Ed and Edith are on a mission

Pastor and his wife are on a week of vacation! Most in the church are glad they could get away and enjoy the time off. After all, everyone needs a break, even pastors, right? Most think so.

But while the cat's away the mice are playing. Here's an opportunity to do some underhanded, covert operations, and Ed and Edith are on it.

First off, Ed's a bit frosted that the pastor would take a vacation now. After all, there are important items on the church calendar and shouldn't the pastor be here? Committee meetings (especially the committee on committees), the choir's progressive dinner, the exterminator is coming for the annual pest inspection. It's January and he needs to be here for the start of the new year, it's May and that's just before the "summer slump", it's summer and everybody else is on vacation, it's fall and don't we have a revival scheduled soon? There's really no good time for a vacation, Pastor. Sorry. And that guest preacher who filled in for you...well, he wasn't what we are used to...

But there are other underlying reasons Ed and Edith are on a mission. Really it's about control, and Pastor has lately been showing some initiative - some would call it "leadership". New people are taking on roles in the church; new ministries are being started. For Ed and Edith it feels like they are losing their grip.

So, as the pastor and his long-suffering wife are enjoying palm trees and gentle breezes, little do they know that a storm is brewing back home. By the way, they would have never been able to afford a vacation like this had not some folks in the church provided it.

Edith, who also has been doing the pastor's taxes the last couple of years is on a campaign to tell everyone in the church that their pastor makes more salary than any other pastor in the county. Actually, he is probably the lowest paid pastor around. In fact, he never got a raise of any kind his first five years in the church. Nada. Because of that, he was forced to take on some supplemental employment as a handyman to help make ends meet. There's nothing wrong with that if that's what it takes. But even then, some in the church, like Edith, resented the fact that he wasn't at her beck and call 24/7.

And Ed? He's started a petition calling for a vote to remove the pastor! It's the American way, right? Before and after church last Sunday he approached those he thought would be on his side to sign the petition. This was something he cooked up on his own, however. The deacons didn't find out about it until one of them was called by a member questioning the petition's legitimacy.

Arriving home, refreshed from their holiday, Pastor and wife find several unsettling messages on their voice mail. "Pastor, the deacons need to meet with you ASAP. There's a petition going around..." "Pastor, is it true you are the highest paid clergyman in the county? Can our church really afford that?" Their hearts sink into the pits of their stomachs. Welcome back to the real world!

Fortunately the deacons, who wield great authority in the church, are visibly incensed at what is going on behind their backs. "We'll take care of it, Pastor." So Ed and Edith get a phone call, telling them what they are doing is out of bounds and to cease and desist with the petition and the insinuation that the church is being robbed with every paycheck Pastor receives. The salary, by the way, is voted on annually by the congregation.

Ed and Edith have a choice. Stay or leave. Shocked that they've been confronted and told what they are doing is not very Christian, they decide they are no longer welcome in their church. "There are plenty of other churches in town that would love to have us as members", they tell themselves. They've had that same conversation with themselves before.

So, the next day they show up at the church with both of their vehicles, including Ed's pick up truck. Since they both have keys to the church it doesn't matter that no one else is there to explain what they're up to. But into the nursery they go, and out with them comes a rocking chair, a changing table, a crib and the curtains (Edith prefers to call them "window treatments"). You see, two years ago, with the arrival of their first grandchild, Ed and Edith joyfully offered to refurbish the nursery. Who knew there were strings attached?

Pity the church that gets the nursery furnishings next.

Meanwhile, back at their old church, for some reason it seems as if Someone has opened up the windows and let the fresh air come in.

(Believe it or not, Ed and Edith's stories are based on real life. I couldn't make these things up! If you want to read other installments on Evangelical Ed and Edith, click on their link under "Labels" on the right side of this page.)

Ed and Edith are losing their pastor (again)

He's been there about 3 years now. Upon his arrival Ed and Edith were among the smiling "We're so glad you're here" congregants who shook his hand after that inaugural sermon. Those early Deacons and committee meetings (that he was required to attend but had no "vote" in any decision making) always seemed respectful of his insights and suggestions.

But, alas, the honeymoon didn't last very long.
He wasn't meeting up with Ed and Edith's expectations.

