Mirror, mirror, on the wall … who’s the fairest church of all?

Why is it that I need to ask someone if my clothes make me look fat when I have a mirror in my room? Can’t I see for myself? And what about my character? Why is it that I can be completely unaware of things that others know about me when I ought to be able to just “look at myself” and see what they see? Can I really be so blind? “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32 NLT). That sounds easy, but doesn’t always materialize as it should.
According to a psychological tool called the “Johari window,” we all have “blind spots”-that is, information of which we are not aware but others are. Here’s the fun part: they get to decide whether and how to inform us of what they know. Think about it … do you really want other people telling you about all the things they know about you but of which you are not aware? “Don’t you realize you are balding?” “You’re too self deprecating.” “You always talk too fast.” I actually enjoy having blind spots, although I suppose that’s not healthy.

Fortunately for you, this article is not about me. It seems that it is also possible for churchgoers to have a “blind spot,” a false perception of who they are. A church can be totally unaware of truth about themselves that others are aware of. And they too may or may not want to hear or believe the truth. It would perhaps be easier if a church could just look into a mirror and see what they need to see. But instead, churches often carry on, completely blind to the realities of their weaknesses-the areas where improvement is needed. The authors of Tipping Sacred Cows suggest it’s like a type of “magic mirror” thinking that makes people and churches fundamentally unaware.

How does a church become blind? Over time, tradition can take over mission, to the point where a church begins to think they’re just fine the way they are. They were in good shape at some point in their history, so they figure they must still be fine if they do everything they used to do. After all, you’ve got to hold onto something. You’ve got to somehow survive in a world that’s changing faster than you can keep up with. It’s easier to just pretend that everything is OK. “Mirror, mirror, on the wall …” The answer is always the same: “Of course, you’re the fairest of them all!”

Then along comes a newcomer, or an old friend, or even an officer from DHQ who tells the corps members that they’re not all they should be. The truth hurts! But the truth is supposed to set you free. Why wouldn’t you want to know the truth?

Truth-telling should help. It’s supposed to make you feel better. But who is going to do the truth-telling? What about their credibility? Maybe they don’t really even know what they’re talking about. So what if the coffee doesn’t taste good? So what if one person got told to sit somewhere else because that seat belongs to Aunt Mary? So what if not everybody in the congregation likes all of the music? You can’t please everyone.

Divine Feedback
The reality is that we should all be more concerned about what God thinks of us-individually and corporately-than what others think. We need to ask ourselves, in the words of Herbert Booth’s familiar song, “Am I what I ought to be? O Saviour, let me know.” Yet what if God really told the church what they needed to know? There aren’t many places in Scripture where God says to his people, “You’re fine just the way you are. You don’t need to change. Mediocre is good enough.”

In the Old Testament’s prophetic message of Haggai, God says to the Israelites who have returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, “Is [this] a time for you yourselves to be living in your panelled houses, while [my] house remains a ruin? … Give careful thought to your ways” (Haggai 1:4-5). The people had become blind to the reality that they were living in comfort while God’s work was not getting done. Were their mirrors not working? God shared truth and, in this instance, they responded right away.

In Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church, we see numerous examples of corporate correction. Regarding one situation, Paul declares, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate” (1 Corinthians 5:1). How does a church become so blind that they’re able to engage in behaviour that ought to be easily seen as being in opposition to God’s will?

In Revelation 3:14-21, God tells the church at Laodicea that he is about to “spit them out of his mouth” (v 16), warning them that they desperately need to “be earnest and repent” (v 19). He even points out how blind the people were in this case. “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see” (v 17-18). Then God shares his motivation for this harsh enlightenment: “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline” (v 19).

Can you imagine being so visually impaired that you don’t even realize that you are “wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked”? If someone told you the truth, would you really be able to hear-even if they did so out of love, even if the message was from God himself?

Defining Reality
Contemporary leadership models teach that one of the most important activities of a leader is to “define reality.” To tell it like it is! In a church setting, who defines reality? How do they do it? And who determines what’s really important? Maybe the coffee isn’t great, maybe not every visitor gets the warmest welcome, maybe not everyone likes the music choices. There must be ways to evaluate what is really important-defining reality.
There are many evaluation tools available to church congregations that help to identify the important things. Natural Church Development isolates eight key factors that make churches healthy. Vital Signs examines five areas to consider as strengths or weaknesses. Both of these survey assessments are endorsed by The Salvation Army and can be helpful in identifying weaknesses and formulating strategies for improvement.

That’s the official answer. Yet there are times when even these formal evaluation tools don’t go far enough in the “soul-searching” that is sometimes required in churches. One of the things I’ve learned over 20 years of officership is that there is a continuous, unending process required in ensuring that mission remains our priority. It is incredibly, and dangerously, easy to become complacent, ingrown, exclusive and bound by our own preferences and selfish ambitions. It’s very tempting to forget why we’re doing what we’re doing. It’s a comfortable yet perilous seat.

Prioritizing Mission
We must constantly be looking for opportunities to prioritize mission, to communicate mission, to engage in mission, to ask ourselves: “What is our mission?” I’m often reminded of songs when I’m mentally engaged in a subject. It’s just how my crazy brain works sometimes. So here goes … your age and Army background will probably determine if you know this one, but it’s the words that matter.

We have a mission, God’s own commission,
To tell of his love, tell of his love.
And we have a talent, a God-given talent,
To tell of his love, tell of his love.
Let’s use it in his name, forgetting fortune and fame.
Just tell of Jesus, a loving Jesus,
A saving Jesus, he is the way.
Tell of Jesus, forgiving Jesus,
He is the way, he’s the only way!

How unfortunate that as Salvationists (and probably all churchgoers), we can sing truth better than we can live truth. This song was a big musical production number, but does it make a difference in who we are? Do our church congregations and ministry units really prioritize God’s commission to tell of his love, believing that Jesus really is the only way? I recently heard someone say that if we really meant everything that we sing in church, the world would truly be changed. I believe that’s true.

So I’m going to pray that God will give me the strength, by his Spirit, to take responsibility for my part in prioritizing mission, in remembering whose we are, in focusing on what really matters-the things of eternity. And if God wants to use others to give me feedback and evaluation because my mirror doesn’t work, then I pray he’ll also help me to be gracious and humble enough to hear the truth.

by Major Jamie Braund, Corps Officer, Cariboo Hill Temple, Burnaby, B.C.

Reprinted from Salvationist, November 2007