Why stay?

After being born with the promise of uniting all Lutherans, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has give birth to two new Lutheran denomination (well, one is really an association).  Worse though is the fact that the numbers which have bled off the ELCA are not nearly accounted for in the fledgling bodies of the North American Lutheran Church or the Lutheran Congregations in Mission for Christ.  So where did they go?  

Missouri is in no position to gloat, though we have given birth to new new church since the 1970s and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, we have likewise bled off numbers into other churches or, sadly, most into thin air.  They have left and gone nowhere.  The LCMS is facing its most serious threat in years -- even as the numbers continue not to look good.  This time it is from people attempting to organize an exodus with a college, online seminary (or seminaries), and a so-called missional structure.  It seems that it is not enough for any Lutheran body to be in decline, it has to be hastened by organized departures for all kinds of reasons.

Oddly enough, Luther did not depart from nor exit Rome on his own.  Though some would say his own words caused it all, Luther considered himself a member of the loyal opposition and did not leave Rome though Rome left him.  The papal bull excommunicating Luther was the thing that sort of sealed the deal for Luther in a way that the confessions, the movement, and even his marriage did not.  So why do people in the pews and pastors seem so interested in leaving their Lutheran roots now?  Could it be that the situations have become so bad within these Lutheran bodies that they literally cannot stand to remain or is it something different?

Roman Catholic theologians most identified with a liberal wing of that body have not exactly run for the door either.  In nearly every case, they remained until they were no longer welcome to remain.  Take Karl Rahner, for example, who had been on the fringe of Rome for ages but did not bolt even though some would have sighed with relief if he had.  In fact, it was not ever on his radar to leave.  There are other big names who likewise refused to leave even when they had scathing critiques of Rome and all her leaders.  They could not conceive of leaving to be on their own and they had not found another church which satisfied the claims more than Rome.  So they stayed.

For most Lutherans there is no such loyalty.  The pastor screws up or offends them in some way and they are gone.  The national structure does not live up to their desires and they are packed and have moved on.  The person who was their friend hurts their feelings and now they are out of here.  It does not quite matter which side of the altar rail you are on (except for pension purposes, perhaps).  We leave for no church at all or for another church and we don't look back.  Why are we so quick to be on our own or to leave [in most cases, a sacramental and confessional body for one without sacraments or a formal confession)?

The sad reality is that no matter what the teachings are, outside of Rome we live in a strange state which is neither ecclesial nor churchly.  Our faith and piety seem to treat the Church as an optional extra and even Lutherans are prone to the idea that me and Jesus against the world is better than me and other Christians with problems in our relationship.  Why is that? Why is the Church extraneous to our faith and life?  I wish I knew why we are so lackadaisical about church.  I wish I understood why worship attendance and adherence to stated doctrine and worship style seemed less churchly than individual.  But it is not helping anyone to make our life together such a distant priority or even an irrelevance to our individual lives of faith.  You better think twice about leaving for no place or for leaving as if churches were the next new wave of religious product.  Complaint is your right but do not depart angry.  Go to God's Word and not simply the parts that you think agree with you.  Make sure you are leaving for something more profound than preference and more significant than your feelings.  We live in a world absent of truth and empty of the compelling truth of a book that insists God wrote it and it is true not because you agree.  Don't fall into the trap of thinking that a church of one is better than a church of a million with disagreements.