All religions have rituals—things we do because . . .

Sometimes the reason why is forgotten and perhaps was never known.

There was the professional cook who always chopped off the top of the roast and laid it beside the larger portion of meat in her large roasting pan. She did this for years before anyone asked why. Why? Her mother had prepared the roast that way. Ends up her mother’s roasting pan was too small for a full-sized roast. She had cut the roast to make it fit.  It had become a ritual without a cause!

One of the rituals or rites of the Church is the celebration of the Eucharist or Holy Communion. It shifts throughout history between being an occasional part of the worship to a mandatory part of the service. Some even claim you cannot worship without it.

Oddly, Holy Communion, with the deepest of religious meaning attached, tends to incite passionate debate or even conflict in the Church.

• How often should it be offered?
• How old must you recipients be to partake?
• What is the age of understanding? Does anyone really understand?
• Shall we use wine or grape juice?
• How shall the elements be offered? Individual glasses, chalice, intinction?
• Can people touch the elements?
• Should people kneel or stand?
• Who is qualified to lead the service?

The answers to these questions run a wide gamut and can be hotly debated even after 2000 years.

Rituals need safekeepers. Safekeepers need to justify their role as safekeepers. Having rules adds authority to the ritual. So a command given to a rugged group of disciples soon has ornate robes, silver service, and approved language that is guarded by the safekeepers.

Another ritual is the passing of the peace. Passing the peace is much easier than actually keeping the peace.

Most churches do this every week. At times it is a quite mindless greeting. In other congregations, the time for passing the peace becomes a social free for all. Now, churches have hand sanitizers available so we can pass the peace without sending one another to the grave.

Guaranteed: those who are hurting within the church are receiving the passing of the peace with mixed emotions, which is likely to go unnoticed as long as the bounds of the ritual are kept.

Are these rituals healthy when they are so ingrained in our worship that the actual ritual replaces its own meaning?

photo credit: FotoRita [Allstar maniac] via photo pin cc

Lesson 3

Lesson One

According to the Harvard Business Review, a key component of effective organizations and their leadership is being clear about expectations.

This is a problem in the Church today. What is expected of us?

If this is not clear, congregations end up defending initiatives after the fact. In the world of Church, where people like things to be nice and tidy, this creates messes that can take years to clean up.  Meanwhile, congregations struggle and may even be forced to close.

Constitutions and founding documents (articles of incorporation) spell out the rules. A lot of people worked hard on these documents. When they are ignored for years, enforcing them becomes problematic. Expediency becomes the guide. Church leaders follow blindly. Bad precedents are indelibly impressed. People who point out Church rules are viewed as “trouble makers.”

Courts don’t want to deal with Church issues, which creates a lawlessness in God’s kingdom. No one wants to shoulder responsibility. Lay people are likely to suffer dearly—not good for long-term church-building!

What do we expect of church members? What do we expect of church leaders?

• Have we properly trained those who are born into our community? The lack of Sunday School programs and Vacation Church Schools and scarcity of youth in the church suggest not.
• Do those who join our fellowship as adults know what church membership means?
• Are pastoral candidates trained in Church government?
• Are our ruling documents a list of options from which to pick and choose?

Sometimes church leaders are so hungry for numbers and eager to appear accepting hat they fail to take the time to teach.

One pastor routinely responded to parents requesting the baptism of a newborn with a simple, “Just call the church secretary and schedule it.” He was offended when church leaders suggested that this was an opportunity to meet with members and further their faith commitment.

Sometimes pastors don’t understand church protocol. It is problematic to have to haul out a constitution in front of new members when an issue arises.

A pastor who had ben recently called to serve a congregation announced at worship that he had accepted a group of new members during the week that no one in the church had ever met. When church leaders pointed to the constitutional requirement that new members be accepted by the council, there was a hurtful uproar. The pastor stormed that he had never heard of such a requirement—even though it is a standard clause in the denomination’s model constitution. Result: The new people felt unwelcome. The church leaders felt disrespected and were criticized long-term by the denomination for “making trouble.” Leaders became suspicious of their new pastor, whose ability to lead suffered immeasurably.

Everyone expressing an interest in joining a church must understand what is expected of them. If not, you may discover that their understanding of faith may not be your congregation’s understanding and you will have voting members who are unqualified to be making decisions. Trouble with a capital “T.”

Classes for new members are important.

All church members must be occasionally reminded of why the Church is the Church. Have a handbook that spells out what church membership means. Place it in the hands of every new member. Have copies available in the back of the church. Distribute them at Annual Meetings—every year!

Here is the Membership Handbook Redeemer provided to all new members along with a copy of the congregation’s constitution.