The Time Traveller’s Question

Imagine an EMC time-traveller from the 1920s visiting us today. Would they find any clue that, of all the churches in town, this was their descendant?

Any songs they might know? Any events in the calendar still happening? Any books read then and still read now? Any leadership structure that was a throwback to the 1920s EMC? Would the church building bear any resemblance? Any EMC lore or legends still being retold? Would this time-traveller find any clue that the 1920s EMC had once existed and had successfully passed along some bit of tradition?

Photo by Denise Jans on Unsplash

Our time-traveller might find some familiar family names—a Penner or a Wiebe. In the church library (what is that strange practice?) they might still find a copy of the old German hymnal filed under curiosities.

This time-traveller would certainly note that we had borrowed a lot from other traditions. Evangelicalism would loom large everywhere and the traveler would not have predicted that. There would be more 1920s Pentecostalism evident than 1920s EMC. In many churches there would be more Anglican and Catholic influence than the historic EMC.

But if no semblance could be detected, here’s my next question: Could you imagine an Anglican, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Salvation Army, Catholic, or Baptist church that had managed to rid itself of all the distinctive markers of their 1920s faith and life? I cannot. Most churches have changed drastically over time, but the EMC seems unique in finding little in its distinctive 100-year-old church life worthy to pass on to our next generation. Note that I am saying distinctive. We believed in the Trinity then and we believe in it now, but that is not an EMC distinctive.

Now, despite this historical purge, some people from non-Low-German backgrounds have found it hard to feel part of our fellowship, even after decades of service among us. But is that because we so doggedly hold on to our heritage? Is it surprising that people who feel uneasy about their past might have difficulty being hospitable? If I find my home embarrassing, will I be excited to invite you for dinner? Do you feel at home visiting houses where the owner has made every effort to remove anything personal, unique, and idiosyncratic, so the whole place feels like a clean hotel room?

This is not to say that 1920s EMC life was all superior to our present. Far from it. Few of us, including me, would attend that church if it suddenly appeared now and most of us would be excommunicated if we tried. It’s important, though, to remind ourselves and others: we are not nobodies, and we don’t come from nowhere. As the KJV says, “Yea, I have a goodly heritage” (Psalm 16:6)

Here is my challenge to all our congregations: have your local historians dig up one practice of the historic EMC to use regularly in your church’s life, just because that’s how the EMC always did it. Do it because it’s our unique and cool tradition—and it’s meaningful.

Suggestions: how about kneeling for prayer in worship like 1920s EMCers did, facing back? Or how about finding a way to do foot washing in the communion service again? Or how about not sorting into biological families for worship? Then excitedly explain this to newcomers, like some Anglican showing a newcomer how the Book of Common Prayer works.