Manslick Road church of Christ

The Joneses’ Church

Keeping up with the Joneses is an old way of describing people who think they must have everything their neighbors have. Not wanting to be outdone, folks buy new houses, cars, clothes, sports equipment, electronic gizmos, and more. In some cases the old things really are worn out or obsolete; in others, we simply do not want to be (or appear to be) outdated.

There is often a problem, however: the Joneses may make more money than we do. To solve that, we convince ourselves that these wants are needs and out come the credit cards. (Are the Joneses’ finances in any better shape?) And there is another problem: the Joneses don’t ever quit buying. We are always aiming at a moving target. The process never ends.

Did you know that the Joneses go to church? Yes, they do. And would you be surprised to learn that church has it all, too?

Denominational churches have long known about the Joneses’ church. When it started having pot-lucks, others quickly followed. It then built a multi-purpose facility in which to have them. So did others. The Joneses’ church then turned to musical programs, plays, sports teams, day care, schools, exercise classes, camps, retreats, recreational outings and more. They were determined to be the biggest. But so were others. They not only kept up with the Joneses’ church, they tried to outdo them. Now, anything goes. Nothing seems too far-fetched; some church somewhere has it.

Lost in all this scramble for image and size is the simple New Testament pattern for local churches. Also lost is God’s approval. Merely attaching His name to a thing does not make it right (Mt. 7:21-23 ).

Conservatives preach against the Joneses’ church’s innovations, yet some of us look wishfully at their swelling numbers and dabble. A few of our “gospel meetings” are looking a lot like youth rallies or marriage seminars. Sermon content is shifting away from salvation and doctrinal themes. VBS is getting increasingly playful and dramatic. So are some preachers.

There is no virtue in getting stuck in a rut. The framework of what God authorizes certainly allows for some variety in approach. But the Joneses’ church will always have more to appeal to the worldly minded. Salvation is what the Lord’s church is all about (Eph. 5:23 ).