Vol. 17 No. 26 | June 30, 2014
For several weeks there was speculation about what was being built at the intersection just below our church building. Some said a gas station, but that quickly proved wrong as the style of the building and parking lot became evident. Others hoped for a nice restaurant. Personally I hoped for a coffee shop that would allow me to run a hose directly from their place to my office. Also wrong. The guessing and speculation ended when the sign was erected: a dental office and a mattress store.
What? Another mattress store? Why? There’s one literally right next door. There’’s another about a quarter of a mile down the road. There are two more just over a mile in the other direction…and they are right across the street from one another. Do we really need another mattress store?
From another perspective…
For several months we wondered what they were building on the vacant lot in our neighborhood. Maybe a park? Maybe a school? Maybe a shopping center? Maybe a putt-putt course? Finally a sign went up. Whaaaaaat? A church? Another church?
Why another church? There are churches all over the city! There’s a church just down the street. There’s another church of the same tribe less than a mile away. And, there’s probably a dozen more churches within a five mile radius of the new church. Do we really need another church?
One reason for so many mattress stores is because people have different opinions about what type of mattress they prefer to sleep on. Some like a firm mattress. Some like a soft mattress. Some want a mattress that is adjustable. Some prefer a mattress that is divided in two so that each person can adjust their side without bothering the other person. Each store offers a variety of mattresses and warranties and discounts. Each store has this in common: “We sell mattresses.”
Personal preference also has a lot to do with all the different churches. Some prefer one type of worship over another. Some prefer one type of preacher over another. Some like large churches, some like small churches and some like medium size churches. Some base their preferences on the type of ministries that are offered for children, students, and senior citizens. Most people, at some level, have Biblical reasons for choosing a church. Based on their understanding of Scripture a church should look a certain way, act in a certain way, and sound a certain way. Anything different is wrong.
Unfortunately, and sometimes too often, churches are formed because one group reacted angrily to the actions of another group and packed their things and left. Others leave because they felt forced out. Other feel they have lost control so they got angry and left. With the current changes in worship some choose a different church because they preferred another style, or could no longer tolerate the new style (or the old style).
Whatever the reasons — right, wrong, or indifferent — the casual observer and the honest seeker may watch and wonder why so many churches?
I wonder if the One who came up with the idea and is the reason for church might move among us and also ask: Why so many churches?
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” (John 17:21-22)
Tom
© Copyright 2014 Tom Norvell. All rights reserved.