"Pastor, your sermons tend to be a bit too long." "OK. How long do you think they should be?" "Fifteen minutes should be just about right."

"Pastor, we don't think you should be taking the youth out of town to do missions projects. There are plenty of things to do right here."

"Pastor, if we do missions projects (handicap ramps; storm damage repairs) here for people we'll be taking income out of the hands of local tradesmen."

"Pastor, we think you should only use this version of the Bible when you preach."

"Pastor, don't you think the church grass is getting a bit high?"

"Pastor, you didn't ask the visitors in church to stand and introduce themselves. We like it when you do that." (Never mind that it embarrasses all of them...except maybe vacationing pastors.)

Essentially Ed and Edith and their cohorts had constructed a list of what they found lacking in their pastor.

Not surprisingly "something else" suddenly opened up for their pastor, and he announced his resignation. Ed and Edith were flabbergasted. How could he leave them? It was even said to him that if he left God would "get him".

If you ask the pastor his answer would be, "As quickly as I can". Ask his wife, by the way, what she thinks about their leaving and she just smiles.

Now they're back to square one. Once again Ed and Edith will chair and select the new pastor search committee. Smiles everyone! Smiles!

(And yes, everything above is based on a real story.)

For other posts in my Ed and Edith series click on "Evangelical Ed and Edith" under Labels on the right of this page.

Ed and Edith's Church is Struggling

It seems their church chairs are in need of retirement. Or it could be getting new carpet or picking out the color of the paint for the "sanctuary".

Churches can get their collective shorts in a bunch over things that don't matter but that they make so utterly important.

At the last business meeting Ed and Edith came to exercise their rights and let their preferences be known. And they have two votes. But the congregation couldn't come to an agreement. Like most, they put decisions that could be/should be put into the hands of one or two and try to get a congregational consensus. After a meeting of everyone putting in his/her two cents worth nothing was done because everyone wants it his/her way.

Ed and Edith's pastor (the latest in a parade of them) just threw his hands up in the air and said, "Let's just all bring our own chairs to church."

But Ed came up with a great idea. "Let's form a committee to do further investigation and research into chairs. Bring in 4 or 5 samples from various manufacturers. Then at our next meeting we'll all get to see them first hand - even sit in them to try them out. Then we can all go home and pray about which chair would be God's will for our church." There was a "second" and at least two/thirds agreed. Ed always has the best ideas.

I wonder what the Lord thinks as He watches. How easy it is for us to make the trivial sound spiritual.

Whoever invented the church business meeting has a lot of 'splaing to do.

It's for this reason that so many churches that could be growing and accomplishing great things for the Kingdom are stuck in neutral or going in reverse. Energy spent by a whole church trying to pick out a chair could be better spent.

Surely this isn't what Jesus meant when He prayed "Thy Kingdom come; Thy will be done".

(For more Evangelical Ed and Edith stories click on their link to the right under "Labels".)

Ed and Edith's Church - How to Mold Your Pastor

(If you are a long time reader of my blogging, you’ll remember Evangelical Ed and Edith. They are fictitious characters based on years of experience around American evangelicals – not just my years, but the years of others I’ve met. Their stories are real and happening across North America every week.)

After a long – 14 years - and what could be considered successful pastorate, Ed and Edith’s pastor is leaving – moving to a congregation nearer his elderly parents. During his tenure the church has not grown much, but neither has it suffered great loss. His philosophy has been “Don’t make waves”, and so, being quite the politician, he carefully avoided the pitfalls that plague so many in his position.

When he was called to their church he was told by the board that their expectations were for him to visit the sick, visit the membership, preach the sermons and attend board meetings as an ex officio member. To them that Latin term mean, “You can interact, but you have no power or authority to make decisions”. Because Ed is a respected business man in the community, he has served multiple terms on the board.

Ed likes the new pastor. So does Edith. At least that’s what they say. Yet she is the first to make critical remarks on the ride home Sunday after church about the sermon, or how his children were dressed, or that somehow he neglected to notice her new coat. Edith remarks to Ed that this young minister has some things to learn. And she’ll see to it that he is properly schooled.

