The Church Of The Open Door

Guest column from Rev. Michael Brooks of Siluria Baptist Church, Alabaster AL

While at Judson College I was summoned to an evening meeting at the National Guard Armory in nearby Demopolis. The organizer forgot to confirm the meeting with guard personnel. We couldn’t find an open door. We tried them all. Someone suggested we find an unlatched window, but we quickly decided it probably wasn’t a good idea to break into a National Guard facility.

We live in a world of locked doors.

“Motzki” was a German TV sitcom modeled after the American Archie Bunker of “All In The Family.” The West German lead character was prejudiced against East Germans. As an American I don’t understand why this existed, or if it yet does. But isn’t it true that most prejudices defy logical analysis?

I remember as a son of the South some churches declaring certain races weren’t welcomed, though we taught our children to sing, “red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.”

One of my neighbor pastors agonized when a CNN camera crew showed up.

A local African American Bible teacher told his class they wouldn’t be welcomed in some of the city’s churches. They challenged him, so he appeared at my neighbor’s church doorstep the next Sunday. The ushers turned him away and locked the sanctuary doors (which, according to the Fire Marshall, we cannot do). CNN somehow found out about this and came to interview the pastor.

I sympathized with my friend who was trying to lead the church to do the right thing without having an internal blowup. Eventually his congregation acquiesced, but only after giving the church of Jesus Christ a black eye throughout the land.

Sometimes we lock the doors inside our churches.

A denominational colleague told about a ladies Bible study class who had embroidered slipcovers on their chairs with their names stitched.

“Can you imagine how a newcomer would feel?” he asked.

The answer is obvious since newcomers weren’t expected or welcomed.

Throughout years of ministry I’ve heard Sunday morning Bible study members insist they should take people off the roll who don’t attend.

“They’re hurting our average,” they say.

I’ve gently reminded them we’re not in the percentage business, but the people business. At least having a person’s name on the roll reminds us to pray for them and serve them if we have opportunity. But if the name’s removed, this responsibility is removed as well. Case closed, and door closed.

One of the messages of Christmas is that there was an open door at the manger. Lowly shepherds and erudite magi were summoned to Christ.

The kingdom of God is an open door. “Whosoever” is the operative word.

This is a lesson with which we yet struggle.

"Reflections" is a weekly faith column written by Michael J. Brooks, pastor of the Siluria Baptist Church, Alabaster, Alabama. The church's website is siluriabaptist.com. Rev. Brooks has graciously given ALPolitics.com permission to repost his regular pastoral column here.

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