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Back in October 0f 2004, I took advantage of my son's invitation to join him on a Navy ship which was sailing from Pearl Harbor to San Diego. It's something the Navy calls a "Tiger cruise". It was the final leg home after a 5-month deployment. When he left San Diego in May, his son was just a little under 4 months old. At that age, a lot changes in 5 months. In the photo to the left, Darren takes a moment to reflect and prepare to be reunited with his wife and son as we come into San Diego. I learned a lot, took a lot of pictures, and met a lot of good people on the trip (and finally got to see a whale). One person I met sparked this article.
My dad, who also made the trip, told me that there was someone on the ship that wanted to discuss something with me. He told me that this man was looking to do a Christian concert in his Oklahoma community and needed some advice. Being the helpful guy that I am (ahem), I was glad to offer some advice. After a number of failed attempts to get together with this gentleman, we finally found each other on a day when we both happened to have some time on our hands. It was a somewhat enlightening and somewhat frustrating conversation, one with which I'm all too familiar.
He and his family are very involved in their local church. They put their heart and soul into the church and want to see it grow. He was on the board and, from what he told me, apparently did about everything at his church. He was noticeably frustrated with the results of all his efforts. He told me that his church had done a lot of things to try and attract people to their church. They had held special events in their city, hosted pizza parties and other get-togethers, and now wanted to try a concert to get people interested.
He told me that the events, themselves, were successful in that quite a lot of people attended. They would even begin coming to their church for a brief period but, eventually, would drift away. He just could not understand why the church couldn't keep people (sound familiar?). He, then, asked for my opinion as to why people don't stay committed once they start. I, while excited that someone would ask the question, am always kind of reluctant to seriously try and answer it. For one, it's a tough question to answer and, second, the person asking the question is usually not really interested in a serious answer. But, we had some time and I had nothing better to do, so I decided to give it a shot.
Many churches find themselves in the same quandary - can't get people interested in attending church services and, once they start, can't keep them committed. Why? Well, let's take a look at our armed forces. After all, we were on a ship with over 300 sailors who had just dropped 420 Marines off overseas to continue the war against terror. So, it seems natural to make the comparison.
How in the world do the armed forces get young men and women to sign up, knowing that it could well cost them their lives? And they are signing up. After all, we have an all-volunteer force.
We know that there are some advantages to becoming a member of our fighting teams. It could be the added benefit of seeing the world or embarking on an adventure. Maybe it's the financial aid should a veteran choose to go to college once they get out. Some feel stuck in a small town, headed nowhere, and are looking for a way out. Some may not be able to find work and the military is a sure thing. These are certainly some advantages. But how many would take a chance on losing their life for financial aid or a paycheck? Maybe some, but surely there's more to it than that.
I think there's a much deeper dynamic at work. The military forces a person to develop a disciplined lifestyle and holds one accountable to the team. It demands individual selflessness for the good of the whole. It forces dependency of the individual on others and dependency of others on the individual. It demands excellence of all and is intolerant of slackers. It requires recognition of authority and teaches its importance. It turns boys into men and girls into women. There's a real sense of pride to be a member of the fighting elite. Yes, there's something special about becoming a member of the greatest fighting force in the history of the world. Its not just the greatest fighting force, though. It's a force that acts with unity and great purpose. It fights for and defends ideals that transcend life itself. It requires its solders to be willing to defend to the death something that they deem worthy of such a requirement. And, in my opinion, therein lies the answer.
What would happen to the enlistment numbers if our armed forces did not act with great purpose? What if they never made a difference in the world? What if all they did was have meetings that all its members were expected to attend? What if they never required great sacrifice or never saw battle? What if they didn't seriously train their charges to defend and spread the cause of freedom, truth, and justice? I would venture to say that, in such a condition, they would lose much of their appeal.
People yearn to be a part of something bigger than themselves. They are searching for the great purpose for their life. They want to fulfill the reason for their existence. They long to be a part of a cause that, while dangerous and challenging, would revolutionize the world. They want to commit to something that makes a real difference in the lives of man, something worthy of their total commitment, worthy of their effort and time. They want to be a part of something that demands their all.
Pizza parties and concerts may draw them into our churches initially but most people are not willing to give their lives for something so frivolous. They're not willing to die for a ham & bean supper or purposeless meetings. They seek a cause that is worth the ultimate sacrifice. If it isn't worth dying for, it isn't worth living for. If you expect them to stay committed, give them a great purpose.
By the way, how did the man that asked me the question respond to my answer? He changed the subject.
But I'm used to it.
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