Criticism That Counts

Submitted by Kris Vos

I can still remember some 20 years ago the anger that stirred me as I came to realize all that I missed out on growing up in a traditional church in rural America.  I realized that the church of my childhood had very little understanding of the Missio Dei.  So much of her focus was trapped in a time long past and mostly irrelevant to the lost and dying world around her.

That anger and frustration toward the church fueled a missional focus in me and the church I planted.  But my thoughts about the church I grew up in have tempered some, especially as I reluctantly hear people refer to Crossroads (the 18 year old church plant I lead) as an "established" church.  In my mind it's another way of saying we have one foot in the grave!  But my criticism of the church environment I grew up in is also soften as I listen to criticisms of the the so called "attractional" church.  Attractional churches allegedly don't care about discipleship, don't count the cost of discipleship, and thrive only because of transfer growth.

There are times I feel like I need to apologize for the sin of inviting people to church.  Despite the fact that some of our most dedicated and committed disciples at Crossroads began their journey with Christ when they received a flyer in the mail, somehow that is the sin of marketing the church.  Somehow being attractional has become the opposite of being incarnational.  We have a lot to work on at Crossroads.  Growing people spiritually is like moving mountains.  We are far from where we want to be in growing Christ-like disciples and impacting our community.  We are working hard to grow our understanding of discipleship and incarnational ministry but we still have a long way to go.

Listening to the dialogue surrounding attractional and incarnational church planting reminds me of my own anger toward the church environment I grew up in.  Frustration about what is wrong with the church can fuel a great fire for missional revival.  History shows there are times when church reformation and revival is desperately needed.  At the same time, exposing what's wrong with the church can be just too easy!  You can look at my church and find holes, gaps, and institutional sins.  The best formula for revival is when we criticize and reform something we are a part of, not something we lob grenades at from the protective covering of our own little church environment.

I am convicted even more as I reflect on the fact that when I planted Crossroads I turned to the same churches I criticized for financial support.  I gleaned some of the best leaders for my church from that same traditional, irrelevant church.

I'm still as passionate as ever about being missional in my focus as a leader but I don't think my passion is fueled nearly as much by what is wrong with other churches.  As we work together in the Missional Cafe' movement we need to make sure our passion is fueled more by what we want to accomplish than by what we want to condemn.