For those who know me personally or those who follow this blog, you know that I am a sports guy. I played throughout much of my life, I was blessed to be a part of some great teams, I have coached some, and now my children are playing various sports. My favorite game to play without any doubt was/is the game of baseball. I know many people might not see it this way, but I always saw baseball as a chess game played on a field. You always had to be thinking a couple of plays ahead to set yourself up for the best chance to win. Sometimes you would sacrifice one player (a bunt situation especially) so someone else with more power could help you win, etc. One thing that most baseball people know and are for the most part ok with is what is referred to as baseballs “unwritten rules.” For the record, these “unwritten rules” are also what drive many non-baseball fans absolutely crazy. Just a brief sample of some of baseballs “unwritten rules” are things such as if you hit a home run, you need to run around the bases. Do not stand there and admire your homer. That is grounds for getting plunked on purpose the next time you come up to hit, or in some instances the next guy who hits directly after you has to take your punishment for you. Another one is if a pitcher is throwing a no-hitter and it is late in the game, you do not try to bunt to get a base hit and break up the no-hitter. That one has serious ramifications for you if you do this. One more example, if your pitcher hits one of my teammates and it appears on purpose, then I am obligated as a pitcher to hit your first batter of the next half inning. No one knows exactly how many “unwritten rules” there are in baseball, because after all they are unwritten. But there are a lot. Sometimes someone might intentionally break one of those rules, and there are other times when someone doesn’t it but they don’t mean to. Whether it is intentional or not, there are ramifications and some would argue, these unwritten rules ultimately hurt the game. The validity of those rules isn’t the purpose of this blog post however. I heard of a situation in a game yesterday. One team got really upset, but it doesn’t appear that any “unwritten rule” was violated. But it created some bad blood and it has baseball fans talking about it. But again, this isn’t the point. So what is the point?
The point of this blog is to ask this question, are there some “unwritten rules” of church? Are there some known or perceived “rules” about going to church? Another question that I am pondering is this, are those “rules” helping or hurting the church’s mission in reaching the lost with the Gospel? My initial thought is that most if not all of these “unwritten rules” are hurting our Gospel witness in our community. While we may have good intentions, just like baseball does in protecting the integrity of the game; I believe that some “unwritten rules” or “unwritten expectations” about going to church are pushing people away from seeking God and truly hearing the Gospel from otherwise great men and women who love God, and the great churches they attend. So I want to have a little bit of fun, but also maybe shine some light on a few thoughts that may be hurting the church’s effectiveness in reaching the lost.
This is what I would like you to do. Whether you go to church or don’t. Write in the comments below, what are some “unwritten rules” you have run into or believe exist for people who are going to go to church? I am going to ask for one thing, please keep it respectful. Don’t mention any names of churches or pastors. While you may feel good about calling a church or a pastor out, it is not the right time, place, or way to do so. I recognize that pastors (myself included) have unintentionally hurt people in the past, or people have gone to a church and been hurt by a church. If that is the case, I would encourage you to reach out to the pastor or the church and have an honest conversation with them about what happened. Speaking as a pastor, I don’t want to shy away from difficult conversations. I realize that I am a fallen, sinful human being who though he doesn’t try to hurt others, sometimes is guilty. And churches are made up of imperfect people who sometimes do things that cause hurt. So let’s have some fun, shine some light, but show compassion and grace as we learn together.
Pastor Justin