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Column: Trying to put a price tag on the priceless

By DR. MARK ROSS/Columnist

I stopped in front of the house and double-checked the address. A family had been visiting our church for several weeks indicating they would like to unite with the church. Now I was about to visit with them about that desire.
However, the house was a mansion. Its driveway was circular and covered with what looked to be granite pavers. The house itself appeared as large as our church, with columns on the front porch four feet in diameter. The address was correct, but I parked my oil-leaking car in the street, rather than the granite drive.
The inside of the house was just as spectacular as the outside. Ushered into a beautiful parlor, I was talking with the two children and their mother when the father walked into the room. The casual conversation suddenly became formal. He was all business. The man asked a few questions about the church and then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a checkbook.
“Just how much does it cost to join your church?” he asked.
Over the years people have asked me a lot of church questions, but no one has ever asked me how much it costs to join a church. I was caught off guard and without words.
To be honest, it had never occurred to me that someone would think that membership in a church had a price tag. I was naïve.
Years ago, churches would raise money by auctioning pews. These pews had small doors on the ends and were restricted to the owners. They were like box seats. The more one paid, the better the seats. If a Baptist church tried that today, the best seats would be the back pews. That was membership with a price tag.
I was also naïve in how people see membership in a church. We are members of country clubs, professional organizations and civic groups. Almost without exception, these memberships cost something. Why should people think of a church any differently? We pay membership dues everywhere else, why not the church?
In fact, the more I thought of it, I liked the man’s question. Things would be different if everyone asked this question about membership. “What does it costs to join a church?” There would be no more freeloaders. Everyone would pull his or her own weight. Yes, “membership has its privileges,” but it also has its responsibilities.
My imagination began to run wild. The possibilities for a church with membership dues were unlimited. There would have to be adjustments, of course. Christian principals would still be essential. Not everyone could pay the same. “To whom much is given, much is required.” No, we could not have collection committees that mailed nasty letters and threatened cancelled memberships, but membership statements might be possible.
In my mind, I was really running with this idea when I realized I had not answered this businessman. “Just how much does it cost to join your church?”
To be honest, I was tempted to ask, “Do you want standard or deluxe membership?”
That, of course, is the problem. The minute that there is a price tag on something, it is cheapened. Things are called priceless for a reason. Money will buy a house, but not a home. It will get you a clock, but not time. A person can pay for a pew, but not peace.
This man was used to paying his way and buying whatever he wanted. I bit my tongue and said, “It does not cost a thing to join the church, but it costs everything to follow Christ.”
“And he went away sorrowful, because his possessions were great.”

Dr. Mark Ross is the pastor of Marion Baptist Church. To learn more about MBC, visit http://www.marionbaptistchurchva.com/