had differences that divided them, then they needed to overcome those differences in order to fellowship and worship. They did not have the option of just attending another church down the street or around the corner as they did not have the luxury of simply running away from their diversities. No, they had to find unity in the midst of their diversity.
Today, though, if we get bored or disagree with each other on even the most minute details of doctrinal fidelity, then we simply feel entitled to either find another church that suits us better or just start a church of our own. Through the centuries, we have divided and denominated ourselves ad infinitum to the point where there are too many different assemblies in any given city to even count. Now, that ought to strike us as odd especially since Jesus specifically prayed that the church would “be one” in John 17. Jesus wanted His Church, above all, to be united around the globe and we have instead chosen to be divided over and over and over again.
So, that leads me to conclude that we are merely living out the effects of the divisions that we ourselves have created. We have effectively catered to the consumer Christian by constantly offering them an array of alternatives rather than challenging them to learn the importance of steadfast commitments. What we perhaps don’t realize is that by creating an ever growing menu of churches and ministries, we are actually enhancing the expectations of an already shallow consumer culture.
For me, one of my primary frustrations in church ministry is the ever revolving door that is pushed around on its axis by vagabond Christians who blow in and out of churches because they don’t seem to understand or appreciate the importance of a commitment. And, perhaps they don’t know any better because we just keep enabling it. I’m thinking that their flaky, non-commital modus operandi is fueled first by our unwillingness to expect more of them but also by our reluctance to stop trying to find new ways to entertain them.
Oh Kent AMEN!!! Having lived through a church that went through a tough time, a time where many people left, they left the church they called family. My definition of the word family, is that you stick it out through thick and thin. You don’t leave because things get difficult or maybe God is working in the church to make it a better place. Granted, God may lead people to different places during different phases of their life (but that is not what this post is about). It is about when things are not flashy and the newness wears off and people are not feeling “entertained” they look for the next flash in the pan.
As Christians we need to grow together as a body. I am linking to this post on my Saturday links. LOVED THIS.
AMEN!
The sad thing I see happening to the church is rather than loving our brothers and sisters in Christ and being concerned for their spiritual maturity we are bringing the world and its ways into the church to please and entertain…and grow the church numerically.
It is becoming more difficult to find a church that considers teaching God’s word and Bible doctrine important.
Thanks Kent.
I completely agree. I too visited the same local megachurch and saw the bulletin insert that had last month’s baptisms in a short block of text and last month’s church membership transfers taking up the entire rest of the page as if that was something to brag about.
I often hear visitors to our church say, “I wasn’t getting fed there” when referring to the other church(es) they have wandered through. On occasion they have even mentioned churches where I know there is good, solid teaching. I have to ask, if the food is placed in front of you, and you aren’t being fed, then it is lack of movement on your part to bring the ‘food’ to your mouth.
Thank you for saying these things. I can only hope those who need to hear this message, read it and are convicted by it.
Well said Kent.
I too want our church to grow in numbers, for our services to have incredible worship experiences and for the members to be “wowed” whenever possible. These things are good and can be healthy; however, one church’s “success” should not be to the detriment of another. We shouldn’t grow simply because we had a better “marketing theme” or coffee house or band than the other church. Are we really in competition with one another? The only thing we should be competing for are souls. We must grow for the glory of His kingdom alone by finding the lost, not the “already been found.” And most certainly not for our glory.
As you said, people do move for perfectly good reasons but for those who seem to hop from church home to church home, and complain about not being fed, I ask, “Who have you been feeding? Who are you investing yourself into?” Perhaps we are being fed but are so full we don’t realize it and can’t see the truly hungry passing us by each Sunday. I say this not to be judgmental, but from a convicted heart.
I encourage us all who may be dissatisfied with their current church home to try and rely on what we “know”, and not so much on what or how we “feel” at the moment. I know, easier said than done, especially in today’s society.
Psalm: 46:10 – Be still, and know that I am God
Kent, great observation of the culture of America’s ecclesiology.
I am still processing this but i think so many “christians” are like the rich young man (Matt 19) who asked Jesus how to be saved and when Jesus told him to sell everything and give it to the poor the man went away sad cause he wasn’t ready to “sell out” (no pun intended…or maybe it was).
