I quit going to church

By Joel Atwell

Dear church,

A number of years ago Pastor Bill Hybels authored a book titled Descending into Greatness. He opened with the words,

“In the vocabulary of the world, ‘down’ is a word reserved for losers, cowards, and the bear market. It is a word to be avoided or ignored … A word, it seems, only on the unfortunate lips of the weak, the poor, or the dead.”

As you might suspect, Hybels spends the next couple hundred pages considering another side of “down” based on Philippians 2:5 and following in which the Apostle Paul writes,

“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant … he humbled himself … Therefore God exalted him to the highest place …”

(Is the title Descending into Greatness making more sense yet?)

The obsession of this world might be “up,” – up the corporate ladder, up the pay scale, up the ecclesiastical ladder, a higher office, more, bigger, better, faster, newer, etc… But Jesus was not obsessed with “up.” “Up” can be ok if God puts us in such a place (not if we get ourselves there by abuse, greed or compromise), but those who are “up” should always use it to reach “down” and serve. I like what Phillip Yancey says, “The ladder of power reaches up, the ladder of grace reaches down.” (What’s So Amazing About Grace)

Actually, what brought all this to mind was Chuck and Marge Hanson. Chuck is a retired pastor who is serving part-time as our church janitor. Truth be known, I’m sure Chuck would rather be in a place financially where he and Marge didn’t have to subsidize their income by cleaning our building, but you’d never know it. They come in faithfully week after week with smiles on their faces and gentle, loving spirits to empty trash cans, mop and vacuum floors and clean toilets. Never have they communicated in word or attitude, “I’m too good for this. I used to lead congregations, not clean up after them” (although anyone who has ever led a congregation has also spent a lot of time cleaning up after them).

Then, though I’ve known church janitors who have gotten so disgruntled by “having to clean up after the people” that they wanted virtually nothing to do with the rest of ministry of the church, but not Chuck and Marge. They volunteer to visit hospitals, teach classes, welcome guests and otherwise fully invest in the life of the church. Chuck even pretends to be intently listening to my sermons on Sundays.

Chuck and Marge, you are living out what Jesus modeled. You have “descended into greatness.” You’re not simply “going to church.” You are “being the church” and we are all blessed by your ministry.

Inspired by your example,

Joel