I know I’m setting myself up for getting a lot of slack for this one…but oh well, what the hey, eh?
In many CRC congregations for the past 50 years (or so it seems – but it may be longer or shorter…afterall, I’m only 27) preachers have begun their sermons with the line, “Brothers and sister in our Lord Jesus Christ.” Allow me – if you will – to digress for a bit…
I have problems with beginning a sermon like this. On one hand, it is a very welcoming and inviting way to begin a sermon. But on the other hand, it’s also very exclusive and – in some cases – offensive. There are certain assumptions that underlie the use of this phrase that I think the CRC needs to break away from.
First, this phrase assumes that everyone sitting in the pews is saved. That simply is not true. The church is full of people who don’t possess that personal relationship with Christ that is so necessary for salvation. There was a time in which this assumption could be made…but not today. Like many who hold membership in a denomination (Presbyterian, Methodist, DOC, etc.) the CRC is the church home to a large number of people who were raised in the church, went to a Christian school, Christian college, married a Christian, and continue to this day to be a part of the Christian church. The problem is that for some of these members, going to church is just something they do…it’s part of their weekly routine. They’ve never experienced a moment in which they gave up control of their life and turned everything over God. They’ve never made a conscious decision to follow Christ. And when push comes to shove, they will probably abandon their faith althogether because things just got too hard.
Second, in the case that you do have a visiting attender (that is, someone who is seeking, interested, unsure, or just wants to know more about Christianity) this phrase in inaccurate. Suddenly what you’re really saying is “This part of the service is for our regular attenders. So if you’re not usually here, you don’t need to pay attention to what I’m about to say – it’s not important for you.” In which case, I gotta’ ask: When did the Word become irrelevant for certain people and applicable to only a few? Scripture contains a powerful message for the nations, one that everyone needs/must hear. Scripture is something that we should be taking extremely seriously. We need to be careful that we don’t downplay the importance of God’s Word in our preaching.
Third, If by some chance you’re preaching in a church that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that every single person present is saved and there isn’t one single visitor there (I pray to God that such a church doesn’t actually exist), then these words work to reinforce the current situation. At this point, these words become a leadership issue. If the congregation hears the pastor re-affirming every week their current situation, the congregation will never see a reason/point to reaching out and sharing their faith. They might reason that if the pastor isn’t changing his “tune,” why should we?
The major point I’m trying to make here is that as church leaders/preachers, the words we use send a powerful message. If our desire is to see our congregations become more effective at reaching the lost, then we need to think long and hard about everything “little” thing we do and the message it communicates to others.
Filed under: Church, Church Planting, Evangelism, Leadership, Ministry, Preaching, Sermon
People Talk