There are not many things that I hate more than going to the DMV. Literally, I’ve never gone to the DMV and had a good experience. On the contrary, each time I go I despise it more and more. After recently having to make two trips there in the span of one week, it made me think about something…
What if church was like the DMV?
Seriously.
What if someone’s church experience was a stale, stuffy, unfriendly waste of time?
Here’s my typical DMV experience:
I walk in and wait in a long line just to get to the welcome counter. A person who never makes eye contact with me then asks “what are you here for?” in a monotone, frank, mile-a-minute demeanor. After asking her to repeat herself, she finally gives me a number that says “M139” and I’m told to have a seat “over there.”
Still, no eye contact.
I take my seat in the middle of the most boring, stale, funky smelling room I’ve ever been in and play on my phone to pass the time. I occasionally look up at the screens that read, “A19, F59, P133” and I wonder how many hours it will be till I’ll see “M139.” Finally, after forty-five minutes or so, I surprisingly see my number and am overjoyed. Now, I’m off to the booth to take care of my business.
As I approach the booth I don’t receive a “hi sir, how are you today?” greeting, but instead another monotone spatter of “what do you want?”
Still, no eye contact.
Okay, maybe just a little.
After being made to feel stupid because I don’t know some secret DMV “insider lingo,” I’m sent over to another station to do who knows what. By this time I just want to go home!
I could go on and on, but you get the point. Maybe it’s just me, but if there’s one thing I wish I could avoid in life it’s the DMV.
I wonder if some people feel the same way about church?
Imagine if you walked into a church that was stale, smelly, unfriendly, and just downright cold. I’m not only talking about the physical environment, but even more so, the relational atmosphere. I’ve heard many people feeling this way about church, coming into a place that is supposed to be welcoming and full of love, yet experiencing quite the contrary.
This is sad and unfortunate.
Although this is a reality, luckily, not everyone’s church experience is similar to the DMV.
I am thankful that Central is a place full of life. Excellence is apparent physically, programmatically, and relationally. I’ve heard story after story of people experiencing the warmth and love they so desperately needed in their lives while at Central.
I am thankful that Central and the DMV are antonyms.
Overall, this whole conversation is a reminder for me that I am the church, I represent it, and I represent Christ. Therefore, I represent love and compassion and grace. No matter where I am or what challenge I face, my identity in Christ requires me to practice these virtues.
When I go to the DMV, I am the church.
When I’m at work, I am the church.
When I’m driving on the street, I am the church.
And so are you.
We are the CHURCH.
Are we representing it well?
