HippoChurch

I was third-party to a passionate discussion last week over the use of the word “franchise” and church. Eddie Johnson, who leads our partner church in Nashville, was using the word to paint an analogy of how systems can benefit the Church. He’s stated before that he proudly runs the North Point franchise in Nashville. And I’ve told him how the word always makes me shudder because it brings all the wrong connotations to mind. Like we’re just opening up little outlets to “sell” Jesus, promulgate Andy and send profits back to headquarters. I stated in an earlier post that I’d quit if there was any semblance of that around me. That’s not what Eddie is about either.

What’s most troubling though is looking at the comments people from the Church have posted in various threads as the discussion moved around the Web. Aside from not taking the time to actually consider the analogy - that systems are great ways to produce intended results, in this case introducing people to God, life change, discipleship, evangelism, etc., people inside the Body once again took the bait this world offers and came down in judgment upon Eddie personally and North Point as a church.

COME ON PEOPLE! With reactions like that, you really wonder why there are such large factions of culture arrayed against us? Unfortunately, there’s such a pervasive subculture within the Church that has been around since, oh, the days of Jesus himself, that has crowned itself the “Church Intelligencia”, destined to sit and pass judgment on all those who rankle the court. They are experts in quoting the Word, yet affect almost no lives positively. They can readily respond with biting commentary, yet have encouraged no one in long time. They claim to be close to Christ, yet probably have no friends outside the faith, lest they mingle with “sinners”. P-R-I-D-E abounds!

It’s really pretty disgusting to see the condemnation, judgment and personal attacks in their language. Why are you so threatened? Afraid someone will pierce the veil and discover there’s not a whole lot going on upstairs or in your heart? Oh, and why is every church that attracts people lambasted for being “consumerist”. Hmm, for some reason I remember great crowds following Jesus around to hear what he had to say. If consumerism, is week after week of people re-ordering their lives to live for Christ not themselves, people seeing past religion to discover that their Heavenly Father desires relationship with them, and the hopeless finding hope, go ahead and indict me because that’s what we’re “selling”.

Thanks to those of you who investigated what Eddie actually meant, and even in disagreement, engaged in healthy conversation on the topic. Gee, I wonder how the cause of Christ could be furthered if the Church were known more for its ability to actually welcome conversation and invite detractors into the discussion? Folks remember, we have TRUTH on our side and we know how the story ends. What can threaten that? Lay down the small-mindedness.