The Disappearing Church

The following was written in the wee hours of the morning, two days after I quit my job as Director of Christian Education. As I lay awake thinking about all the reasons that led to a very difficult decision to resign, I prayed for clarity as to how to best describe the complacency and subsequent negativity that had consumed this once vibrant church. This fable, I think, says it all.

THE DISAPPEARING CHURCH - by Martha Coulter

Once upon a time there was a small little church situated in a quaint little town in a picturesque part of Ohio. The church had been there for a very long time, so long that massive oaks grew in her front yard. She was a beautiful church made with the finest of stones brought from far and wide. Her stained glass windows were magnificent and when the morning sun shone through the front windows, it was if the Holy Spirit was radiating love on all those gathered. And the people were proud of their church. They came for miles around just to sit in her splendor. Sometimes the preaching brought them to tears, other times it was the music, and there was laughter, handshaking and hugs as each week the congregation gathered for worship.  

One Sunday morning the Pastor went into the church before the start of services and noticed that one of the stained-glass windows was missing; it wasn’t broken or shattered it was simply gone. But because it was a sunny summer day, he didn’t worry, and both services went on as usual. Others noticed the missing window, but since the Pastor hadn’t mentioned it or seemed to worry about it, they didn’t worry about it either. 

The next Sunday when the custodian came to turn on the lights for the first service, he noticed that several of the pews were gone. He looked around and couldn’t find them so he went and found the Pastor to tell him about it. When the Pastor realized that the missing pews were the pews in the front, and no one ever sat in them anyway, he said there was no need to worry. And so the service began. The people who sat in back of the church never even noticed the missing pews, but a few brave souls who sat up closer did, but since the Pastor didn’t say anything and didn’t seem to worry, they didn’t worry either.

The following Sunday the choir director was the first one into the church.  As he made his way up to the front to rehearse that mornings hymns on the organ, he noticed that all the contemporary music instruments, including the baby grand were gone.   When he found the Pastor and told him about it, the Pastor said that since they were rarely played and wouldn’t be played today; there was no sense worrying about it. 

The very next Sunday a terrible storm hit the quaint little town and about a third of the congregation missed the services. As the Pastor looked out into the sparse crowd, he thought to himself that it was too bad that he couldn’t stay home too; the storm was bad and everyone would be back next week and he shouldn’t worry. 

The next week it was the same crowd, perhaps a little thinner. The Pastor didn’t see any children or young families sitting in the pews. He was glad however that the “old-timers” were there. They were his “Steady Eddies”, the backbone of the church and since they were the ones who were the generous givers, he didn’t think there was anything to worry about.

Then it was Christmas time. Three services - all packed in. The candles smelled wonderful. The congregation sang their favorite Christmas Carols and everyone was dressed in their finest Christmas attire.  The Pastor looked out and smiled and knew there was nothing to worry about. 

The New Year came and went and as each Sunday passed, fewer and fewer people were sitting in the pews.  So the Pastor decided that rather than having two services with so few people, it would be better to have just one service, thereby having the appearance of being a full church. Since the pastor recommended it, the people agreed. When the first one-service Sunday came and the pews were almost filled, the Pastor was proud that he made such a good decision and that there was nothing to worry about.

One Sunday morning in early spring, the Pastor, the choir director and the custodian all got to the church at the same time.  After their ritual cup of coffee and donut, they went upstairs together to begin setting up, only to find that the church; the stones, the stained-glass windows and all of the pews, the entire church had disappeared. They looked quizzically at each other for awhile not knowing what to say. The Pastor spoke first and said. “I’m worried!”

(c) 2011 Gunnysack Ministries. All rights reserved.