I had some conversations this past week that made me think about the proverbial ‘back door’ (for those of you not into churchish, the term ‘back door’ is a reference to the turn-over of people who, coming in the ‘front door’, look around and then leave the church without really connecting with the community).  As you can imagine some church leaders try real hard to keep the back door closed or as closed as possible. They do this through a variety of means – some of which are good (providing opportunities for folks to plugin, following up within visitors) and some of which are not so good (changing styles or bending previous rules to make folks happy).

While I understand and appreciate the concept of closing the back door, I’m not sure if I agree with the mentality it conveys. The simple act of trying to close the back door, even a bit, brings with it a mentality that it is somehow up to us as church leaders to keep or retain people in our community. It is a mentality born out of a presupposition that we are somehow responsible for other people’s journey with Jesus.

In looking at the life of Jesus within the Gospels we see a man who loved everyone he came into contact with; yet at the same time we see a man who did not force people to follow him. Yes, he called people and challenged them – but he did not force them to stay or to walk with him. In fact, St. John records that Jesus actually asked the Twelve disciples if they too wanted to stop following him after a bunch of ‘disciples’ left due to a ‘hard teaching’ (John 6:60-70). Lucky, Peter and the Elven responded negatively and decided to stay with Jesus versus walking out the back door.

Because of this, and the words that Jesus spoken during that time (“no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them”), I tend to like a wide open back door in which folks can readily leave if that want too. Basically I’m not going to try to force or talk people into staying in relationship or going to church. These are personal things that each person must work out themselves.

Granted, there are times when you have to go after a person who is overwhelmed by life and lovingly talk to them about their choices (this is the hard part of being a pastor!). But in the end, it has to be their choice to either walk with you and the church as you all follow Jesus or if they want to try to follow Jesus on their own (or, for that matter, if they want to choice an entirely different path away from everything).

As I write this the words of St. Paul to the church in Philippi comes to mind:

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain. But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.” –Philippians 2:12-18

St. Paul’s heart, as we just read, was for everyone in the church to follow Jesus and to “shine” brightly amidst the darkness of the culture around them. Yet, he also knew that each person would have to “work out” their own “salvation with fear and trembling.” There was only so much he could do, and after that, it was up to the people themselves.

Accordingly, I feel that we should live the same way. We go out, love people and invite them join us in following Jesus. Some people will blow us off, others with walk with us for a season while still others with decided to stay with us longer (queue thoughts of the parable of the sower). No matter what happens Jesus wins as long as we listen to him and do what he says to do and say what he says to say at each moment in our lives (which is ultimately the only measurement for success).

Another way to look at the issue of an open back door is to imagine a free flowing stream. Damming it up (i.e. closing the back door) would mean stopping the very thing that brings life to the steam as the movement of the water infuses oxygen into the water allowing life survive. It also means that the ‘stuff’ floating in the steam will begin to build up causing log jams and other unwanted difficulties – all things that could potential damage the stream/church (think of an alga covered pond with no movement).

By allowing the stream to flow naturally, we allow the Spirit of the Lord to direct who comes and who goes while moving with Him on His adventure. This is not to say that we are ‘selective’ in who we let into the church. BY NO MEANS! We love and embrace everyone with no exceptions, period! The analogy of a moving stream is simply a reminder of the words of St. Paul against the ‘false teachers’ or wolves in sheep clothing that try to destroy the Bride of Christ. Those folks we, quite honestly, would rather have to go on down the stream somewhere else (where, Lord willing, they will be able to learn how to walk after Jesus a bit better), leaving the people who want to walk after Jesus and who have been placed among us by the Lord himself.

In the end, I believe we are to embrace an open back door. Love it. Encourage it. Live it. Let us focus on loving people for the period of time, short or long, that Jesus sees fit to let them walk with us. We, after all, simply slaves and servants of the King doing whatever He says to do for however long He says to do it.