Set it and Forget it Christians

I first used the term "set it and forget it Christians" back in the late 1960's when I was preaching regularly. I don’t know what specific incident, if any, precipitated the use of the phrase. I hadn’t heard it from someone else, nor have I heard anyone else use it since, so I guess I’ll take credit for it. At the time there was a womens’ hair care product on the market (I don’t even remember which one) whose slogan was something like "just set it and forget it". I coined the phrase to refer to what was happening in churches at the time. We would get people to make decisions to accept Jesus Christ, and join our churches, then just kind of leave them to fend for themselves after that.

My thinking was challenged in this direction once again recently as I was researching for one of the chapters in my book. I had previously read an article about Church dropouts when I was a subscriber to "Charisma" magazine. I couldn’t find my copy (I probably gave it away) so I got a reprint off of their website. As I reread the article, I found the following quotation:

"What distresses both sides of the issue is that, for the most part, churches
are more concerned about getting new people through the front doors than finding
out why, once inside, many are leaving through the rear exit."

The "set it and forget it Christian" is still alive. They exist in the form of the Church dropout that this article talks about, and also in the form of the spiritual "children" that populate so may of our Churches. These are the folks that are still in the congregations, but are not growing as they should spiritually. Paul talked about these in I Corinthians 3:1-4.

I am especially concerned about the Church dropouts because I used to be one of them. Many of those who are full time RVers out here on the road are in this category as well. I know that the Bible tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, but many of us left Church before they gave that lesson.

I don’t fully blame the dropouts. I don’t think it is asking too much for Church to be a meaningful experience that enriches the life of every believer, and helps to make us understand the relevance of our faith to our daily life.

If you want to read the article by Andy Butcher to which I am referring, go to the "Charisma" website, www.charismamag.com and type "church dropouts" in the search box in the upper right corner. The article appeared in the February, 2005 issue.

The Great Commission tells us to "[enroll] disciples of all nations" and to "teach them to observe all things" (Matthew 28:19-20). Winning the lost is a vital part of the mission of the Church, but winning the "saved" needs to become a prominent part of our mission if we ever expect to be what Jesus intended us to be.

Thanks for sharing this moment with me today.

On The Road Again-- Riviera, Texas

Well, so much for my promise to Blog more often! I wanted to take advantage of the last few days in the Rio Grande valley to get more writing done in the book. Then we got on the road again, putting in some long days that left little energy for writing.

We got back on the road again March 1st, and now we are back in Arkansas for a while, visiting family, and waiting for it to warm up back north before we go the rest of the way.

So let me tell you about another interesting place we stopped on our journey northward: Riveria, Texas. We first discovered this area in 2005 after leaving the valley on our first year there. It was at this time that I read in a tourist brochure that this area was called "The Riviera of Texas" in times past because, like the European version, it was a playground for the rich and famous. I don’t remember what year it was supposed to have taken place, but a fire swept through the hotels and other tourist facilities, and pretty much wiped the whole thing out, leaving the quiet little sport fishing and beach area that is there today.

The actual town called "Riviera" is on highway 77, about ten miles inland from Baffin Bay. The area called "Riviera Beach", about which I am writing is in a rural area on Baffin Bay itself. The whole area is about thirty-five miles south of Kingville, Texas, which is home to the famous King Ranch, the largest ranch in the world.

You wouldn’t suspect that anything much goes on there just by driving through the area. There are actually three RV parks in the area. Two are private, and looked to be full, probably occupied by people who have their sites reserved for years in advance. The park where we stayed is called "Sea Wind RV Resort". It is located within the Kaufer-Hubert Memorial County Park, and is operated by Kleberg County. It is unique among most public parks that I have seen in that they encourage long term stays. They accept reservations only for stays of three months or longer. There are 134 long term back-in sites that seem to be full all the time, and twenty-five pull throughs that have water and electric (both 30 and 50 amp) only.

We actually stayed here four times this season. The first time was an overnight stop on our way to the valley in January, then we stopped for a few days the following week while we waited out the ice storm when we were returning to San Antonio. About a week later, when we returned to the valley, we stopped again for a week, at which time I hammered out the "final" draft of chapters three and four in my book. Then, on our way back north this month, we stopped by overnight for one last time.

Can you tell that I like this park? It is a peaceful place that is conducive to writing, and there is a beautiful view of the Bay if you are on the north side of the campground. There is a full activities program, and the long term folks are very cordial. I would be happy to spend the winter there, but my wife insists that it is too far from "civilization".

The most striking feature that I want to point out about Sea Wind, something that is of prime importance to us Christian folk, is the park Church service. In my book I talk about park Churches that take themselves seriously, and those that do not. This is definitely one that does! They meet in the recreation hall, and they call themselves "The Church on the Bay". They even have a charter, and conduct business meetings. On our first visit, they mentioned performing a Baptism (adult) in the Bay. There is a small Praise Band, made up of musicians who stay in the park, all older than myself I might add. They play and sing a combination of traditional and contemporary music, mostly in a Country-Western style. It just goes to show what I’ve always said: the new music isn’t just for the young people anymore. The preaching was straight from the Bible. The worship services aren’t exquisite, but I was blessed to be able to share Sunday Worship with them.

If you’re in the area, the park is about eleven miles off US 77. Take FM 628 just north of the town of Riviera (it is a better road than the 771 route that you will see in your Rand-McNally). When you get to the King’s Inn (a quaint and excellent local restaurant) at Loyola Beach, and you can see the Bay, turn right on FM 1145 and the park entrance will be less than two miles further on your left. Rates are reasonable: $25 per night ($22.50 for Good Sam), $125 weekly, $250 monthly (plus electric). I hope that you enjoy it there as much as I do.

Thanks for spending this moment with me today.