by Eddie Pipkin

Photo by Pipkin

Are you familiar with the nijiriguchi?  It is the small doorway that marks the entrance to a Japanese tea garden.  It translates in English to “humility door,” and it serves a distinctive purpose that sets the spiritual tone of the garden as a person enters it.  It is an architectural feature that is simultaneously a statement of purpose, a reminder of identity, and a marker of shared commitment.  We need more functional symbols and practical, collaborative value building.  And we could all use a little more humility.

My family and I were visiting a botanical garden which featured just such a Japanese tea garden when I encountered the little opening that was the distinctive door.  I hunched down and levered my 6’2” frame through it, not because I knew what it was – if I had ever heard of the humility door before, I didn’t remember it – but because I thought it would be funny.  My wife and daughter, also unfamiliar with humility doors, rolled their eyes at me, because they are well acquainted with my goofball ways.  “We knew you were gonna do that,” they said.  Imagine my deep satisfaction when I saw the little plaque explaining the concept of a designated entryway for any who would be humble.  “Guess I’m the only humble one in this crew,” I bragged, to which they responded with more righteous eye rolling.

Dad jokes aside, I really love the concept.

I have, for the purposes of blogging, been thinking about that humility door in two separate tracks when it comes to local churches.

First is the idea of a physical reminder for those entering our shared spaces about what our core values are.  It can be a powerful visual (sometimes tactile) cue.  I have been to homes with a spiritual symbol or a prayer marking or a biblical phrase over the entry or exit door.  It was common in my youth to see a prominently displayed large family Bible in a place of honor.  It is customary in some churches to have a small baptismal font inside the church doors, always filled, so that people may deep their fingers and remember their baptism as they enter to worship or leave to engage the world.  These physical manifestations of that which is held most dear can anchor us and inspire us, consciously and subconsciously as they become a familiar part of our routine.

In most modern churches, the work of signaling core values is done by large colorful banners or other signage or projections.  If a church has a pithy vision statement, those carefully considered words can be communicated vividly in such a way that people can’t help but understand the mindset and the mission.  “Love your neighbor” is a good and effective example.  Post that statement throughout your campus, boldly and often, including in full view of the passing community, and there won’t be any doubt what your priorities are.  The more specific, the better – this doesn’t work nearly as well with amorphous, word salad slogans or generic, kitchen sink branding.

That kind of “here’s who we are” emphasis should be ever-present in your media and on your campus, because every church, large or small, should have a readily understood vision statement / mission statement.  Beyond that, though, and this is the second way in which I thought about the humility door as an example, there can be seasons of special focus in which we break out one of the featured values of discipleship and work on it in earnest together.

Humility is a great case in point.

It is, after all, one of the attributes of love found in the iconic list of qualities Paul cites in 1st Corinthians 13 (a condensed paraphrase of “love does not envy; love does not boast; love is not proud”).  Your leadership could take on humility as a value to be modeled and spend weeks on it as a subject to be explored interactively.  It could involve dozens of activities and workshops, artistic expressions, self-exploration, unique service opportunities, special worship possibilities.  Gives me chills just thinking about it!

And let’s say you wanted to do a whole season of exploring those attributes of love from 1st Corinthians 13.  Humility would just be one of several practical topics.

The people in the pews are hungry for practical, life-changing applications of their faith.  When we get everyone exploring a specific, powerful topic together, we give people permission to participate with honest enthusiasm and to involve others in a shared journey.

I state that case because it seems that so often local churches, from week to week, even if they are attempting thematic worship series, are lost in a cloud of hazy, unclear, abstract theological principle proclamations.

Jesus spoke directly to the people, using language they understood in contexts they could directly apply to their lives.

Practical is where it’s at.  And narrowing practical core principles down as narrowly as possible gives people something solid to latch on to (and makes it hard for them to take evasive mental action, that is to double-think their way out of applying the practical core principle to their own lives).

I’ve seen churches use forgiveness as a linchpin for such efforts.  Was there ever a more central value to discipleship than forgiveness?  And was there ever a concept that was more simultaneously straightforward yet densely layered with complications?  Perfect for the application we have been discussing here.  Imagine creative banners that strikingly feature famous quotes about forgiveness; a “path of forgiveness,” which is an interactive garden walk that encourages us to think about those we need to forgive and those from we need to seek forgiveness; the distribution of “forgiveness bands” to wear on our wrists and remind us to practice forgiveness in real time; a Saturday morning dedicated seminar on forgiveness; a special concluding worship service based around forgiveness.  The possibilities are rich.

Forgiveness might be something your church desperately needs to focus on.  Humility might be a more needed fit for your people at this time.  For every local congregation, each with its own context and history, there will be a fit that makes sense.  The key is to have your leadership determine what those opportunities are and then fearlessly pursue them.

What do you think a practical core value emphasis might be for your setting?  (Even as you read this, what are some examples of things that might be engaging for you, personally?)  Having identified a candidate or three, what are some ways you could physically manifest the concept to those entering your shared space?  What are some interactive ways you could explore the concept together?  These are the kind of thought exercises that are most fun done with a group of passionate people, so find such a friend, or a group of friends – or even cantankerous adversaries – and do some brainstorming today.

Let me know how it goes in the comments section below!