I’m A Model, You Know What I Mean?

On November 10 I had the privilege of modeling in the Killingsworth Gala and Fashion Show. It was a girl’s dream come true. As one of four sisters in my family I have grown up dressing up and putting on “fashion shows,” but this was the first time I took mine and my sisters’ childhood pastime to a public stage—in front of seven hundred people no less! It was an honor to be a part of such a beloved ministry to women, and it was a lot of fun. Yes, fun. Did you know a bunch of church ladies (and a few men who were present) can have fun loving God through supporting a vital ministry to women in our area? I know, it may come as a shock to some non-church going folks or jaded church life-timers to describe the church with this “F” word, but truly that night where many more than two or three were gathered there was the Spirit of the Lord and it was fun! John Wesley writes in many sermons that God desires us to enjoy Him in time and eternity; I can’t think of a more recent gathering that was truly lived out than at the Killingsworth Gala.

As much as I enjoyed our MC, Thomas, the fashion director from Dillards, he clearly thought that he was going to be dealing with a bunch of dusty, shoulder-padded, long-skirt-wearing ladies. Boy, was he surprised and proven wrong—not just by the models but by the beautiful, elegant women seated at the tables. At one point as I sauntered across the catwalk Thomas said, “Jeri Katherine looks like she should be on a runway in New York City. I think she missed her calling.” Instead of being flattered, as my six-year-old self would have been, I was annoyed. I almost shouted from the runway, “No, I didn’t! I am a model—maybe not on one of New York’s runways, but I am a model, at least I hope I am, of Christ in our world.” Thomas’ one seemingly innocent comment represents what I think, unfortunately, many people think of the church today: Irrelevant. Old. Unattractive. Not fun.

According to Thomas and many “un-churched,” or “de-churched” people I should have been shaking my little toosh on the catwalk singing that 1990s song by Right Said Fred, but instead of being too sexy for Milan, New York and Japan I should have been singing, “I’m too sexy for the church.” I won’t argue that night at the gala I totally rocked the Antonio Milano suit, Levi skinny jeans, Gianna Bini fedora, BCBGMaxazria faux-fur vest, and the Cremieux pintuck tunic. When money is not an issue a woman can find anything to look and feel good in. With money a non-issue, lots of makeup, and over twenty years of runway practice with my sisters I was ready for my night on the catwalk, so I lived it up and felt beautiful.

But in reality I am not that fashionista who did my little turns on the catwalk that night at the gala. I am a modest shopper and dresser who relies on coupons, TJMaxx, consignment stores and just a simple tube of mascara. And yet every day I think of myself as a model. Maybe William Shakespeare was right and “all the word is a stage.” But men and women aren’t merely players, but we’re also spectators and observers; we’re the audience. From the moment I wake up to the minute I lay my head down at night I am aware of whether or not my actions, words and thoughts bring God glory. Ministers have been given a place of situated ethos, power and authority where what we say and do can lead people closer to God, but the opposite can be just as true. John Wesley wrote about this issue in his sermon Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount V, “Now if an ordinary sinner teaches by his example, how much more a sinful minister…[A minister] is the choicest instrument of the prince of darkness.” I am deeply aware that within and outside of the church I always where the title “Christian” and “minister.” All Christians—ministers and lay people—have all been called models—models of Christ in the here and now.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by Thomas’ comment; it seems to be a view I am always fighting. I have met many skeptical looks and raised eyebrows when people find out that I am a pastor of a church, and I have had the heartbreaking exeperience of having folks leave my church without a word because of my age and my gender. People are always surprised that I am not male, old and balding. (Apologies to my older, balding, male colleagues!) Why don’t people expect young people—especially women—to be enthusiastic, passionate and competent leaders of our church? Why does church and youth seem to be opposites in the public opinion?

I do not have the space in this one article to even begin to answer these questions, and our bookstores are already full of such books that attempt to get to the bottom of this problem. I don’t have the catch-all answer to dispel these untrue stereotypes, but things have to change—and more than on the technical and structural levels. We are dealing with adaptive problems in a post-modern world that is rapidly changing. As a church, both old and young, need to work together to show the world that being a disciple of Christ is not outdated, irrelevant and a miserable way of life. Rather being a disciple today can be vibrant, engaging, extremely relevant, fun—and yes a little sexy at times too.

Instead of simply repeating and posting the UMC’s most current and catchy mantra–”Rethink Church”–everywhere, we, the church, need to be living experiments of rethink church; we need to make church a verb as one of the many commercials tells us to do. But part of living rethink church means being ok with change, being ok with church looking completely different than the church our grandparents or even parents grew up in and being ok with trying something new, failing but not letting those failures deter us from trying again. How are we modeling “rethink church” so that we are relevant, fresh and hospitable?

 

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