In his 1974 book "Models of the Church," Cardinal Avery Dulles described the five ways people view their church. When I read this book in theology school back in the 80's, it strongly impressed me and still does.
However, 30 years of ministry since that time have convinced me there is a sixth model. Perhaps this folds into one of his models, Institution, and re-reading the book is in order. However, for tonight, I am going to set these thoughts down without revisiting the text. Bear with me, I'm dipping into a memory that is 30 years old and covered with much newer material!
To paraphrase Cardinal Dulles unfairly, he pointed out that people see the church as Community (a place to belong); Herald (a place to proclaim the Good News), Institution (a place to be baptized, married and buried); Sacrament (a place to experience the mystical Presence of God); or Servant (a place to reach out to those in need and perform the cardinal works of mercy).
I believe these are all true, and I have used the acronym CHISS for three decades in order to remember them and share them with people who don't understand why not everyone feels like their church should be only one of these things.
What I have found is that there are those who seek the church to be a Status Symbol. These are the people who identify their worth by their position in the assembly, the ones who are the most threatened by change. Their motto is "This place would collapse without me," but their reality is, "I would collapse without this place." They stir the pot and wield influence within a small band of followers, with only their own needs in mind.
Jesus often dealt with these status seekers in the Gospels. They were the merchants selling sacrificial animals and changing money at the Temple, they were the "white-washed tombs full of dead men's bones." They were the "sons of thunder" wanting to sit on His right and His left. They are nothing new to the church.
If we do not acknowledge they exist, though, and that they see the church only as a place to enlarge their egos, we are always going to be in for a big surprise when they turn up.
A friend once told me he never patronized businesses that advertised their Christianity because his experience was they inevitably deceived him in their practices. This is probably not true of every business with a fish symbol in its ad, but there are probably some among them for whom membership in the Jesus club is a status symbol.
I marvel at how Jesus continued to focus on His ministry when even among His disciples, the status seekers were jockeying for position and attention.
Lord, help me to understand what You knew.
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