At first the young pastor was a bit frustrated when he attempted to suggest new ideas for ministry or outreach. But because he needed this job, he learned quickly not to assert himself too strongly. Quickly he discovered that behind the smiles of those listening to his new ideas were the power brokers dissing him. Not so subtly he was told that he should leave all those things to others. After all, pastors are not all that hard to replace. So before long he finds himself a chaplain to a flock expecting him to give them good pats on the shoulder and complimenting the ladies on their fine chicken salads and pecan pie as he visits for lunch.

In the mean time, the neighborhood around their church is growing. New homes are being built rapidly, bringing in new, young families, a new elementary school and a new mall. Yet, Ed and Edith’s church fails to grow with the community.

It’s not that the occasional new family doesn’t come to visit, but as they look around they don’t see anyone like them. The church has grown older, but they’ve been well cared for by their pastor. If they sneeze in church on Sunday, he’s at their house on Monday to pray for the sick.

In a business meeting someone once suggested that perhaps they should consider hiring an associate pastor to minister to young people. But, someone else countered, "How can we afford that?". The roof would need replacement in a few years and you never knew when the furnace was going to give out. And shouldn’t we think about putting new padding on the pews? No, there just wasn’t the money to think of additional staffing.

Then came the Sunday when Pastor announced his resignation. Although there was sadness, the church understood the need to move closer to his parents. After all, most of them now were his parents’ age, and could easily relate. Immediately the board assembled a pastor search committee. Edith was voted in! She was confident she knew exactly what to look for in a minister; so confident, in fact, that the committee selected her to be the chairperson.

At the first committee meeting she quickly suggested (after being given the gavel) that the best bang for the buck would be to bring in a new seminary graduate. His inexperience won’t demand much salary, which would allow for the new flower beds to be tended seasonally. But more importantly, being wet behind the ears, he will be teachable. And Edith knows how to mold a pastor.

So the search begins. The future of the church, as envisioned by Ed and Edith, looks bright.

You can read my previous posts on Ed and Edith. Look for the label to the right that says, "Evangelical Ed and Edith".

Disclaimer: I have no idea who those people in the picture really are, but I found it and it looks like it came from a church pictorial directory. They look like nice people, just like Ed and Edith.

What brought you back?

One of the questions I ask the participants in our Discovering Nags Head Church class is, "After you came the first time, what made you come back?"

Here are the responses from yesterday. Many were repeated by others, but they're typical of what is shared in each class.

• The music!
• I go home remembering what was taught
• It's the coffee that brought my husband back.
• In my church back home I always fell asleep during church. Not here! [Maybe it's the coffee?]
• I was made to feel welcome.
• The teaching gives real life applications.
• The Bible is taught as God's Word.
• The check in for the kids made me feel that they were being cared for.

Now, my guess is that if we polled those who came once and never returned (or maybe walked out) their answers would be: [Think Ed and Edith are searching again for a church...]

• The music!
• It didn't "feel like church"/wasn't what I was used to.
• I like church to be quiet.
• The pastor wore flip flops and sat on a stool. How irreverent is that?
• The service went for an hour and fifteen minutes. That's just too long.
• The people next to me raised their hands while they sang. I was horrified. Were they going to start dancing next? [No, but we might pull out some snakes next week!]

It's interesting when people reveal their expectations for a church or worship gathering. It's also interesting when people are surprised by what they find. To be honest, Ed and Edith are not our target. They think they've already got the God thing all figured out, and to them, we're out in left field somewhere. And that's OK. They'll find their niche somewhere else and bless that church.

Our goal is to attract, reach and maintain an opportunity to impact those who have no clue about God or spiritual things, but just know He is the missing ingredient in their lives. They don't know what to expect, and as a result are bowled over by the welcome and security and relevance they sense by what we do. And they're even surprised that they're getting answers to the questions in their lives from the Bible of all places.

One size fits all?

Today I visited another culture. I didn't travel across a national border - just crossed a bridge. My venture into that culture was to attend a funeral service.

Maybe I should use "sub-culture". Nonetheless, the traditions that shaped the service were similar in some ways, yet very different in others from my own sub-culture.

In our county are at least 4 sub-cultures - probably more. Two are defined by geography. Two are more defined by race. We cross paths and inter-relate and integrate in much of life. And in some churches (the most segregated place in the country) we mix. But accomplishing that is a stretch for many because our cultural heritage strongly determines our preferences.

