The Problem with Comfortable Churches

I am thankful for a comfortable place in which to worship. Throughout the years, I have been blessed to worship with people who kept the building clean, nice, and comfortable. That is a wonderful blessing.

But sometimes, our churches can be a bit too comfortable.

No, I am not talking about the church building. I am talking about how many of our congregations can become places where we use the guise of worshiping God as a cover for really worshiping our own comfort.

Think about it. How many of us decide where to worship based more on “what this congregation can give me” than “does this congregation glorify God?” How many families leave a congregation over nothing more than deciding the church did not offer just the right programming or have just the right “feel” for them?

Several times, I have heard Thom Rainer (on this podcast) talk about how the Baby Boomer generation treated church as something where we come to “get” something. That mindset grows into our programming, as most of what we do is inward focused. We think more of the comfort of our own than about reaching the lost.

Additionally, we sometimes wonder why those from without will say they are uncomfortable coming in. After all, we are comfortable; why shouldn’t they be?

Maybe it is because we can be too comfortable with nothing more than being comfortable!

I still believe there are people who are wanting to connect with God and with other people. In fact, Generation X started a movement that the Millennials are taking to new heights. That is making sure the horizontal of a congregation (how they treat other people) matches up with what they say the vertical is (how they praise God and preach).

We preach forgiveness, but when someone responds to the invitation, are we more concerned about the extra 5 minutes it is going to keep us away from our noon meal?

We preach unity, but do we just head out the door with no conversation as soon as the “amen” is said?

We preach evangelism, but when someone from the “outside” comes in–as obvious of an evangelistic opportunity as there is–do we just walk by silently?

We praise God that He is no respecter or persons, but when someone comes in dressed in something we do not consider the “Sunday best,” do we look at them as if they are out of place?

It can be easy, if we are not careful, to make the church more about my comfort than about truly glorifying God. Such is nothing more than idolatry, and I become the idol.

Be thankful that you have a comfortable building. Be grateful that you can feel comfortable being around your brothers and sisters in Christ.

But may we never make our comfort the highest aim of the Church. There will be many in hell who were very comfortable for a couple of hours each Sunday, but who never deeply sought the will of God at any other time.