
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, November 7, 1995                   TAG: 9511070026
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-4   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: STUART H. REVERCOMB
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

CHURCHES CALL, BUT TOO FEW ANSWER

IN RESPONSE to Roy H. Scott's Oct. 9 commentary (``What greater ministry than to the poor?'') concerning the real or perceived inadequacies of local churches with respect to mission to the poor, I'd like to pose the following question:

Has the church lost its mission, or have we as individuals and as a society failed to hear the call of the church?

Scott states quite clearly that the church's single mission is to meet the needs of the poor and the oppressed, as though the church would somehow be fulfilling its role as Christ intended if it could but become a very large, extemely successful charitable organization.

I believe Christ's calling to the church requires a bit more consideration - perhaps more than can be covered in this small forum. Scott's deep concern is indeed admirable, but his premise that the church is responsible for humanity's failure to meet the needs of the poor is misguided at best.

Many local churches do have large, often top-heavy budgets that are required to keep their constantly evolving facilities and programs in place. Many also focus on ``maintaining specific doctrinal interpretation or making socio-religious political statements'' - all in lieu of perhaps more meaningful examples of witness to Christ. But is this due to the church and its leaders in some overall sense losing its mission as directed by Christ, or do we as individuals only respond to that part of the church's calling that suits our own selfish agendas and lives?

The ``mediocre'' church leaders Scott speaks of offer more than 15,000 sermons a year valleywide, backed by innumerable examples of sacrifice in the service of others by lay leaders and clergy alike. Quality of content most certainly varies, but I believe the sincerity of effort and ultimate results to be generally pure.

Perhaps our collective sinful nature will always preclude us from responding to the needs of others sufficiently, and it's likely that our churches will never approach perfection as long as human hands are upon the tiller. But we cannot blame the church eternal, the very body of Christ, for actions or lack thereof of those who hear but don't heed the call.

Stuart H. Revercomb is a ruling elder at Second Presbyterian Church in Roanoke.

by CNB