Would the service I attended today be attractive to the culture in which I live? Likely not. I looked around at other people around me who looked like me and could tell they were witnessing new ways of mourning and worship. There were times some from my culture would have found it disrespectful and irreverant. It was loud; it was emotional; it was joyful; it was often exuberant; it was a bit longer in time than a typical funeral in my culture. (Ed and Edith would have been very uncomfortable.) Yet it connected with its own culture in very obvious and powerful ways.

On more than one occasion I've been privileged to travel to other countries and experience worship in their cultures. Caribbean black churches. Central American hispanic churches. Canadian Native American churches. South African white and black churches. None were quite like my culture/my church. Different traditions; different songs; different feel. But they connected with their cultures.

Isn't that how it's supposed to be? Different yet accomplishing the same goals.

The church I lead and serve exists to reach the culture in which God has placed us. We have focused our mission on our culture. While everyone is welcome, not everyone would relate and connect to what we do. If I tried to take our style, music and methods of worship and preaching into the church I visited today it would be politely endured, but wouldn't connect.

And that's OK. Paul understood this very well, and when changing cultures he readily adapted his style of evangelism to match the culture.

When it comes to churches one size doesn't fit all. Let's not convince ourselves that it does. Does this mean that the church should be segregated? I hope not. If so our church is failing. That tells me that as important as culture is to defining a church, it's not the only thing.

Does the culture of your church look like the culture of your community? Does it fit? If not, is it time to find the right size and for the church to go shopping for a new pair?

Ed and Edith out for Sunday Dinner

If you haven't met Ed and Edith yet, you might want to read my previous posts about them first.
Ed and Edith
More on Ed and Edith
Ed and Edith at the Franklin Graham Crusade
Ed and Edith are in The Present Future

On any given Sunday...
Bad news today. There was a missionary speaker from Outer Mongolia or somewhere and the clock in the back of the sanctuary meant nothing to him. Noon came and went. Finally at 12:07 the benediction was given. "Every time the pastor has someone else speak this happens. Next time there's a guest speaker let's just stay home. If they don't respect our time why do we even bother coming?"

After church every Sunday Ed and Edith are quick to make it out of the parking lot so they can beat the Sunday church crowd to their favorite restaurant. They hate the long lines, so if someone at church corners them in conversation (some might call that "fellowship") they get real fidgety. Church is over! It's 12:08! Let's get out of here!! They've even figured out that if they park by the side entrance they can escape faster and not have to talk to anyone.

Meanwhile first time guests file out without a greeting or an invitation to come back or (could you imagine?) a "Why don't you join us for lunch?" Ed and Edith are oblivious to anyone else.

At the restaurant it seems the other church in the neighborhood didn't have a missionary speaker today. And their pastor got them out "on time". So there they are, that other church getting the tables and service and food while Ed and Edith have to put their names on a waiting list. Their stomach's are growling. Then to make matters worse, who comes in the door but the pastor and the missionary! "It's their fault we're waiting! I'm not happy with either of them right now, so I hope they don't see us and want to talk."

"Ed and Edith. Your table is ready." Saved by the bell. Now, Ed and Edith's table has four chairs and there are just two of them. Maybe they'll ask another couple from their church to join them? Or how about the pastor and the missionary? Wouldn't they like to hear about reaching the Outer Mongolians? But Ed and Edith are oblivious to anyone else.

After ordering their beverages the waitress (who is covering for another table or two because someone didn't show up for work) is a bit slow bringing them out and instead of a diet Coke she brings Edith a sweet tea. "Honey. That's NOT what I asked for. And the service here today is slower than usual."

In a hurry, the tea is exchanged for a diet Coke. Soon their meals are brought out and without a kind word or thanks to the waitress they have their lunch. In their conversation a comment is made about how people who work in restaurants on Sundays never go to church and must be essentially godless.

The check is brought to the table with a smile and a "have a nice day" from the young lady. But Edith is too busy examining the charges to respond. A tip, if you can call it that, is left on the table. It comes to 10% of the meals total ("That's generous considering how long we had to wait and that she got my drink wrong") and is tucked inside a Gospel tract that looks like a five dollar bill. That's to help with the "godless" part.

