For a while “authentic” was a buzzword. Worship needed to be “authentic”. Everyone wanted an “authentic” leader. I was a big believer that Churches should be “authentic,” and what I meant by that is that Churches should be who they are. If you are a praise band Church, be who you are. If you are a traditional, organ playing, vestment wearing Church, then be who you are. There is something to this, but I think in many ways it misses the mark.
The Question isn’t who am I, its who is God
Seth Godin wrote this post several years ago about authenticity. He mentions Mother Theresa’s resilience in acting faithfully in the face of doubt about God and herself, and says “Authenticity, for me, is doing what you promise, not ‘being who you are.'” I think he’s on to something here. “Being who you are” can be fleeting and pretty nebulous when applied to individuals and congregations. I am quite different than I was 10 years ago, or 20 years ago. Have I become inauthentic? No. Some days I just don’t feel like being a pastor, but I do the work of a pastor anyway. Is that Inauthentic? No Way! When we pursue authenticity as “being who you are”, we end up on a quest to discover who we really are, and I don’t think this is the quest of Christianity. The big question is not “who am I?” so I can be true to myself, it is “who is God and what does God want?” so I can be faithful to God.
When congregations try to “be who they are” they may or may not be acting in faithful ways toward God. Perhaps “being who they are” never results in them not doing what God is asking them to do for others.
Do What You Promise
Godin, I think, stumbles onto an answer, or at least a partial one. Don’t “be who you are.” Instead – do what you promise. That’s real authenticity. How does a congregation do what they promise? Or, more basic, what does a congregation promise?
Do What God Promises
All Christian congregations have promises embedded within them simply by being the body of Christ. The BIG promises include things like salvation in Christ, true community, forgiveness, and more fundamentally, a connection with God. If we are Christ’s body, then we are the vessel for the “doing” of these promises.
Are people meeting God? Do they know of their salvation and the magnitude of it? Do they experience grace and forgiveness in your community? In the end, the Church needs to be authentic to Christ. We need to do what God promises to do in Christ through us.
What do you think are the promises Church need to be delivering on? BIG and small?
