Parsons insisted, “Presbyterians can be evangelists! But we often stumble over the words. Can we not challenge one another to be able to answer these basic questions? Why do I believe in God? Why do I go to church? Why do I go to that particular church?”
Of course Presbyterians can be evangelists, but how eloquent we are (or are not) is not the issue. Dallas Willard spoke about this to a gathering sponsored by Presbyterian Global Fellowship at the Jesus Way Renovare Conference. He said, the question for people in the postmodern world is not what is true but what is real. To be effective witnesses of the Gospel, it is not what we can posit or defend theologically (although orthodoxy remains important). Rather, to be effective witnesses of the Gospel in today‘s culture requires authenticity, deep relationships, and sacrificial action for the sake of others. We can no longer enjoy the luxury of separating our thinking from our doing. The question is not getting the words right. What is required is to recover the ability to be Christ-like in the world for the sake of our communities.
The question, “Why do I believe in God?” is not being asked on the street in the post-modern world. Rather, it is “What is the character and substance of the God you believe in?” Belief in general is not an obstacle to most people today. The question is what do you believe (worldview) and who is at the center of it? In our case, we have done a poor job of revealing Jesus to people. As Gandhi said, “I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ.”
The question, “Why do I go to church?” indicates the institutional and attractional model of church that is, according to the statistics revealed by the Presbyterian News Service, shrinking as an institution and failing to attract people to it. The question missionally minded people would ask is, “How can we be the church for the sake of our community?” God is alive and on a mission of love in the world. As disciples, we share in the joy of joining this Missio Dei. The question is not how to get people to go to church. The question is how to be the church in the particular context we are called to serve.
Finally, “Why do I go to that particular church?” can be a good question. If the question is intended to make clear the unique calling of a community sent into the world following Jesus Christ, then it is a great question. As Will Mancini likes to say, each church has a unique great permission within the great commission. Each church will live out the great commission according to its one-of-a-kind mandate from Christ.
However, I suspect that when many hear this question, thoughts turn to the preaching, choir, parking, worship times, or programs for children. While the practicalities of being the church are important and valid concerns, they are far from the central questions of what it means to be the church in community.
Gradye Parsons asks the wrong questions, but even worse are the statistics themselves. Are these statistical reports really helpful? They focus inward on attendance, buildings, and cash. I would be far more interested in statistics that show how our churches are making a difference in the world for the Kingdom — child abuse rates down; shelters for homeless children out of business; food bank shelves stacked high. Can we really measure how more Christ-like people become each year? Because at the end of the day, just because we gain members does not mean we have become any more like Christ.
Presbyterian Global Fellowship is a movement of people and churches pursuing missional transformation. And it begins by asking the right questions.
Kelly Kannwischer of San Antonio, Texas, is executive director of Presbyterian Global Fellowship.
