Who’s in the pews?
The survey question was asked in this newspaper: who’s sitting in the pews? It’s an interesting question indeed, and one which is denominationally and geographically neutral — a question which occupies the church leaders of every denomination.
I have pondered this question and, with more than 30 years in the ministry, which has provided many observational moments, I would suggest there are many types of people who sit in our pews, but these could conceivably be categorized. This is certainly not an exhaustive or scientific analysis.
In our pews are the curious who attend “church services” because they are simply curious.
In our present society, with multiple means of entertainment, this group is obviously becoming smaller.
They may be curious as to the quality of the music or the preacher (!) or just plain curious to see how things are going.
There’s also the genuinely curious who are on a quest to find the truth about God, themselves and their relation with God and their place in the scheme of things.
Even during the earthly ministry of Jesus, there were the curious.
On one occasion, a group of “Greeks” went to worship at one of the feasts and, approaching Phillip, they said, “Sir, we would like to see Jesus” ( John 12:22). These men obviously had heard of Jesus and were curious, wanting to know more.
There’s also the familiar story of Zacchaeus, who “wanted to see Jesus, but being a short man he could not because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way” (Luke 19:3). Zacchaeus represents those who have difficulties in their quest to know Jesus, but their curiosity makes them persist.
Within this group, I’d suggest, is a sub-class who sit in the pew to critique what is happening, or is skeptical of any religious or spiritual experience.
These people subscribe to the maxim of Karl Marx that “religion is the opium of the people.”
Those of us who either lead worship or present the biblical message have a unique vantage point in observing the body language of such “pew sitters” — but would hasten to say to such individuals, keep attending until you allow the light of God to shine within your heart!
Smug spirituality
There’s also the comfortable who sit in the pews and are smug and relaxed in their spiritual relationship with Christ.
This type of individual has been around since the days of Christ himself — even in the Old Testament when the prophets spoke against the false prophets and shysters who made a mockery of the faith.
Jesus spoke to the church at Laodicea (Revelation 3:15-16), a congregation that had become complacent and comfortable in their faith, as quite often happens: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other. So, because you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer, German Lutheran pastor and theologian, known for his resistance to Nazi dictatorship and subsequently executed for his opposition, discusses the issue of cheap and costly grace in his book “The Cost of Discipleship,” published in 1937.
He writes: “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of our church. … Cheap grace is preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.”
Bonhoeffer provides an indictment against those in “The Comfortable Pew” (anybody remember Pierre Berton’s 1965 book by that name?), saying that “such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs an individual his life. It is costly because it condemns sin and grace, because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son!”
Troublesome burdens
I would also suggest that in our pews are the concerned, those who are deeply troubled by life’s burdens and situations and come hoping to find solace and peace from such storms of life.
Even though we may be trusting in God, who is all sufficient to meet our needs, we are not immune from the troubles and stresses of life.
Jesus himself said, “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” ( John 16:33).
In this category are also those who seek forgiveness and freedom from guilt and the promise of Scripture is, “If we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claimed we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives” (I John 1:9-10).
Living sacrifice
Also in our pews we find those convinced of the reality of a deep faith in God, who have discovered that Jesus is indeed “the way, the truth and the life” and, as a result, have become the committed, those who have followed the injunction of Paul (Romans 12:1): “Therefore I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God. This is your spiritual act of mercy.”
As mentioned earlier, this is by no means an exhaustive category list of those who sit in the pews on any given Sunday, but broadly speaking I suspect most of us would agree that these classifications categorize some of the people who attend church on a fairly regular basis. These categories are also denominationally and geographically neutral.
May I be so bold as to suggest that if you find yourself in one of these categories, or any other, that you keep attending the church of your choice.
The writer of Hebrews suggests (Hebrews 10:25): “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another.”
I am sure your neighbourhood church will welcome you.
Editor’s note: A four-part series examining the state of religion in this province starts today in The Telegram’s A section.
What is God’s place in our modern world? It seems that everywhere we look these days, God is either being blamed for our ills or His very existence is being questioned. Despite the apparent decline in church attendance in the Western world, religion continues to play a huge role in many conflicts and wars around the globe. How does a person derive comfort or even come to believe in God in today’s society? We welcome your submission that addresses these and other aspects of faith that readers will find uplifting, comforting and thought-provoking. Your piece should be a maximum of 500 words in length and delivered no later than Monday at noon for publication the following weekend. You may submit your piece to life@thetelegram.com.