Numbers Don't Lie--Or Do They?

The political season is all revved up. Ads, phone calls, and junk mail are taking up time, space, and attention. I am so tired of it all--the half truths, innuendoes, and political posturing. The news media spends much of its valuable time covering this rat race. The other big story is the economy. Are we doing better? Are we doing worse? What is the outlook for the next year? Power and money, numbers and manipulation. Everything focused on changing some number, some count, some indicator. Its all about numbers.

This world runs on numbers. Most of our attention is on counting numbers--seeking to get more money, or lower that cholesterol number, or drop those pounds we gained last year, or pay off that student loan, or save for a vacation, or hope for a better job evaluation, or raise our grade average, and so on. Even in the church we find that numbers count--the size of the offerings, the number of people attending Adult classes and Divine Worship, the number of Baptisms. So, before I criticize numberolatry, please understand that I understand that we cannot get away from numbers. They are everywhere because it is one of the main ways in which we evaluate things.

Recently Matt Harrison was elected, and will assume his duties tomorrow, as President of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod. (Elections rely on numbers too!) His election can be accounted for by a reaction against the wrong use of numbers on the one hand and a desire to recapture a faithful confession and practice within the LCMS on the other. God grant him the grace and wisdom to be a faithful confessional pastor to us all!

The previous administration had emphasized church growth/seeker friendly theories and methodologies. A central aspect of that movement focuses on numbers--how to attract larger numbers to the church. It drives their methodologies. Thus, the Law is toned down, the Gospel muddied, the Sacraments are confused, "how to" sermons predominate, musical content is replaced by catchy praise bands. We are all familiar with the standard package designed to sell the church. The whole point is to attract crowds. But what attracts crowds becomes the means of keeping them also. What happens to content, to the message when crowds are the point?

We were told that we must change or die. (Who is the Lord of the Church anyway?) So the new methods would save us! They would lead onward and upward to new heights of glory! The call was to do something different. The liturgy holding up the Word and Sacraments was not enough. They are old hat. We've moved on. Our society doesn't relate to them. My question is this--what establishes the Church and keeps it? Is it not Christ and his Word?

I believe this perversion of the church has happened in our country because we have adopted political/business models for the church. In so doing we are trying to control things. We want a positive change in numbers. This requires power to do it our way. Centralization of authority, muting the opposition, doing whatever works to attract more people. Look at the bottom line, the numbers don't lie. Or do they?

The Church is a unique. We live in the world but are not of the world. We are to be harmless like sheep. Using brute power is not our way. We are to be wise, but not deceptive or manipulative. Our only weapon in the battle for hearts and minds is the Word of God. We are simply witnesses to the truth in word and deed. But it is God who changes hearts not our methods. The simple message of the Gospel is powerful because the Spirit of God is at work through it. Of this we can be certain even when the numbers don't seem to be there!

If we want to evaluate ourselves--which I don't think is that useful other than in confession and absolution, and in preparation for the Lord's Supper--what standard can we use? Attendance, the budget, the bank account, our facilities? Would it not be better to evaluate ourselves at the one point in which God requires it of us? "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." (1 Cor.4:2) We are called to be faithful to the mysteries of God. This means first of all faith in God's Word and faithfulness in our proclamation of that Word in our preaching, our teaching, our music, our practices, our personal witness. Everything should focus on getting the message right and getting it out. Each of us has a part in this through word and deed, both as congregations and individuals. And even if we have a heart to do this, we won't get it right all of the time. But God is greater than our failures. He is greater than our best attempts. He is greater than our successes! He alone is the Mighty God, the Lord, the Captain of the Host.

In the Old Testament two interesting narratives of counting heads occurred. In the book of Numbers there are two census takings, Num. 1:2-46 and Num. 26:2-62. This records all the men of fighting age by families. The story between the first and second census is the story of human failure and unfaithfulness to God. The reason for the census is to show that God means what he says. God's evaluation of this story is found at the end of the second census, "But among these there was not a man of them whom Moses and Aaron the priest numbered, when they numbered the children of Israel in the wilderness of Sinai. For the LORD had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun." (Num. 26:64-65) Why were Joshua and Caleb allowed to survive their generation? Because they were faithful. They trusted God's promise even when it was not popular, even when they faced the threat of death (Num. 14:6-10). The second account records David's census of the people (2 Sam. 24). This is also a narrative about God's judgment upon his people. God was angry with them because of their rebellion against God's anointed king. In the pride of his heart David wanted to know how great he had become once his kingdom was restored to him. The plague that resulted was curtailed only by God's mercy. As a result of this David built an altar on the place where the plague was stopped. That threshing floor later became the site of Solomon's Temple.

Pride, rebellion, and unfaithfulness are themes of these stories. They are warnings to us that our prideful rebellion and unfaithfulness is an ever present temptation even to persons who are otherwise people "after God's own heart." We may think we can do it our way, in our strength, for our aggrandizement. If we think this we are going to die as a church. The change needed is not new methods but repentance for our sins and faith toward God. But a greater theme of these stories is God's mercy. In his mercy he gave David a kingdom and a promise. The Temple was built. Into that Temple the Son of God, David's greater Son, came to proclaim the Kingdom of heaven. Upon that mountain the Lord Jesus paid the price for our sins, including our prideful rebellion and unfaithfulness. So we have life, not death. God's promise to us is sure even when the numbers don't say so!