The Billy Goat and Buffet Christianity!
(“I know your deeds, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were either one or the other. So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” Revelation 3:15-16)
I am not a Chicago Cubs fan; never have been, probably never will be. The Chicago Cubs have a lot to be proud of over the many years of their existence. They are the only team in baseball to occupy the same city since the inception of the National League in 1876. In the early 1900s, the Cubs won four pennants and two World Series titles. Their record of 116 victories in 1906 have never been broken.
It all came to an end, so the legend goes, in 1945, when Wrigley (the owner of the Cubs) had Billy Sianis, who owned the Billy Goat tavern, removed from the stadium because he brought his goat to a World Series game. It must be noted that the goat had a ticket! Even though the Cubs led that series 2 games to 1, and the next four games were at Wrigley field, they lost the series and have never been back since. Apparently Billy Sianis, on his way out the door after being ejected from the stands, said, “The Cubs, they ain’t going to win no more!”
It has become known as the “Curse of the Billy Goat.”
What does the “Billy Goat Curse” have to do with the church? Everything. Like the Cubs, the church in this country has a long and storied history of building hospitals, communities and reaching out all over the world. Like the Cubs, most churches have been in the same location serving their communities for a very long time. And like the Cubs, the church has been in a long drought brought about by a curse.
Each year, like the Cubs, the church hopes that this year will change the long drought and bring about a winning season. It starts in January, usually at an annual meeting, when congregations all across the land engage in writing the pages of a new chapter that will, hopefully, bring a victory. Victory meaning an increase in members, giving, commitment, and growth. And every December brings the same old, same old, as they watch membership decline, giving dwindle, and commitment fall. While it is not true of some (a very few) congregations it is the pattern of the vast majority of congregations all across the land. The curse that has befallen the church isn’t the “Curse of the Billy Goat,” but the “Curse of the Buffet.”
The buffet came into being in the mid 1950s, in Las Vegas. At a buffet we’ll find long tables filled with a variety of different appetizers, vegetables, entrees, and deserts. It is now a staple at most resorts serving the Las Vegas visitors, and has grown out across the country under a variety of different names. The basic premise is that a person pays one price for whatever food they want, and can go back as much as they can stomach. It is predicated on the fact that tastes differ, so they offer entrees that run the gambit of seafood, poultry, and beef. The same is true for appetizers, vegetables, and deserts.
The freedom to take only what I like is the premise behind a buffet. I don’t have to eat green beans, or spinach, or beets if I don’t like them. I can load up on red meat and seafood and leave the chicken behind. I can have lemon meringue pie and not have to eat cake! Best of all, it’s all done for me!
This mentality, of taking only what I like, has become the norm in the church (along with the idea that the real purpose of those working in the church is to serve the members/customers). This mentality is reinforced each year when churches send out the dreaded Time and Talent sheet (usually along with a pledge card) asking members to sign up for what “They’d like to engage in for the next year.” Before them, on the Time and Talent sheet, is a list of what’s available on the church buffet: ushering, singing in the choir, teaching Sunday school, working on the property, etc. The task, for returning the sheet along with a pledge, is to pick through the offerings selecting only the ones they like.
Over the years I’ve tried ever variation on the theme of Time and Talents. I’ve mailed them out to all households receiving back only a fraction. I’ve tried doing them during a worship service having members fill them out and parade forward placing their talent offerings in a “blessing bowl,” reviewing them later to discover that only a few actually put anything on the sheet. Most were returned completely empty, without so much as a name attached. Occasionally I’d receive a note attached to an empty sheet saying that “my family has decided to attend another buffet in town because we like what they’re offering better!” That’s a natural outcome of Buffet Christianity. There are always other buffets in town offering different choices.
So, out of desperation, I took the advice of Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) from the movie, The Princess Bride, and decided to go “back to the beginning.” Together with my co-partner in ministry, Kristin, we did a series on “Recommitment.” At the end of the series we handed out a Recommitment Card asking the congregational members to recommit themselves to the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ. The recommitment card simply asked folks to recommit to the vows taken in baptism (the beginning) – that they’d come to the services of God’s house, engage in ongoing Christian education, and serve the world through engagement in the community for the sake of the Gospel.
I was absolutely floored by the number of people who returned cards (many did not) crossing out some or all of the commitments they’d made in the waters of baptism and renewed in the Affirmation of Baptism (Confirmation). Two council members crossed out almost everything, signed the card, and returned it. One of the most difficult members followed that pattern by crossing everything out. It was at this point that I came to understand the “Curse of the Buffet.” The message was clear: “Because I’m a member, and membership means privilege, it’s entirely up to me to pick and choose what “I” like when it comes to the church and pass by the rest.” It also became clear to me that the failure was mine alone. As a leader in the church, along with all the other leaders, I’d failed miserably in building disciples and instead had created an environment of buffet Christian consumers. I really believed that adding more and more to the buffet table (programs) was a way to satiate the pallets of my “customers” and create greater commitment and involvement. Instead, all that was accomplished was falling into the “Curse of the Buffet,” reducing the expectations of membership to the point that no commitment was necessary, expected, or wanted because that’s what staff is for.”
When Jesus called his followers he said, “Drop everything and follow me!” The message of the vast majority of churches today is, “Don’t drop anything (including a dime) and only engage when something catches your fancy as you make your way down the table.” The task of church leadership shifted from building disciples to expanding the buffet table. Churches add more and more offerings to the table hoping to attract a few extra customers who will hopefully return.
May I offer a suggestion? Instead of sending out a Time and Talent sheet, send out a postcard. On the card have folks answer a simple question with yes or no.
Having been claimed in the waters of baptism, nourished with Word and Sacrament, are you ready to live as a disciple of Christ?
Yes_____ No_____
If you answered “No,” there is a list of neighboring churches posted in the office that would love to have another Buffet Christian. Go with God’s blessing!
If you answered “Yes,” then hold on because it “gets a little bumpy from here!” (Scotty from “Star Trek, The Voyage Home.”)
Give me a small group of committed people and we’ll change the world. Give me five thousand people only wanted to fill up at the buffet table, and I can guarantee that nothing will ever change because you’ve fallen under the Curse of the Buffet. You’ll fight the same battles year in and year out. You’ll watch your congregation slowly die and spend all your time in fruitless meetings trying to figure out what new entree will save you. The way to winning is by losing! Lose Buffet Christianity and start living for Christ.
(“Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Mark 10:21)
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