Is the church just a Giant Hairball?

I had an elder ask me yesterday if all the churches were struggling to reach people far from God? I have been thinking about this question ever since. My first thought was that people are not big fans of the church anymore. Somewhere through life they have come to dislike the church. That response blames the wrong people.

I do know of some churches that are doing well. Rivertree Christian in Jackson, Ohio. Velocity Christian and Momentum in Cleveland, new church plants, are seeing people who are far from God find room for God in their lives.

Some churches are growing numerically, but their growth is not necessarily kingdom growth. Their growth comes mostly from people moving from one church to another. There are a few people making Jesus Lord for the first time in their life.

So why is the church struggling to reach people far from God? The main reason is that most churches do not make it a priority. Churches will say they are about reaching people far from God, but their actions say otherwise.

Gordon MacKenzie, a graphic designer for Hallmark wrote a cool little book called, "Orbiting the Giant Hairball." His point is that every organization has a giant hairball. The hairball is the organizations bureaucratic structure. The goal is to not get sucked into the bureaucracy of the organization but to orbit on the outside. The outside is where you can make the difference.

The hairball is what's unattractive to those who are far from God. Most of us are guilty of getting caught in the giant hairball. I fight it all the time and lose the fight often. The key is to orbit on the outside and not become a part of the institution that is loathed by so many. Orbiting the hairball places us in a position to rub shoulders with those who are far from God.

Jesus orbited the hairball. He stayed on the outside of the religious establishment. He rubbed shoulders with sinners and tax collectors. He also got criticized for it. You know you are orbiting the hairball when people criticize you for not participating in what the hairball represents.

If churches, followers of Jesus, are going to be serious about reaching people far from God, they are going to have to be willing to break the rules of tradition. They are going to have to break ties with the Church growth movement (a giant hairball). They are going to have to stop being seeker sensitive and become a seeker.

How about you? Are you ready to take seriously the mission of the church which is to reach people who are far from God. It is time to give up the hairball. You know what a hairball is good for? Choking.