I eat out often, and in my conversations with restaurant wait staff I've discovered that "church people" on Sundays come across as rude, demanding and cheap.

How is it that we can "worship God" between 11 and 12 and then treat those He loves like they don't exist between 12 and 2? Can we really be that oblivious to anyone else?

Open Letter to a Church Hopper

Read the "letter" here.

One of our ministry team leaders sent me this link. First, the post is muy excelente. Second, Tim Stevens is the co-author of several of my very favorite books on church stuff. Outstanding stuff. Third, that one of our volunteer ministry leaders is reading his blog encourages me off the charts. (I'll bet she's read at least one of Tim's books.)

I read the "letter" and just said, "Amen!". I think Ed and Edith are now in Orlando.

(Thanks Tina.)

Why Be Culturally Relevant?

Last Sunday I'm told that a guest got up from her seat and left one of our services after the second song. She didn't even stay for the offering! (Just kidding.) I heard this evening from someone who knows her that she left because "It wasn't what I was used to".

It's not unusual for our worship style to get criticism - sometimes even from our members who should understand our vision and direction. But because it "isn't what they're used to" (read that: what they were brought up on) it's either "wrong" or somehow prevents them from connecting with God.

On page 51 of "The Present Future", Reggie McNeal hits the nerve on the head.
Witness the worship wars. They are the result of club members [McNeal's term for institutionalized Christians] discussing their worship style preferences as stockholders and stakeholders, not missionaries. The usual goal is to find something that club members like.

He continues a bit farther, Missionaries understand that being culturally relevant is critical to an evangelism strategy.

Then he swings the hammer. Only people without a missiology disdain attempts at being culturally relevant."

Ed and Edith would give testimony that their theology [what they believe about God] is orthodox. But until they develop a missiology [the doctrine of reaching the world with the Gospel] they haven't discovered His heart for saving those outside "the club".

It just isn't what they're used to.

Ed and Edith* are in The Present Future

So here I am, reading chapter 2 (see my earlier post on The Present Future) and I find Reggie McNeal talking about Ed and Edith! Here's what he wrote:
The North American church culture is not spiritual enough to reach our culture. In our self-absorption we don't even see the people we are supposed to be on mission to reach. Don't hear this as a call to a "deeper life" spirituality. Often this "spirituality" is just another expression of refuge thinking (allowing Christians to hide out in Bible study). I am talking about a missional spirituality. Missional spirituality requires that God's people be captured by his heart for people, that our hearts be broken for what breaks his, that we rejoice in what brings him joy.
Tough stuff!

*[To meet Ed and Edith, read my earlier blogs about these prototypical evangelicals.]

Ed and Edith at the Franklin Graham Crusade

I picked up the paper this morning and there were our friends Ed and Edith (!) in this article about the Franklin Graham Festival held in Norfolk, VA. The byline said they were in the choir. (If you look closely in the picture you can see them above the blue background.)

That Ed and Edith were there (in huge numbers) is no criticism of the BGEA or the Grahams, elder or younger. As a prof in college wisely said, "The day I've won more people to Jesus than Billy Graham is when I can start criticizing him."

No, it's another proof that Ed and Edith are about Ed and Edith. They didn't invite any unchurched people to the Festival with them because they're consumers, not contributors. They either could care less about their neighbors or they don't know any outside the faith because they're happy living in their fortress. And I guess that means they could care less, as long as they've got their "fellowship", their Christian music and are being "fed".

One pastor suggested, "We need to do some soul-searching, the faith community..."

Meanwhile a lot of God's energy and dollars went to entertain Ed and Edith in the name of evangelism. The BGEA gave it their best, but with churches full of Eds and Ediths, what else could be expected?

Indeed, we need to search.

More on Ed and Edith

(Read the earlier post below on Ed and Edith first if you want this to make sense!)

We all start out the Christian life the same way: by receiving the grace, forgiveness and love of God demonstrated and accomplished by Jesus in His death and resurrection. From that point where we go in our journey is dependent on so many things, not the least of which is the influence of our church family. In fact, I believe that the local church is the key.

How did Ed and Edith go from new convert to church consumer and critic? How can we prevent from becoming them. And if we are them, what can we do to change?

