With the exception of Antarctica, you can have a Big Mac on every continent of the planet. (Rumour has it that there would be a McDonalds there, too, except that Uncle Arctica and Aunt Arctica had a disagreement about where it should be placed.) You will have no trouble finding the source of such fare either─just look for the good old Golden Arches. Dick McDonald introduced the logo in 1953, and without a doubt, it has become one of the most recognized symbols of the fast food industry in the world.

While the menu around the world is customized somewhat, burger monsters in North America know just what to expect when they see the Golden Arches reaching for the sky. The franchise regulations are very strict about what a McDonalds is and isn’t. It sells exactly the same Big Mac and it does not sell shoe laces or Kentucky Fried Chicken. You can’t have a McDonalds flag instead of the Golden Arches. If you tried these things you would be out of business faster than a salesman trying to sell sand in the desert. While some McDonalds franchisees may want to do something different, they’re limited to what the corporation says is acceptable. And they can do that because after all it is their corporation.

The local congregation of the universal Church is also somewhat of a franchise. It is not ours to play with. While the shape of buildings and religious customs may legitimately vary, there are certain non-negotiables that must exist. One of the most important distinctives about the Church is the mission.

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age’” (Matthew 28:18-20).

We are not a social action coalition trying to make sinners more comfortable or moral. We are not a political advocacy group trying to regulate the world along what we believe to be Christian lines. All of this may be good, but may also form the basis for a very cunning and strategic distraction of our best people and our over-taxed resources. The Church is not in the business of reformation but rather Christ-generated transformation. ‘Tis all our business here below to cry behold the Lamb.

I’m not suggesting that we are to cease being kind to those that are in need or advocating for the weak and poor. However, if we are part of the Church, our every activity must be specifically designed to advance the mission. The church is a rescue mission and every congregation ought to be a rescue station. Fanny Crosby captured this thought beautifully;

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.
Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

If McDonalds found one of their franchisees selling Chinese food or Kentucky Fried Chicken, I am certain it would not be long before the corporation would say something like, “Either change the menu or take down the Golden Arches.” I must say, I quite agree with them. After all, the reputation and the mission of McDonalds is the right and the responsibility of the corporation to determine and protect.

Take five minutes to read Revelation 2:1-7.

Major Lorne Pritchett is currently the District Director for the Canadian Bible Society in Newfoundland and Labrador. Married to Barbara, they have two children: Elizabeth (Christan Murphy) who is a high school teacher in Mt. Pearl, NL, and John (Michelle Burditt) who is the district manager for Zellers in the greater Vancouver area.