“Organized religion’s” trust levels are only a few percentage points higher than our politicians.  This is a grave problem for the church.  Of course the term organized religion is a much broader term than the church, but most American’s are probably thinking about the Christian church since over 80 percent self-identify as a Christian.  This statistic is telling: the majority of Americans, over three quarters of them, view organized religion with the same suspicion of our politicians, which are often associated with incredible self-interest and pettiness.

THE CHURCH AS HORSE AND BUGGY?

This has not lead, though, to an outbreak of atheism.  Spiritual things are still a hot topic in many people’s lives and still has incredible influence over how people live their lives.  Many people will say that “they are spiritual, but not religious.”  Or say “I can have a relationship with God, but I don’t need to belong to a church.”  These statements are indicative of the wider attitude towards church: the church as an organism and organization is no longer seen as a credible source to know God or find life.  Instead the church looks like a horse and carriage in a world of automobiles — tolerated, but not the best way to get around.

IT SHOULD BE ABOUT TRUST

And that is why trust is so important.  Trust is the bedrock of all quality relationships.  All relationships that have value to us have trust.  Without trust there is no relationship.  So if the church needs a restoration it will need renewal in the area of trust.  At the core of all churches is relationship — relationship to one another, relationship to the leadership, relationship to the organization.  When trust is broken, just as in all relationships, the whole edifice crashes.  The church has a moral imperative, then, to not retreat into a enclave where they can perpetuate a community where trust is already established, but to do the hard work of restoring trust with individuals and in communities in which they reside.

But sadly this is often not the case.  To the outside world the church seems to be a container of hypocrites, money-hungry leaders, and people full of hate.  Sadly, this is also the experience of many Christians.  Many Christians now walk with a spiritual or emotional limp because the church broke trust.  Many have experienced the fallout of leadership who have covered over their sin because their church or vision was more important than their individual righteousness or morality.  Some churches have been captured by false teaching that leave people wounded and starving for the one true God.  Many have seen church people preach one thing and then turn around and do another.  This has left many wondering, “can the church really be a place where we can practice what we preach?” “can this really be a place that has treasure for the outside world?”

THE ABSOLUTE REQUIREMENT FOR CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

And the blueprint of building trust is simple, surprisingly, refreshingly simple.  It does not involve any new thinking or teaching, but actually rediscovering something very old: the gospel.

Because in the gospel message is embedded two characteristics that are vital for trust: humility and sacrificing for others.  Trust is never built ON perfection, but on the ability to own up to our mistakes and our flaws.  We even see this with church membership: the church is one of the only organizations in the world where the absolute requirement for membership is failure.  You have to own up to your bankruptcy before God to even get in.  So why would we destroy trust by pretending that we have performed for God?