We live in a very divisive time; soap boxes serve as foundations, walls are being built higher, and people are being polarized.
We like to believe that the Church is immune from this societal scourge, but the truth is the Church has been well-versed in divisiveness for centuries. It’s played out every Sunday across our country as Christians escape to their corners insulated by stained glass and steeples.
We pray the world doesn’t infiltrate our churches, and yet often the result is that our churches never infiltrate the world. There is no greater gathering of people than on Sunday morning, and yet this gathering is splintered as churches hide behind preferences and personalities.
Christians can decry the political firestorm that has encompassed our country, but if we are honest we aren’t that much better. We default into a mentality of competition as opposed to cooperation, or worse yet complacency. The message, ministry and power of Jesus Christ transforms lives, and God has called those transformed lives to gather together in His name to be the Church.
What would that look like if we rallied around a common mission and worked toward a common vision to transform the world? There would be no mightier force across this world than the united Church.
Why is it that we choose competition over cooperation? To put it simply … cooperation is hard.
I am honored to have a unique perspective into cooperative ministry as my church, for almost a year now, has been working with Mt. Comfort United Methodist Church as we find ourselves living together in their facility. Living together as two different churches is hard, despite our common vision.
We differ in many ways, and those differences at times have caused a great deal of heartache, frustration, confusion and so much more for both congregations. In moments of weakness we’ve both thought about throwing in this cooperative towel. But our collective spirit questions: What good would that bring?
The Church is fractured enough as it is, and so it’s about time that the congregations in our community begin focusing on cooperating together instead of feeling like we are in competition against one another.
Don’t discount the weight of that suggestion. This isn’t a kumbaya, let’s all get along notion; this is a strategic change to what it means to be the Church in the world today. It’s a call to look at our differences not as barriers that separate us, but bridges uniting us. It’s a plea to recognize that the passions and gifts of our congregations are better together than we are on our own. It’s a reminder of how far off course we have gone from God’s call to be the Church.
What if the Church looked at our country and refused to be a part of the divisiveness running rampant and instead made the conscious effort to work together? Undoubtedly it would be difficult, and there would be seasons we’d want to quit (that’s what we historically have done), but most often the hard is usually the right.
Maybe it’s time for the Church to lead by example. That’s my hope and prayer for Movie Theater Church and Mt. Comfort United Methodist Church, but it’s also my hope for the entire Church as well. Lord, lead us!
Ethan Maple is lead pastor of the Movie Theater Church that meets in Mt. Comfort. This weekly column is written by local clergy members. Send comments to [email protected].
