Clampetts or Cleavers?

When people visit the church, which family do they find? I’ve come to the conclusion that there are basically only two types of families the world sees – the Clampetts or the Cleavers.

You know the story of the Clampetts, don't you? A poor man named Jed, barely kept his family fed. One day he was shooting at some food and up through the ground come some bubblin’ crude. Oil it was, black gold, Texas tea! The first thing you know old Jed’s a millionaire and all of his kin folk said he ort to move away from there. They advised him that California was the place he ought to be, so they loaded up the truck and they moved to Beverly. Ring a bell? I think there was a documentary on TV.

Every episode featured someone else checking out the Clampetts because of what they had to offer -- money and lots of it. The show always featured someone trying to get close to them. But the closer they got the further they ran. At the end it was the same cast of characters: Jed, Granny, Jethro, Ellie Mae, their gold digging banker Mr. Drysdale and his trusty assistant Miss Hathaway. Everyone else fled back to normalcy having found that the money wasn't worth the dysfunction they would have to endure to get it. Until the advent of reality television, the Clampetts were without a doubt the most dysfunctional family television ever produced.

Then on the other end of the spectrum, there are the Cleavers; you know Ward, June, Wally, and the Beav. They're not the perfect family in the sense that nothing bad ever happens to them. But by the end of every episode what you find is a family that has worked through a perceived crisis and grown closer as a result. Whether it was a C grade on a math test or a birthday party that the Beav forgot to attend, whatever the calamity the Cleavers have grown through the process.

Here's the question: when you are looking for answers, would you rather be a Cleaver or a Clampett? With the exception of the dress code, it would have to be the Cleavers, right? They may not be the most edgy or compelling group in cinematic history from an entertainment perspective, but they really loved each other. They worked through their problems and ultimately avoided the dysfunction and chaos that epitomized the Clampetts.

The scripture teaches us that the church is a family that people watch to determine if they want to be a part. One of the criterion they evaluate is the way we interact with each other. Two questions to consider:

1. Is your church a Cleaver Church or a Clampett Church?


2. In your church, do you behave more like a Cleaver or a Clampett?

"Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don't be selfish; don't try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too." Philippians 2:1-4 NLT