Can urban and suburban churches work together?

I recently heard a preacher from Detroit deliver an exciting sermon about how suburban and urban churches can work together in ministry. I can tell that the other pastors in the room were excited at the prospect. Most of them were suburban pastors.

The excitement carried into a special breakout session for senior pastors only but I could tell by the nature of the questions asked that there was more interest in what was happening in Detroit than there was in what could happen in our own community. Some pastors had taken an important first step but the road to cooperation is long and winding and full of potholes.

This summer a church from North Carolina will send a team of 100 summer missionaries into my urban neighborhood to work in our various ministries to the poor. At the same time most of the suburban churches near my neighborhood will be sending mission teams all over the world. Why is it easy for some churches to go to the outermost parts of the world and yet ignore their own Jerusalem and Samaria?

The fault could be in the urban pastors of small churches. They often distrust the motives of larger churches and fear they will lose control of their ministries, so they are not inclined to ask for help. Maybe it’s the suburban churches. Working with a church across the county is not much and adventure vacation. In most cases it is a lack of communication and risk aversion that keeps churches apart.

While the conversation has just begun for some churches in my community, many others have been partnering to work with other churches for some time. The Teen Moms program that meets at First Baptist Church in Waukegan has been a partnership of urban and suburban churches for more than 20 years. The relatively new BAM House ministry for recovering addicts is, also, a partnership of churches. From Sharefest to adopt-a-school to Love INC, churches in my community are working together for the sake of the gospel. This has been a part of ministry in Lake County, IL for the past 15 years I have lived and worked here.

Not all churches will participate. We have to accept that and move on. There are issues of trust, a desire to avoid contact with Christians who believe differently about some issues, or prejudices that are difficult to overcome. The urgency of the gospel does not allow us to wait for everyone to be in agreement before we act.

I rejoice in the ministry partners that God has granted First Baptist Church. Some are near others are far. They represent a broad range of theological beliefs but all agree in the need to work together to reach our community for Jesus. What a beautiful witness oneness can be.

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:20-23 (NIV)

Oneness is our Witness

I heard Dr. William Shaw preach on the theme of Christian unity at the New Baptist Covenant Celebration in Atlanta. Over 16,000 Baptists from all over North America representing 20 million people from every race and region gathered to set aside some of our differences and celebrate our commonalities. He told us that relationship building is a major step towards working together.

I was at another meeting this weekend that repeated the same theme on a smaller scale. Pastor’s from the eastern half of Lake County, IL gathered for a retreat. The agenda was strengthening relationships. Not every pastor was there but the one’s that came represented a diversity that is uncommon in ministerial groups. The diversity was not only racial but also in the size of the churches and the types of communities that they served. A variety of political and theological views were also represented.

Although I tend to prefer action over words, I am gaining a new appreciation for the need to build a strong foundation of camaraderie. Friendship cannot be rushed and genuine accord cannot be faked. The world outside the church (and many of those inside) don’t understand some of the theological arguments that divide our churches. They don’t care about historical decisions that created splinter movements. They see division and often view as hypocrisy.

Churches working shoulder to shoulder in a community balance out the negative stories that can dominate the news. Jesus gave us the secret to differentiate His true followers from the pretenders and posers. The language of hate can be overcome with the language of love.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 (NIV)

Cooperating churches build the Kingdom

When I was a young Christian I attended a church that participated in a softball league. The other teams were churches from various denominations. Our softball team created a door into the church for those husbands who stayed home on Sunday mornings.

I remember one very talented player who, after getting to know our athletic pastor and some of the guys, began to accompany his wife to church and Sunday school. Soon he committed his life to Christ, was baptized and was serving as an usher. Because he was an officer in the US Marines, I expect his conversion would have had a positive impact on both the troops who served under him and his colleagues. Stories like these were found every year.

Not all churches appreciate such cooperation. One area church launched a protest over the inclusion of a congregation they believed to be doctrinally in error. The protesting church believed that playing in the same league with such a heretical group would be the same as accepting their beliefs. Other churches in the league disagreed over excluding a team based on beliefs and the protesting church left the league.

The protesting church lost sight of the greater good. In order to bring doctrinal purity to a softball league, they gave up an opportunity to bring new believers into their congregation. Instead, they went back behind their walls and added a few more churches to their list of heretics.

Churches can cooperate, despite doctrinal differences, to meet their own goals and kingdom goals. Jesus only established one church. Paul did not start his own denomination for Gentiles in protest to Peter’s Messianic Movement.

Some churches don’t play well with others. (They might run with scissors, too.) Ever see a sign that reads: Independent, fundamental, King James, pretrib, premil, EVERYONE WELCOME?

Jesus said, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (John 17:20-21 NKJ)

Jesus prayed not for our agreement but for our unity. Through our love for each other, outsiders would now that our love and our faith is true (JN 13:35). The world is watching.

One winter in Havelock, NC, (the same community with the church softball league) the churches decided to have a community Christian music festival in the park. This was very loosely organized. Everyone was welcome. There were choirs, bands, gospel groups, and soloists with taped accompaniment.

When rain threatened to end the event, the Roman Catholic Church opened their gym and the show went on. As a young Christian I learned the lesson that other Christians are not the enemy. They are not even competitors. We are partners in building the Kingdom of God. I know that there will be no divisions in heaven, why should there be divisions on earth?

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”