“The Fine Print”: Theology Matters

This article is part of a series written by the Rev. Barton Gingerich entitled “The Fine Print”: Common-sense Expectations for Church Membership.

The fine print?

Whenever going into any kind of agreement, we’re often advised, “Be sure to read the fine print!” In other words, we don’t want to get snagged by details in a contract or promise. The party we’re coming into a relationship with by signing on the dotted line will expect us to fulfill all that we’ve committed ourselves to. And we should expect them to fulfill their promises to us. There might be exceptions, penalties, or terms that can cause us a real headache later on down the road. And so we read the “fine print” before making a commitment. After all, we’re giving our word. 

Why go into all this? Because church membership, among other things, is a matter of promise. Christians are in a covenant with God and, together, form a covenant community. Oftentimes, pastors come into unnecessary conflict and frustration with parishioners due to differing expectations for what church membership looks like. And this isn’t a one-way street. Laymen can clash with their pastors over expectations, and laymen can also disagree amongst themselves. Everyone has different ideas about what was agreed upon when people join a congregation, have their membership transferred, or are raised up from infancy in a parish. In other words, folks haven’t looked at the “fine print” of what healthy churchmanship looks like in our time and place.

This series aims to set out some of that fine print so that clergymen and laymen alike can enjoy a shared Christian life of concord–that they can be knit together in the same purpose, with the same heart for Christian discipleship and ministry. And while the title mentions “common-sense expectations,” it is obvious that common sense isn’t really all that common in our day and age. And so the highlights will focus on contemporary trends of dysfunctional church membership.

Now, common-sense to what end? Faithfulness. All Christians are called to persevere in faithfulness, and pursuing wisdom is a key element in this endeavor. Folly inhibits us, sidetracks us, and can cause immense spiritual harm not only to us but to those for whom we are responsible, particularly spouses, children, and fellow members of the Body of Christ.

Theology Matters

Going further, faithfulness to Whom and what? To Christ Jesus our Lord, Who not only made us but redeems and sustains us by His grace. Those who are united to Him sacramentally in faith are members of His Body, redeemed by His blood, espoused to Him as His Bride, and adopted as children and even heirs of the Father. In the Christian tradition, we confess these and other essential truths in our Creeds and other authorities. In other words, to be a Christian is to espouse certain truths–certain doctrines and dogmas–and to live a certain way. This life of faith is one of love: love of God and of neighbor, particularly the Christian brethren. 

So theology matters, the practice of love matters, and the Christian’s union with Christ matters. This should govern how we think, speak, and act all the time, not just on Sunday morning. To be a Christian is to be a new creation, to live as God intended us to live as beings created in His image and likeness. This is one of the many blessings vouchsafed¹ for us on the cross, and it also entails obligations for which we are held to account, both by earthly human authorities like the visible Church and, ultimately, by God Himself, especially on the Day of Final Judgment. 

Therefore, church members should be expected to actually believe what Christianity teaches, which in turn derives from the Holy Scriptures. If they hold doctrines or opinions that are at variance with the truth, they must change their minds to conform to that truth. We are not the arbiters of Reality. We don’t get to decide what is real or not. And we must accept the Lord’s correction, especially as it comes to us in His holy Word. Similarly, we must repent of sin, especially when called out to do so. While sin can be delightful for a short season, it is ultimately bad for us and for others. A healthy church will identify and condemn sin in the pulpit, in various studies and classes, in conversations, and in moments of pastoral care and counsel. 

One of the first big mistakes folks make when they are looking to join a congregation is basing that decision on the people, the music, the preaching style, the coffee, or the overall “vibe.” Many of these things do matter, but one should not join a parish if there’s a disagreement over authoritative doctrines or what is or is not a sin. Requiring doctrinal and moral conformity is not only an outworking of faithfulness to Christ. It also protects the clergy and the laity from each other. No pastor should preach error or endorse sin. He must not proclaim heresy or abuse the flock. On the flip side, pastors have the authority to admonish and exhort the flock. They do indeed have the right to address issues of sin in the lives of the parishioners under their care. If they do not, they are failing in their duty as watchmen (Ezekiel 3:16-21, 33:6-9; Hebrews 13:7).

Faithful enforcement of standards can be a lot more important than church members think, especially since we tend to be so pragmatic in our outlook. We think that if something “works for us,” then it is correct or acceptable. There is no way to square that with what God has revealed about Himself, us, and the rest of His creation.

We must also distinguish such doctrinal faithfulness from narrow theological obsessions and hobby-horses. Oftentimes, these cause discord, uncharitableness, and, ultimately, schism. Sometimes, this can even develop into a heresy, where one element of Christian truth is emphasized at the expense of another essential element. While this can be a rarer trait in a culture dominated by pragmatism, it does arise, especially in churches that do care about theology and doctrine.

But, overall, in our current context, we find that the more common problem is this: people don’t think theology matters, but it actually very much does.

Footnotes

1. To give something to someone in a gracious manner, where that which is given is from a greater person to a lesser person who could not secure that gift.