Early Sunday morning I had to run an errand which took me past two churches. It was early enough that the only people at the church buildings would have been the pastor(s), the worship leaders, and a handful of other key staff and volunteers preparing for the laters arrival of the congregations.

In Church A, which has a very large parking lot, there were twenty or thirty cars. A few were scattered around the parking lot, but all quite close to the building. Most of the vehicles were parked in the spaces located closest to the building (except for the handicapped spaces). Farther away from the building, the vast parking lot was empty. Zero cars were on the outskirts of the parking lots.

In Church B, a smaller church, there were about seven or eight cars of early-arrivers. They sat in a neat row, side-by-side in the corner of the parking lot which was at the absolute farthest from the building. Every parking space near the building was empty.

At risk of being overly judgmental and drawing unwarranted conclusions, I  suspect that the phenomenon I observed may have revealed something about the culture and philosophy of the two churches–and perhaps about the kind of leadership each church had.

I would guess that Church B promotes a culture of SERVANTHOOD. Early arriving workers who filled important roles in the Sunday ministry apparently viewed themselves as SERVANTS who should park as far as possible from the building so that others could use the close spots.  Spaces near the building were strategically kept available for visitors, the handicapped, the elderly, parents with young children, etc. If I am correct in my assessment, this suggests something about the leadership of Church B. It was no accident that every early arriver parked side-by-side in the spots most distant from the building. That speaks of intentionality. They apparently teach and practice a culture of SERVANTHOOD rather than CELEBRITYISM. The church is not expected to serve the leaders. The leaders model serving the church.

Could it be that the culture of Church A tends more toward CELEBRITYISM than SERVANTHOOD? Do the leaders, staff and volunteers, have a subtle sense of entitlement and self-importance such that they deserve the best parking spots? After all “first come, first served” rather than the attitude in Church B, “first come, first to serve.” What are the subtle messages to first-time-visitors when the only parking spaces available are farthest from the building? Would it be safe to say that the message is NOT: “We were expecting you and did our best to make you feel welcome and valued”?

Wouldn’t it be great if any “Reserved for Pastor” signs were far out in the parking lot boondocks rather than in the most desirable spaces? I understand the motivation of churches who put up those signs because they love and honor their pastors, but perhaps, while acknowledging that intent, the scenario could be used as a “teachable moment” regarding the mission of the church and the importance of being servants.

In every congregation, there are people who absolutely should use the closest parking spots without any feeling of selfishness. To make that possible, the able-bodied of all ages, the healthy, the early-arrivers, and the robust should drop off their wives, young children, and elderly passengers, and then head for the “boonies” to park their vehicles.

Jesus said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45).