Did We Make the List?

I came into the church office this morning and made my normal lap around the world wide web. It is one half a desire for information and one half compulsion. After a visit to my email and a persual of the evening sports news, I made my way to my ultimate guilty pleasure. I visit the Presbyterian Layman from time to time to hear what new with the denomination. It is an odd thing calling a visit to the Layman a pleasure, guilty or otherwise. It is filled with all kinds of slanted articles, spiteful letters to the editor and yellow journalism. Normally, it involves reactionary stories about how the liberals have destroyed our beloved denomination and that any church that really loves Jesus and honors the Bible should have left for the Evangelical Presbyterian Church years ago.

I found one article today to be especially interesting. They had a list of the "50 Most Influential Churches" in America. I searched with great interest to see if our small Presbyterian church in Eufaula made the list. Unfortunately, we did not make the top 50. I can only assume that it was just a minor oversight and we'll be included next year. I wonder how it feels to be church number 50 on this list. Do you celebrate your inclusion? Do you work harder to move up to spot 45 in next year's count? Do you even care?

I believe lists like this represent what is wrong with the American church today. These subjective rankings only exist to foster pride, angst or unhealthy competition. I do not believe that the Bible really encourages any of these ugly traits.

I do not know if many of the pastors on this list really care about where their church is ranked. I am sure they are far too busy teaching, preaching and caring for their flock. However, it is a reminder to all of us that while this is a race, it is not a competion. It is time to cast off all this competition, hand wringing and chest thumping.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,sin that easily distracts+e --> and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, 2 -->looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of who instead of+e --> the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:1-2)."

In Hope and Confidence,

Pastor Dave