When the Church...isn't great.

By Mitchell Moyer

My favorite childhood tradition wasn't Christmas morning or a forth of July picnic. In fact, it was one we did weekly growing up; going out to eat on Sunday afternoons after church. This was the special time of the week we ate out and very often we had grandparents and other relatives join us. It was something my brother, sisters and I all got excited about. One place we frequented often was Chili's. And as we went almost every week, it shouldn't be a surprise that Chili's and church have a solid link in my mind. It always stuck with me: the Sunday afternoon crowd was often made up of church folk, and the wait staff (who we had the pleasure to get to know on our frequent weekly visits) wasn't always thrilled about that crowd. Unfortunately there seems to be all too many stories of people who have been hurt by the church. You don't have to look very hard for people who've experienced unwelcoming behavior, country club like rules and regulations, or plain and simple neglect all from the people that claim to belong to the Church. There's a danger in grouping all these people together however. Just because you might have had a poor experience with a waiter, or even a poorly managed group of waiters, at any given Chili's doesn't mean the entire organization is to blame. Sure, I can absolutely understand if you wouldn't want to go back to that particular restaurant; the management of that particular storefront is not holding up the standards set by the corporation. It's not all that dissimilar to the Church. Sure, there are various denominations all with slightly differing beliefs and practices. But thankfully we have a pretty strict set of 'corporate by-laws' that dictate how each 'storefront' ought to look. I've had some of the best meals of my life at a Chili's. (Perhaps a sad statement, but have you tried their queso?!) I've had many of the most life changing and affirming moments of my life in a church. I've also had rude servers and food brought to my table I didn't order, as well as multiple people within the church on different occasions who have broken my trust completely. But to allow frustration and bitterness to add unearned weight to the scales when the good far outweighs the negative would be a waste. There's certainly a time to not return to a specific 'storefront'. There's time to have a conversation with the manger about your experience and your concern for others. Don't keep quiet on that! But if it isn't received, it might be time to visit another location. Chili's is a fantastic organization that has survived many economic downturns and come back with a roar. The Church is the hands and feet of Christ, spreading the Gospel through love and truth. If your experience has been otherwise, I truly apologize and would encourage you: give them another chance. An important side note: this analogy is not meant to trivialize the pain and hurt some have experienced from the church nor is it meant to reduce the church down to a business, as it is certainly not that. Often times we need to review our own situation through the lens of another to gain better comprehension.