Tony Wheeler dot Net

Maybe it is just me, but on most days I’d rather be in a Motorcycle Club than join or go to Church.  I’ve been watching a show called Sons of Anarchy on FX (via Hulu.com) and can’t help but think of what the Church would look like if it were more like a motorcycle club. Please realize that I didn’t gain my experience of motorcycle clubs from a TV show, I grew up being close to a lot of Club members.

• Many motorcycle clubs are highly entrepreneurial.  That resonates with me. They find ways to make money, invest for the future, and also take care of not only their own people, but people in their communities.  Their endeavors are not limited to bars and strip clubs, but law firms, doctor’s offices, and countless other LEGAL operations. Bikers are huge supporters of Toys for Tots and also have tons of charity events throughout the year.  A great missional community aspect if you ask me.  We could learn a great deal from this by not just opening a coffee house or bookstore in a Business as Mission environment. Where else can we branch out? What other lines of business can be mutually beneficial?
• They are fiercely loyal to family and friends. If you’ve got an issue, they have your back. No questions asked. In Church, if you’ve got an issue you’re probably scared to bring it up because of how you’ll be judged.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ve seen a lot of Churches that handle issues very well, but many don’t. Not just big issues, but just general life stuff.  You need a place to live? Crash on my couch. You need some food? Here is $50 bucks. You need a ride? I’ve got this old Ironside you can use until we can fix yours. Your old lady left you? Let me buy you a beer and we can talk about it.
• They are not concerned with the status quo. I dare venture to guess that you’d never hear the President of a motorcycle club talk about how he is worried that the club down the street doesn’t like them or the club secretary report about all the calls they’ve gotten about the latest mailing they sent out.  They simply do what they do because it is what they do. How often is the Church concerned with the status quo. Motorcycle clubs are generally governed by a charter or bylaws. That is it. They don’t allow anyone outside the club to tell them how to run things. How much more (or less) should the church be concerned with the status quo?
• Motorcycle Clubs generally like to party. In all honesty, I’m pretty boring. I’m a family man now, which means I don’t spend a lot of time hanging out with people that aren’t my family or close friends…and that usually takes place at a home of some sort. But back in the day, I used to love going to parties and hanging out with people that I didn’t know, talking about who knows what. Some of my fondest memories of my early twenties are when I was a waiter because I would hang out with my coworkers after work, share stories, food, and beer. I can honestly say that I had more spiritual conversations open up during those late nights/early mornings than at any other time in my life. I loved every second of it. I’m not saying you should go down to the bar every night, but it wouldn’t hurt to venture outside of your comfort zone now and again. (I’m preaching to myself as much as anyone else here)

I could probably draw many more parallels, but these are just some of the thoughts that sprang to mind. The main thing is that I don’t see the Church actually being the Church as described in Acts 2 as often as I have seen Motorcycle Clubs be the Church.  Again, preaching as much to myself as anyone else here. I’m probably more at fault than anyone reading this. I need to re-examine my priorities so that my life displays the attributes of the Church more often. I need to be more missional in my daily life. My hope is that we are all daily moving toward a more missional life and focus.