THE CRITERION BROTHERS

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” (John 7:24 King James Version)

“Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.” (John 7:24 New Living Translation)

One of my favorite comedy films is an ‘80s flick starring Chevy Chase entitled, “Funny Farm”. In the film, Andy Farmer, the character Chevy Chase plays, quits his job as a New York City sportswriter to move with his wife to rural Redbud, Vermont and write the great American novel. The unfortunate Farmers have one horrific and hysterically funny escapade after another. Andy ends up getting very depressed, quitting writing, and drinking and hanging out with two “neer do well” guys named Lon and Dirk - the Criterion brothers. It’s ironic that they were named “the Criterion brothers”, because the word “criterion” (which comes from the Greek) indicates the right and proper way that something should be done.
The plural is “criteria”.

I can still hear the Assistant Principal (and Science teacher) at Canton Junior High School passionately asking, “What’s our criteria?!” He would also sometimes passionately ask, “What’s our purpose?” Listen, “What’s our purpose?” stated with his Rhode Island accent sounded QUITE FUNNY! But when it comes to churches, we could well ask, “What’s our criteria?”

As many of you know, I pastored a small church which was closed almost a year ago for a number of reasons. Probably the two most significant and important the church was closed by the denomination were 1.The church was not bringing in enough money to support itself...not even close; and 2.The attendance had declined to the point that we often had fewer than 20 people present on a Sunday morning. Those are probably the two biggest criteria used in America to determine the health and worth of a church. Granted, if there are very few people, a church really cannot sustain itself. The Jewish rule for a synagogue is that they must have 10 MEN regularly attending. Well, Reform Jews say 10 MEN AND WOMEN is O.K. Although there IS that verse in Matthew where Jesus talks about the Lord being in the group’s midst if two or three are present, it is really tough to “DO CHURCH” with fewer than ten people present. And, much as “money” can feel like a dirty word to some people, a church has to pay its bills.

I’ve had occasion to visit several churches of various types over the past year- sometimes as a guest speaker, and sometimes as just a guest worshiping in the service. The church I generally attend is a “decent sized church” by New England standards. It’s got a good sized multipurpose building on a spectacular site. The teaching and preaching is good. The music is excellent, and there’s a lot to do for people of all ages. There IS a strong emphasis on seeking the Lord and on prayer. I like that. I’d have to say that stuff IS important criteria, and my overall grade for this church is quite positive.

A few weeks back I visited a startup church. It’s the English-speaking service of a Baptist Portuguese-speaking Brazilian congregation. The Brazilian church, like most Brazilian churches, meets on Sunday nights, so the English service is on Sunday mornings. The attendance at the English service was low- I think it was around 5 or 6 that Sunday, and my understanding is that they usually have fewer than 10. We worshiped to prerecorded music. The pastor preached as though a hundred people were present. I felt for him, as I’ve “been there” with a small crowd and trying to present a positive image.

I’ve preached 3 times at an independent Pentecostal church in the 495 belt which meets in a room which was part of an old mill complex. It’s not the “prettiest place” but they’ve got a pulpit and some “churchy decor”. I’d say (including children) they probably have around 35 people in church on a Sunday morning. The pastor has a full-time secular job. The dress tends to be pretty casual. But the pastor and leaders are obviously very sincere people who love God. The thought has struck me when I’ve been there that this is the type of church that could risk being shuttered if it were part of a denomination. It lacks the trappings and feel of “success” and has a small attendance. But for someone who wants to meet with God and be touched by the Holy Spirit- this is a good church to attend.

Most evangelicals (and especially Pentecostals and charismatics) can’t imagine that God could POSSIBLY be working in a “liberal church”. I’m not so much talking about politics here. I’ve visited a large, African-Americian church, for instance, where the politics is very liberal but the theology is very conservative. I mean that most could not imagine that God could be working in a theologically liberal church...in a church were they likely dismiss large chunks of the Bible as being mythological and in error, where Jesus is often seen as much more of a good man and prophet than as God in the flesh, and where almost ANY spirituality is accepted and embraced as good. Even so, I spoke recently at a liberal church and I worshiped recently at a liberal church. I can tell you, the Holy Spirit was absolutely at work in these services. I have a friend, an elderly African-American who is thoroughly Pentecostal, who worshiped at a very liberal Congregational church for quite awhile. She told me God sent her there and that she had a “Holy Ghost sit in” as she went to church every Sunday- praying for the pastor and the church, and reaching out to them in Christian warmth and love! I also have an Assemblies of God pastor friend who is now retired and serves as interim pastor for churches of a very liberal denomination. He loves the people and they love him. Are there people in the liberal churches who are seeking God and hungry for God? At one time, I would have flatly said “no” but the answer is “yes” and God is there to meet them!

I’ve written in a previous post about the wonderful Assemblies of God church where I worshiped and spoke last Sunday morning. There was a mightily move of God in this church- such as one seldom sees even in Pentecostal churches today. The congregation is well under a hundred and the building is nice but not real fancy. But God was there!

So “What’s our criteria?” regarding churches. Do we make too much of elaborate buildings and scads of programs, and big crowds and lots of money. Listen, there’s nothing wrong with that stuff. If you have big crowds coming, more people can hear the gospel and if a lot of money is coming in, you have the opportunity to invest that into missions and helping meet people’s needs. But if our only criteria is “How many people showed up?” or “How much money came in?” then I think we’ve missed something really important.