Same-Pew Syndrome

June 27, 2008

By William E. Richardson

Outdoors, it was a beautiful summer Sunday. Indoors, surprises awaited us.

My wife and I, so far, had enjoyed vacationing in a tourist town. We drove to the nearest Assemblies of God church. We were ready for refreshing worship and a challenging sermon. We were about to be challenged, if not refreshed.

No greeter met us at the door. Few people passing us in the foyer offered a handshake or a smile. Entering the sanctuary, we sat at the end of an empty pew. Within a few minutes a woman came up to us, not with a bulletin in hand, not with a friendly smile on her face.

“You’re sitting in my spot,” she said.

My wife and I were shocked. That woman likely attended every Sunday to sit only in that spot in that pew. She suffered from a problem common to too many churchgoers — Same-Pew Syndrome.

Week after week, some church people prefer familiar seating, the same color of carpet under their feet, a predictable service schedule and the same people sitting in the same spots around them. To them, the familiar is sacred; any change is suspect.

People with Same-Pew Syndrome may shout “Amen!” during the sermon, but fail to live those parts of the message during the week. They may boast how well they read their Bible, but never share its redeeming truths with anyone. They often show more concern over change within the church than seeing God change lives still outside the church walls.

Same-Pew Syndrome isn’t true Christianity.

God desires change, both in us and around us. The kingdom of Heaven advances when Christians hear the wind God is sending, observe ways He’s spreading the gospel and become part of it. If the disciples had been afflicted with SPS on the Day of Pentecost, the church would never have left the Upper Room.

As God’s servants, we can’t afford to forget our Lord’s last words to us. Jesus didn’t tell us to promote our petty preferences; He commanded us to spread the Word of how He, God, lived and died for all people. We are to baptize new believers and train them in His teachings.

When we fail to carry out what we call the Great Commission, we become too entrenched in our comfort zones. The results: frustrations over our personal preferences rather than promoting the gospel.

Could you have Same-Pew Syndrome? Do you ever feel feverish with the need to protect certain features of the church building or certain aspects of the worship service? Do you ever forbid a newcomer to sit in your spot?

Instead of merely growing older as Christians, let’s mature. Instead of leading SPS-afflicted lives, let’s live obedient to our Lord’s Great Commission. Let’s let our own ideas die so people who need to hear the gospel can live.

Jesus promised to be with us always. The conditions preceding that promise are clear: We are to go … make disciples … baptize … teach (see Matthew 28:19,20).

We can’t begin to do that while selfishly stuck in the rut of the familiar.

— William E. Richardson is senior pastor of Afton (Iowa) Assembly of God.