My church is great until they ask me to become invovled in serving in a ministry or challenge me to live the life that I am called to…I’ll just go to the church up the road that doesn’t do that.
I suppose we could talk a lot further about this topic but GREAT observation and a sad state that the church of America is in.
We are becoming too much in and of the world in an effort to stay “relevant”! Come on!
Kent,
I love your blog! I’m so glad I found it! I find that a lot of times church youth does not understand the importance of membership in a body. It is hard for young people to commit to one place, and to stay rooted. Even I struggle with it! Thanks for the observation!
Thank the Lord there are still a few discerning Christians left who won’t stick around in a church that doesn’t teach the whole council of God!!
Granted there are those looking for entertainment, etc., but these days sticking with a church that has allowed compromised Bible teaching, emergent new age practices and other such din are NOT heroes. As a great Bible teacher has said, “you don’t need permission to stop drinking the poison”. Get out as fast as you can! And folks stop worrying that those who aren’t discerning will label you angry, vagabond, ufo’s or whatever else Kent wants to call them. “The fear of man brings a snare, but he who trusts in the Lord will be exalted”.
Thanks, Artie, for your comment. It really makes the point for me. I would encourage you to consider the difference between the gift of discernment and the curse of criticism…they’re not the same.
I think that Artie is missing the point. From my experience, I wouldn’t say that the average church ‘vagabond’ is bouncing from church to church due to being at a “that doesn’t teach the whole council of God”. Quite the opposite. From what I have seen, the reasoning always has to do with entertainment value. The attitude is ‘What has the church done for me lately’ instead of, ‘how can I serve God, here’.
The rare occasion that I have met one of these ‘vagabonds’ coming or going due to theological considerations, it is usually due to some obscure point on their part that usually has to do with condemnation or they have some theological bone to pick about eschatology.
I find it quite interesting that you label those who do not agree with your point of view as “Critical”… I’ve been in 3 churches in my life as a believer, the first, when I was first saved. It served its purpose, to feed me the “pure milk” of the Word. But as I grew in the Truth & Knowledge of the Lord, I began to see the changes taking place in my church. The leaders were so numbers focused that they where bending over backwards to draw people in, so they were creating these mostly phony christians who where coming to get their felt needs met, but not to meet the needs of the body. When confronted with these truths, they would flee to the next church that would give them what they wanted. When the leaders began to see these things happening, rather than repent, they began to compromise the truth of God’s Word. It was very subtle, most didn’t even catch on, but some did, when comfronting the leaders about it, we were quickly labeled trouble makers. God revealed to us that there was nothing more we could say or do to change their minds, and so with sad hearts, we left.
We were very blessed to immediately find a home church that was teaching the whole counsel of God’s Word, and the people where living it out every day in obedience, it was so foreign to us. But even in a church where the truth was proclaimed so clearly, people can easily be lulled to sleep. They take for granted that all is well, and are like the foolish virgins who fell asleep and didn’t have enough oil. Soon, the change in leadership brought in small little changes almost unnoticable, then new “programs” taught by men who are in ministry together with heretics who preach another Jesus, special services that were very emerging in its set up, leaders who promoted contemplative prayer (mantra), and the results at last was the leaders sinning and being unrepentant. Their desire to attract the world back fired, instead, they began to look and act like the world. I once heard a teacher say that the best way Satan decieves the believers is to add the truth to the lies he’s spreading. We have lost the ability to discern, to search the Scriptures for ourselves as the Bereans did in Acts to test what the Apostles were saying to them. We have become lazy, depending on the man on the stage to do it for us, when in fact, that man may very well be a wolf in sheeps clothing. We fought for the truth, we shared the truth and we were labeled trouble makers, and even witch hunters. When the leaders of your church are in such denial, and sell out for numbers, its not hard to see how they could call “evil good & good evil”, and in my case that is exactly what happened. God called many out of that church, those who are not very discerning remained under their teachings. My heart goes out to them, for if they do not wake up now, it is very possible that they will believe a lie, and in the end, worship the beast unkowningly. I pray for them to wake up and get out of that church, before its too late!!!!