The simple answer, of course, is to follow Jesus. Be filled with the Spirit. Live the "crucified life". Easy words to say, but how are they done? Not so easy, is my guess, since so many of us don't seem to be able to catch on, including me more often than I'd like to admit. So here are some bulleted points that I hope will provide some answers.

• Bible knowledge is not the main goal for us. No one gets more satisfaction from studying the Word and learning new stuff than me. However, "knowledge puffs up" if it isn't used. Unless that knowledge transforms my heart and my life, it's in vain. Check out James 1. I can study, I can tithe, I can show up every time the doors are open. But if my life isn't becoming more and more like Jesus something's missing. Make the goal of your time in the Word to be when God speaks through it to you about life change. Humble yourself before Him as He reveals the treasures of His will to be lived out in your life.


• Fellowship is more than eating and drinking. It's communion, it's commitment and it's covenental. Joining a church is like getting married. If the Holy Spirit sovereignly places us in the body as he sees fit (see 1 Cor. 12) then only He has the right to remove me from that body. I just don't think He's as fickle as we credit Him for being. The church isn't a social organization; it's an organic body, where each part is dependent on the others. Check out Ephesians 4:11-16.


• That means - and I have seen this as the great hindrance in Ed and Edith making their church relationship all that it should be - without being honest there can be no real communion. By the way, communion and fellowship come from the same word. Ed and Edith likely begin to become dishonest with themselves about why things at church didn't sit well with them. "The church has changed!!" Well, duh. Growing, living organisms change. If they're not changing it's because they're dead. What Ed and Edith need to do is stop being old wineskins and grow along with the church. The ability to be transparent is such a huge stumbling block in US church culture.


• Honesty also means that when Ed and Edith see, experience or hear something that troubles them they go to the source and find out why. They seek to gain understanding rather than pick up their toys and go home. They hold off on their judgment until they get the facts. And the best place to get the facts is from those who are leading. And if you can't trust your leadership why would you be there?


• And honesty means not blaming God for their inability to be committed and open. "I've prayed about it" is Ed and Edith's cop out. It expresses an independence from the body and the leadership God has positioned in the body. Before "praying" and getting "God's will" to leave, talk with His appointed undershepherds and carefully listen to both their vision, rationale and most of all, the biblical values they uphold.


• Burst the bubble. God didn't save any of us to retreat from the world into our holy huddle, but to infiltrate our cultures and communities with the Gospel. We've made church a safe comfortable place for believers to get their weekly fix instead of making church a launch pad for missions. Instead of tickling itching ears, preachers need to be encouraging and if necessary prodding the sheep to see the whiteness of the fields all around them. It's not about being gifted to share Christ. It's about all of us doing our part in obeying the Great Commission.


• The pastor doesn't need to hear how powerful his sermons or the worship service are. If you want to encourage your pastor go out and live what you heard him speak from the Word. Carry your worship from Sunday into Monday and all through the week. Then come back and tell him how God's Word is changing you.


• Unless your churched friends from the church down the road have a legitimate moral or doctrinal issue with their church that they've tried to resolve but can't, don't invite them to your church. Pray for them, yes. But don't welcome them to your church unless there's a scripturally legitimate reason for their leaving. Here's what I've learned: the problems they have there will be brought with them if unresolved. Eventually, if we don't deal with our "baggage" it always gets opened up again. So if you're about to leave your church, think again. Do the biblical Christ-like thing and resolve whatever difficulties you're experiencing. Otherwise you'll take your problems with you and they will resurface wherever you go. Churches need to be confident enough of their purpose and vision to say "No thanks" to church hoppers.


• If you want things to be done like they were done at your old church down the road, stay there. Growing, healthy churches have to change because old methods lose their effectiveness as culture changes. That's a fact of life. Accept it.


• If you've moved from another geographic location, prove yourself a committed Christ follower before you start trying to change anything. Your suggestions might have great merit. They might be great ideas. But before attempting to bring changes, earn the right to be heard.


• "Your" tithe isn't yours. It's His. Learn that everything you possess as a Christian belongs to the One who possesses you. When we learn that it becomes easy to surrender our "rights".


