What is Church For?

by Philip Blosser

A Doonesbury cartoon on the door of my office shows a church-shopping couple telling a pastor why they don’t think his church is quite what they’re looking for.  Wife: “Sinners? Redemption? Doesn’t that imply guilt?”  Husband: “I dunno, there’s so much negativity in the world as it is.”  Wife: “That’s right.  We’re looking for a church that’s supportive, a place where we can feel good about ourselves.  I’m not sure the guilt thing works for us.”  Husband: “On the other hand, you do offer racquetball.”  Wife: “So did the Unitarians, honey.  Let’s shop around some more.”
            Behind the humor of Garry Trudeau’s cartoon is the message that some people, perhaps even some churches, seem to miss the point of what church is all about.  So, what is church all about?
            Like many churches, St. Aloysius has many programs and activities for old and young alike—something for everybody.  There are youth groups, young adult groups, supreme timers, Knights of Columbus, charismatic prayer groups, Christian mothers’ groups, Bible studies, adult faith formation classes, choir practice, Wednesday evening church dinners, mission trips, talent shows, dances, parish picnics, a scouting program, food drives, Blood Mobile drives, Habitat for Humanity projects, Alcoholics Anonymous—and much, much more.  We take “involvement” seriously.  We rightly pride ourselves in being a very active, “full-service” parish. 
            But what is our overall purpose, our mission?  Officially, we say it’s to promote “an evangelizing spirit which meets the needs of our parishioners and reaches out to others.”  What do we mean by that?  What are these “needs” we intend to meet?  What do we mean by “evangelizing spirit”?  It’s clear that we want people to feel “welcome” in our community.  We have greeters to meet them.  We have a “Landings” program designed to welcome inactive Catholics back home, and “RCIA” to invite inquiring non-Catholics to consider becoming part of our “church family.”  But what’s the purpose of this beehive of parish activities, this “family” we’re inviting outsiders to join?  Does it exist for its own sake?  “Getting involved” and “participating in community life” provide a sense of “belonging,” and that is good.  But is this the “need” we’re trying to meet?  Is this what it means to have “an evangelizing spirit”? 
            If all our teenagers, parents, and everyone we invited to St. Aloysius became active participants in our “church family,” would we then have accomplished our mission?  Could this be said even if many of us never learned enough about the Faith to be able to explain it simply and accurately to a friend?  Anyone of us in that position could be spiritually vulnerable and easily fall prey to the passing fads of Scientology, New Age spirituality, the “end time” speculations of fundamentalism, “sin-is-a-myth” psychologies, “the-Bible-is-a-myth” liberalism, occultism, wicca (witchcraft), secularism, consumerism, agnosticism, political ideology, Eastern religion, and nihilism.  “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge,” warned the Prophet Hosea.  It’s late.  We have work to do.

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© 2003-2004 Philip Blosser