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<!doctype html>
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<title>Your Church is Probably Broken</title>
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<meta name="description" content="Your Church is Probably Broken. The perspective of a Christian Computer Science Professor">
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<h1>Dr. Sarah's Side</h1>
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<h2>Your Church is Probably Broken.</h2>
<p class="subtitle">Even if it's Working Great for You.</p>
<p class="desc">The perspective of a Christian Computer Science Professor</p>
<p> My sophomore year of college, my major required me to take a Java programming course. I was hooked.
I changed my major and have since taught Computer Science at various universities. Whenever people would
hint that putting beginners in a Java course was too much, I would respond that it worked for me.</p>
<p>My experience with church was much the same. I enjoyed good relationships, got spiritual advice, was
checked on when I was absent, got invited to dinners, had meals brought when I was sick, etc. When my
friend who was just as faithful (though less visible) was hit by a car and out for two months and nobody
noticed, I figured it was somehow her fault. When an unusual guy told me that the pastor was the only one to talk to
him, when someone suddenly got a divorce, when people popped up with addictions or depression, these
people were to blame. They should have come more often, connected more, sought help, studied the Bible more. And
I was right. Good Christians do those things. But is church meant to help only the good Christians?</p>
<p>A lady at a workshop for science curriculum development rejected the "it worked for me" argument, saying, "All of
you have Ph.D.'s. You are not the average students. No matter what you do, the good students will figure it out.
What about the other students?"</p>
<p>Similarly, won't good Christians be okay no matter what you do? Isn't this why they are capable of being the
only Christian missionaries in atheist
lands? or of glorifying God from prison? But what about the people who show up only Sunday morning and
have wrong priorities and problems in their lives?
Don't we want them to grow into good Christians, too? Sunday morning is a 2½–hour block—as much as a week of a
university course. Is that time being used to help weak Christians grow? or is it structured to give everyone what
one unsaved person characterized to me as "a good churchy feel"?</p>
<p>We spend a half hour of our best-attended church time (with free child care!) on announcements, welcome,
listening to an offertory, hand shaking, and specials. During the greeting time, will a struggling Christian
mention to another church attender, "My wife and I haven't spoken in two days"? Of course not! Rather, the expectation is typically
that if you have a problem, you should
coordinate another day and find child care, because that's not what Sunday morning is for. We save our serious
church content for
Sunday night, Wednesday night, Bible study, one-on-one discipleship, group dinners, coming early, staying late.
The prevailing attitude seems to be that if you aren't doing church things 7 or more hours
a week, it's your problem. You must just not be a serious Christian. Maybe you aren't one at all?</p>
<p>After a move to a new area, I discovered how people not in the "in" group feel. We had attended one church for two
months and wanted some spiritual counsel. I called the church office several times and my messages were ignored,
possibly because of my out-of-state number. When I left a more insistent message, a polite lady called to apologetically
let me know that they would not schedule a meeting with any church leader for a non-member, nor give any recommendations
for whom to talk to. I could try to catch the pastor on Sunday after the large church emptied out. When I replied that
such as task would be difficult with small children, she responded sympathetically that she knew it was tough, but she hoped to see
me Sunday. I understand—church resources are limited, and she didn't know me from Adam. But we won't be back.</p>
<p>I realize now that all we really needed was a spiritual relationship with someone to discuss life with. Yet two months of
regularly attending that church, filled with (presumably) good Christians and led by an excellent preacher, had afforded only
polite acquaintances who did not appear to notice when we left.</p>
<p>As a professor, I have learned that class time is valuable, which is compounded by the fact that almost
no students show up for office hours or optional
tutoring sessions. Thus, I use class time for vital things students <i>can't</i> or <i>won't</i>
do on their own. I explain tricky concepts
they are likely to miss. I <i>require</i> students to find project partners and exchange contact information. If many students will
need guidance to get started on a project, I spend 10 minutes of class time <i>requiring</i> everyone to work on the project.</p>
<p>I suggest that we apply similar thinking to our gathering together as believers. Realistically ask yourself the question,
"What is vital for Christians that <i>can't</i> or <i>won't</i> happen on their own time?" We certainly should include
"public reading, exhortation, and teaching" (1 Timothy 4:13), but Hebrews 10:25 says we are to assemble
<i>for the purpose of encouraging
each other</i>. In my experience, it is not typical to spend <i>any</i> service time on personal spiritual
encouragement. During the break between services,
do the majority of people discuss spiritual problems in their lives? How about less-open people who don't like
to bring up their struggles in casual conversations? Is this time really structured to <i>facilitate</i> and
<i>require</i> these types of discussions and interactions?</p>
<p>A research paper on introductory computer science argued that if Java were so good for beginners, why were there so
many papers published on how this or that university <i>made it work</i>? Doesn't having to "make it work"
mean that it's not really the right solution? Similarly, if our current church structure is
working so well, why do Christians regularly tell me how they <i>make church work</i> for them? I frequently hear things like,
"Well, I meet with Cindy for
Tuesday lunch." "Mary and I text each other about our devotions each morning." "Thursday morning Bible study really
helps me." What about people who don't have the natural tendency to make friends easily or who lack flexible schedules?</p>
<p>I suggest that we don't need another special, super-serious time to get together for real spiritual growth.
There is already a time every week we all get together. We have already blocked it out on our schedules,
and we have lined up child care. Why don't we use it to do what Christians are supposed to do: bear
each other's burdens (Galatians 6:2), confess our sins to one another and pray for one another (James 5:16),
encourage each other (Hebrews 3:13, 10:25), love each other (John 15:12), honor each other (Romans 12:10),
live in harmony (Romans 15:5), instruct each other (Romans 15:14), build each other (1 Thess. 5:11). We could just take 45
minutes of the time we are already together Sunday mornings to break into small groups and have every single person talk about
spiritual things—something we can't do at home and are commanded to be doing regularly. Struggling
Christians would not be able to hide in the back and complain that no one talked to them. People who
are being filled with the joy of the Lord
would have opportunity to praise Him for what He's
done in their lives. People who need encouragement could ask for and receive it. People who are
encouraged could easily find someone to minister to. People who need counsel
from a leader could do so during that time block—without the overhead of working out a special time.</p>
<p>Of course, some people might feel awkward being forced to live out Christian
unity on Sunday morning, which likely means they haven't been living it out at all. We can all read our Bibles, study,
and pray at home, but it is much harder to do the "one another's" of Scripture at home. Let's start using church time
for this vital church function. Then we will start seeing the body of Christ "building up itself in love by the proper working
of each individual part" (Ephesians 4:16). If these ideas sound revolutionary, remember that a single
generation of Christians changed the world in the first century with the Lord's empowering.
With the Lord's help, we can reform how we do church.
—<a href="mailto:justsarah@outlook.com">S. Gothard</a>
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