• Realize that we all do battle every day with the old nature. Realize also that if a church is making headway and rescuing the perishing that the enemy of Christ and the church is going to do whatever it takes and use whoever is unaware to create division and disunity. He could and will use me if I allow it. We're in spiritual warfare and the battle is for the souls of men and women. If we're going to get into a fight, let's fight against those things that quench the Spirit of God and cripple the advance of the church.

Maybe you can tell I've pretty much had it up to "here" with how the church in our country has become more institutional that organic. I long for a real step back in time to the simplicity of the apostolic church. My heart breaks at the "I'm OK, you're OK" dishonesty and cover up of our hurts and pains within the church which makes us so dysfunctional as a family. At the same time, the "Can't we all just love each other" blindness to genuine cancers within the body isn't the way to go, either.

If all this makes you mad, guess what? It makes me mad, too. And I don't like it. So, I'm working hard to change it. How about joining me?

Ed and Edith

I'm not the new kid on the block. My relationship with Christ began in 1966 - 41 years ago, and for all of those 41 years I've been actively involved with churches in various volunteer and vocational roles. So, I've pretty much seen it all when it comes to the behavior patterns of evangelical American Christians who don't get it (but think they do) when it comes to relating to the body of Christ. Here are their prototypes: Evangelical Ed and Edith.

Ed and Edith...

• Have been born again Christians for most of their lives. The churches (note the plurality of that word) they have been members of have given them a fairly solid grounding of Bible knowledge. There's almost a sense of pride in their perfect attendance pins and tithing record.


• Love to fellowship with other Christians. If the church has an "eatin' meetin'" they're there with their favorite casserole. Ed's the best horseshoe pitcher at the picnic. Edith's pie takes the prize. Small talk comes so easily for them. But they avoid getting too "personal" in their conversations. All their friends are Christians, and that can't be a bad thing. After all, "iron sharpens iron", right?


• Are the first to tell the pastor how "powerful" his sermon was they just heard. They feast on good preaching and their notebook is full of Bible tidbits and interesting facts they glean from the messages. Yet they never have brought an unchurched friend to church to see, hear and experience what they say they enjoy so much.


• Never lead a friend or neighbor to faith in Christ. Or if they ever have, it's been years ago. Their Bible study has convinced them that God hasn't given them the "gift of evangelism", so they're exempt from actually sharing the Gospel with anyone. Yet at the church business meeting they are willing to share questions/criticisms about the budget and the lack of financial growth; or if the membership totals haven't grown they want to know how many hours the staff is putting in each week "knocking on doors".


• If they ever do invite a friend, it's someone who is disgruntled with their church down the road. They introduce him/her/them to the pastor with a smile, kind of like the cat who drops the dead mouse at your front doorstep to show you he's doing his job.


• Get real comfortable with the status quo at church. After all, they joined because they liked how things were. But as soon as the status quo is challenged and new methods, styles, outreach, you name it are introduced they begin to get fidgety.


• Have no problem wondering why the church doesn't do church like their former church. At first they wonder to each other over Sunday dinner. Then they wonder with their small group of close church friends. Rarely do they ever pose those questions to church leadership who can give them a real answer.


• Have baggage they've brought with them from past church experiences. For a long time they keep those bags hidden in the attic, and try their best to be team players. But something takes them into the attic where they see the bags and can't resist opening them up. The old "church clothes" are brought out and they put them on again. Suddenly they are finding similar faults with their current church that they found with the one they left with unresolved issues.


• Eventually vanish, sometimes quietly, sometimes with a lot of noise. If they are so kind as to grant an "exit interview" the standard and spiritual answer is, "After considerable prayer, we believe God is leading elsewhere." Wasn't that exactly what they said years ago when they came to join our church? There words were, "We don't know why, but God led us out of that church and has brought us here!" They are nebulous about their reasons for leaving, owing it to "God's will". Maybe God does view us as an army and like in the military loves to moves us around from post to post on His command. I guess that's it.

The American evangelical church is full of Eds and Ediths. In fact, church growth is more commonly due to their moving around than it is to conversions. And we wonder why church health is so hard to obtain and keep.

What do we do about Ed and Edith? Better yet, how do we keep from becoming them?

I guess that'll be next.