The Church and the M.C.

Yeah, I know. Having the Church in the same title as the M.C. seems like a strange thing to do. In the words of my friend Kelly would say, it’s a juxtaposition! Just how do these two groups fit together?

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about both these subjects. My thoughts about the Church are focused mainly on a church called Capital City Bikers’ Church. My church. It’s filled with some amazing people. People I love dearly. Many of them I haven’t seen in a few months while I’m on this three month break. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been thinking of them. I’ve been contemplating the many areas of Bikers’ Church, considering ways we can improve and strengthen what we do. I’ve been asking God to give some clear direction for the future of Bikers’ Church. I believe he is doing just that.

At the same time, my mind has been on the biker culture. There’s a bunch of reasons for that. In an older post, I shared about some friends (the aforementioned Kelly and her man Jase) who experienced a major fire at their bike shop. After talking with a couple of bikers (Mike & Fred), I decided to set up a way for people to donate to help these bikers. I was amazed at how many people rose to the occasion. Total strangers donated. It was is amazing.

Another reason for why I’m spending a lot of time thinking about the M.C. (Motorcycle Club) culture is the time I spent with a friend during my road trip. His passion and love for his patch was very evident to me. Whether he continues in his club or not, he reminded me again of the dedication required to be part of a true M.C.

Finally, I find myself thinking a lot about M.C. culture because I’m addicted to the television show Sons of Anarchy. Without question, it is the most well written, character driven drama on TV right now. Every episode keeps me captivated and once I’m done watching, I find myself drawn to the culture. Not the gun-running, illegal activity of the culture, but the no-holds-family-first passion that M.C. members have for each other.

Before we started Bikers’ Church, we actually established a Christian M.C. here in Ottawa. We did it right. The club followed all the typical rules of any M.C. I was very excited about the club. Once the church got going, I found myself struggling with trying to do both. Specifically, I struggled with the need for a church to be inclusive while a club is, by nature, exclusive. In the end, we decided to shut down the M.C. in order to put all our efforts into the church. I still believe it was the right decision.

During the club days, I remember many pastors asking me about the process for becoming a member. Hangaround, Prospect, dues, regulations were all words that pastors found fascinating. Over and over, I heard statements like, “If only I could implement the same process in the church.” “If we put the same expectations on a church member that a club does on one of their members, we’d accomplish so much more in the church.” There’s so much truth in their thoughts.

And so, over the next few blog posts, I want to share my perspective on what the Church can learn from the M.C. culture. And, perhaps I’ll even toss in a few thougths about what the M.C. culture can learn from the Church. I think you’ll be surprised at how many ways these two groups can imitate one another.

More to come. Click here to read part two.

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