Mission vs. Maintenance

In his book, From Survival to Celebration, Howard Hanchey writes that most churches are in a maintenance mindset, concerned with the church itself. He proposes a mission mindset that goes about celebrating what God is already doing in the world.

The contemporary Christian church is strong on programs and issues and short on the celebration of God's ministry in the world. We can either celebrate the work of God in the world—truly good news, or celebrate the work of the church in the world, truly work news. Modern-day Christian tend toward the latter, and it is killing us....The choice before us is always: Will we walk in the way of the gospel or the way of the world? If you decide for the way of the world, know this: you are in the company of much of the church, with its shrinking budgets, dwindling numbers, and dispirited attitude. If the gospel doesn't get your attention, maintenance will.

Does the church belong to God or does the church belong to us? Does the ministry of the church belong first of all to God or first of all to us?

This split between maintenance and mission was on my mind as yesterday as I opened up the church for a pest control treatment (clearly maintenance) then went to Honey Creek to pick up my daughter from summer camp. A priest there told someone who will soon preach at King of Peace,

"They're a warm crowd. You can feel God at King of Peace from the time when the first person goes in to get the coffee ready until the last person leaves. God is there as much as in churches in which people have prayed for hundreds of years."

That sounded like an affirmation of a mission mindset to me. I know that what he said is true. It is also truly a gift of God and not something we create and so I am all the more thankful. I am also aware that while God gifts us with the presence of the Holy Spirit, we can also quench that same spirit when we get focused on those already in the building, or even worse on the building itself. The temptation is always there.

A sermon in the archives How Lovely Is Your Dwelling Place is one I preached at the dedication of St. Margaret's Episcopal Church in Moultrie, Georgia which touches on this issue.

peace,
Frank+
The Rev. Frank Logue, Pastor + King of Peace Episcopal Church