In my last post, I shared about the process to becoming a member of a motorcycle club. As a result of that process, membership is incredibly important and something that is taken very seriously. Guys are proud of their club. In fact, in some cases, their love for the club overshadows everything else.
This time, I want to talk about the sense of family found in most motorcycle clubs. Again, if you haven’t done so, please read the second post in this series, where I explain what I mean by motorcycle clubs. It will help those who might disagree with some of what I will say below.
Family
One thing you will discover with most clubs is a strong sense of family. They truly see the other members as brothers (and sisters). They will do anything for one another. Anything. If a brother is in need, his club is there. It’s one of the things I love the most about clubs.
A club stands together. No matter what. Even if a member is in the wrong, they will stand with him. If a member acts like an idiot in public and finds himself in trouble as a result, his brothers will be right there beside him in the middle of the trouble. That doesn’t mean they will condone the behaviour. Often the club will address the behaviour of the member and make it clear that it’s not acceptable. However, that meeting will take place privately. Publicly, you will simply see people who stand together.
Lessons for the Church
I can’t speak for most churches, but I want Bikers’ Church to function in that way. In fact, it’s been a priority of ours since day one. When someone becomes a member of Bikers’ Church, there are expectations on them. We expect them to treat other members like family. To stand together. To defend one another.
We believe this so strongly that there have been a few times when we have challenged a person who broke this fundamental principle. We challenge those who publicly criticize another member. We take issue with those who treat another member with a lack of respect. We expect our members to stand together. To defend one another. If there’s an issue, we’ll deal with it. But it will be done privately, among those who are affected.
I remember a few years ago one of our guys breaking down a few hours from Ottawa. One phone call and he was looked after. Another member headed to meet him with his truck. It didn’t matter what else was going on. A brother was in trouble and others rose up. I could tell story after story that demonstrates this sense of family.
I think of my family growing up. There was my older brother and my younger sister. There were times when we would get frustrated with each other about one thing or another. I might criticize one of my siblings to my mom. But if someone outside my family attacked my brother or sister, I would rise up to defend them regardless of the validity of the attack. You simply do not go after my family without going through me.
Gossip and Murmuring
I don’t believe there is anything more damaging to a church than gossip or murmuring (groups of people whispering, complaining, and bad mouthing someone). Nothing drives me more crazy. I do everything I can to keep gossipers off the leadership team at Bikers’ Church. I don’t want them around. As far as I’m concerned, they’re dangerous.
When I hear of people within Bikers’ Church who are murmuring, I do what I can to address it. Among our leadership, we have a policy. If someone approaches a leader to criticize another member of the church, the leader is expected to interrupt the person and say something along the following lines: “Tell you what, if you have an issue with that person, then we should address it. Let’s call them and arrange a meeting between the three of us. You can share your criticism directly to them, and I’ll help mediate the issue for you.” It’s amazing how often people don’t want to go to that step. Why? Because they really aren’t trying to resolve an issue, they’re just looking to complain.
Conclusion
Look, I realize that even in the best of motorcycle clubs, there are times when this sense of family falls short. Let’s face it, even in the best of families, the ideal sometimes fails. The point I’m trying to make is that for the most part, that sense of family is celebrated in the club scene. It’s something many churches could learn.
