We are a people obsessed with winning. I enjoyed the Summer Olympics in London as much as anyone, I suppose. I rooted for the USA and enjoyed watching some amazing athletic performances. More than a few times I wondered aloud, "How did they do that?" Competition is fun. But it is also a way of life for a lot of people. It is how they view the world. It is the mechanism that drives progress and builds empires. It weeds out undesirables and favors the strong, the beautiful, the intelligent. When there are winners, there are losers. We know which team we prefer to play on or cheer for.
I get that we live in a competitive, market-driven world. I get the temptation that comes with success in the market place. I see how churches connect to this view and adopt it as a strategy for successful growth. For us, our share of the market has to do with the number of people connected to our respective religious assembles. If a congregation is successful numerically, that may also be a sign of divine endorsement, which becomes a useful marketing tool. Sort of like restaurants posting awards or recognitions like "voted best burger in Washington DC". Churches boast about attendance, programs, and charismatic leaders in order to increase their marketability. Churches use language like "relevant", "progressive", "innovative", and "awesome" to attract others. But is this the language of Jesus and his first followers?
"Whoever wants to be the greatest must become a servant."---Jesus. I am in a part of the church that has not embraced attractional forms of worship or assembly. We have paid for that by losing some people and not gaining additional adherents. Other churches around us embody a vision for church that is attractional, entertaining, and palatable to consumers. With attention and resources comes power. There are churches in the US that continue to have power because they prosper. Prosperity breeds power. Just about every part of Christianity in the US is trying to make a case for itself. At the local level, this looks like congregations seeking to acquire the larger share of the market place by out-performing other congregations. "We do this better" should be on a lot of church signs. We are vying to become the greatest. And consumers fall for it. I can't believe how quickly consumers believe that "bigger" and "more" means "better".
But what if competition is bad for church? What if it is antithetical to the way of Christ and the Holy Spirit? What if the way of the cross is cooperative? What if church competition is costing us our souls? What if one of the root causes of decline in adherents and mistrust in the institution is the way in which competition has eroded Christian unity? What if competition has cast suspicion and doubt on the validity of the church's witness in the U.S., much like false advertising and shoddy merchandising damages the reputations of businesses? Competition has been fueled by culture wars and debates over moral and political issues that are not central aspects of historic, biblical faith but have become litmus tests for Christian legitimacy. Competition is killing the church.
What if Jesus calls us to a sort of expression that requires humility and a willingness to be the least important, the more insignificant ones? I know that some leaders have personalities that require recognition. They need attention. They thrive when they are liked by others, when they are the reason why people come to church. These leaders increase, while Jesus decreases in importance. Some church leaders believe it is there mandate to save the church. They believe that they are responsible for the spiritual lives of the people around them. And they believe that their way is God's way, the best way, the right way; which means all other ways are not. A lot of people are blinded by this kind of arrogance.
What if we disappeared, went underground, called less attention to ourselves? What if we refused to compete for people? What if we considered failure a holy option? What if we stopped bean counting and started serving, without turning it into a form of self-justification or righteous praise for ourselves? Is it possible to be the church without having some ulterior motive? Can we be church and not compete with each other, using religious dogma and programmatic excellence as signs that the kingdom has come through us?
At the same time, if the church in its weakness, becomes a conduit through which people come to see and experience the living God, the risen Jesus, and the holy Spirit, ought we not to announce it?
Is there a way, in a consumer market economy, to announce the gospel without sounding like an infomercial? I think so.
On Sunday morning a small group of people gathers around a table. We pray old, written prayers and read from the Bible. We share peace with each other and sing badly. We eat bread and drink wine and say that Jesus has come to us this day. We depart for life and work and play and home and families and neighborhoods. We live together. We strive toward a more just, compassionate, and healthy world. And we look for the new creation to emerge before us. And we work to dismantle those theological barriers that separate us into our little department stores of religious goods and services, so that we can become one body through the cross.
Competition is for the olympics and for Target vs. Walmart, Apple vs. microsoft. Competition is not a Christian virtue, principle, or practice. Can we say that together church?
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