I recently (as in like an hour ago) read an article from the UM Reporter (Yes, the same people who desire us to be "one" like Lennon's song Imagine) about an ex-atheist turned United Methodist minister. The article, found here, describes the path Rev. Julian Davies took to going from being an atheistic university professor to being a United Methodist minister.
Short summary, he had not grown up in the church and knew little about Christianity. He married a Christian who wanted to have their wedding in the church she grew up in. He refused, saying that he didn't feel it was appropriate for him to stand in a church and pretend he was a Christian. She later invited him to church, to which he finally consented to because he felt it didn't have to pretend to be a believer to sit in church.
Going to church, he realized that not all Christians met the picture he had in his mind. Many were intellectual, not 'literalist' (I wish we had a better way of describing literal as in literally the word of God via the Spirit-inspired writings verses literal as in no poetry or figurative writings in the Bible), and had no idea why people did what they did in church.
One of the things that confused him was way people said "amen" at the end of prayers. He asked the person next to him, who kind of freaked out and just said "we just do, OK?" Once he had a question for the preacher in the middle of the sermon. After he raised his hand to ask it, the person next to him grasped his arm and encouraged him to not do what he was doing and to instead take a class to learn the reasons. (I really like that idea. I often have wanted to ask questions in the middle of the sermon. I instead write it down and either research it or ask the pastor after church. But wouldn't it be great to raise you hand and have the pastor call on you?)
Taking the classes, he was moved not only to faith, but also to the ministry. He now is the pastor at The University Church at the University of Toledo.
Reading the story, I thought about the influence we can have just by being in the pew. For Davies, he was confused on what to do in church, didn't know why things were done, and sought answers to his questions. He sought for these from, and ended up by guided by, the lay people.
Questions I thought of were:
1) Would a visitor know what to do in your church service?
I recently visited a UM church and went in a door that didn't have a ushered manning it, so I didn't get a bulletin. I was lost during church. I didn't know what hymns to sing unless I looked at someone's hymnal or recognized that song. I didn't know the words to the congregational prayer. I didn't know when we were suppose to stand up for various things until everyone else stood up. I didn't know this because it was assumed that I had a bulletin, therefore the pastor didn't announce hymns or when we were to stand or sit.
One of the things that really bugs me is when churches do not describe the method of communion before taking communion. For example, the first time I took communion at a certain church in College Station, it wasn't explained that you were suppose to hold on the bread and cup until the entire congregation had it. Then we were to take it together. The bread and cups got passed down the pew, I partook, and then the pastor said "As we take the bread together, we are united as the body of Christ. Let us together eat the body." Oops!
2) If someone asked you a question about why we do things in church, would you know the answer?
From the story, Davies wanted to know why we said "amen" to end the prayers. The person he asked didn't know, just that it was what you were suppose to do. (In case you don't know, it comes from the Hebrew meaning "so be it." We say it as an affirmation of our prayers.)
3) Would you know where to ask if you didn't?
Davies was able to find the answers to his questions (and indeed new life in Christ) because he was encouraged to attend one of the classes at the church. If a visitor was in your church, would you know where to take them if they wanted to know more? Do you know where various Sunday school classes are, or at least where the information booth is?
Though probably not the intent of the author, this article reminds us of the influence we have as parishioners sitting in the pew.
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1 comment:
I agree with you completely - the influence of lay people is really important! Looking back at my first visit to a church, I can't recall the sermon topic, the names of any of the hymns we sang, or quite what we prayed about, but I remember exactly the names of the two people who first greeted me and who looked after me (Walter and Syble). It was Walter who asked if I was planning to come back the next week and if not for him, perhaps I wouldn't have gone. No doubt about it - it was lay people that initiated a huge change in my life!
Best wishes - Julian Davies (the guy in the story).
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