But we look good...

Here in America it’s a common expression to say “There’s a church on every corner.” In most communities, this is true. Some churches may be right down the road for each other, some many be down the block, and others are right next to one another. This article is about my experience with the latter.

Two churches share one road. One church is Baptist, the other Presbyterian. Historically, these two denominations shared a lot in common. Today, that isn’t always the case. That is the situation at hand. One of these churches is small and dying, the other is large and thriving. 

The Presbyterian church, like many others in the mainline, is the one in decline. At one point it was the new kid on the block and drew from all over town. Over the years, the church went from hundreds to scores, with a weekly attendance of a little more than four dozen. The Baptist church is the one that is growing. With a large youth program, the church regularly overflows its tiny parking lot.

This parking lot situation came up with a conversation with other Presbyterians. Apparently, it’s not uncommon for the churchgoers of the Baptist congregation to park in the larger and sparsely populated Presbyterian lot. I made the off-hand comment that that presented a prime opportunity for the Presbyterians to litter the Baptists’ vehicles with tracks. I didn’t know what response I expected, but I certainly didn’t expect the one I got. In response to my jest, one of my interlocutors said, “All those cars make the Presbyterian church look good.”

I was dumbfounded. Nothing would come to my mind. After a short while I just left. As I later reflected on the moment, I came to realize the shallowness of both their identity and theology was on full display. The person who voiced this was no new-comer to the faith, but an octogenarian cradle Presbyterian. The one whom I imagined would have a maturity of faith equal to age, but, alas, this elder churchgoer was no more mature than a catechumen. No wonder their cousins across the street were doing so well.