The Church

There seems to be a Ninety-Five Theses-esque outcry floating around Facebook and Twitter about the church. Bloggers and past-preachers alike are throwing in their six cents about what exactly is wrong with the church. It seems that nothing and no one is safe from criticism. Some criticisms are valid, and others possess less meaning. But I would like to take a practical lets-do-something type of approach to the subject. Yes, we as the church may be making a mess of some things, but if the only thing that we do is up our egos by assuming a stance of judgement, then we are also what is "wrong with the church". So here is my hopefully helpful and completely honest breakdown of what is worth noting about the church.

We are the Church

It strikes me as quite interesting what is considered "the church" among most. These post that aim to highlight the churches blunders include quite bit about Sunday morning, the messages being preached, the worship team, etc. There is some merit to these complaints, don't get me wrong. Things can go very awry in these areas. But I think that there is a large portion of church that is not being addressed at all. The church-as in the Body of Christ. Because you see, the way the Bible puts it, as Christians, we are the church.

The church is not the traditions that we hold. The church is not the way that we hold services. The church is not our denominations or the lack thereof (which kind of has become it's own denomination, by the way). So the church should not to be referred to as something we do once or twice a week. The church is us.

You see the problem with misdiagnosing the building, or the Sunday morning rituals as the church is that for the most part, changing or targeting these things will bring the smallest possible outcome of change. Yes, more youth might come on Wednesday nights if we let that hipster guy with the newfangled ideas come in and do the teaching, but it's the heart of why he isn't accepted that is the issue, not the fact that he isn't allowed. We are looking at the what and skipping the why.

The why of anything that we might claim needs to change is the people behind it. And since the Body of Christ is made up of people, that would mean you and I. We participate and should participate in being the church-the Body of Christ every day of the week. No, there is no sign on us come Monday morning saying "First Baptist". There is no itinerary and no announcements to the people around us. No worship will be held, and there are no elders to moderate what comes and goes, but simply put, we are the living and breathing Body of Christ. We are the version of Christ that the world around us has even a smidgeon of a chance to see, and they don't do their viewing on Sundays at eight o'clock.

That means that the important part of who the church is and what she stands for can be found in our daily lives. It's not the one and a half to two hours on Sunday's for which we should be nailing letters to the church doors. Rather it is every hour of the week that we are out in the world that we should be conscious of. And therein lies the real battle-the real struggle that deserves to be written about. Because while being in a church in Sunday morning settings is probably one of the best indicators that you are at lest trying to appear to be a Christian, it is what happens when people don't see you inside a building designated as a church that matters. It is what we are doing and portraying amongst our friends at work and strangers at the movies that could be the difference in someone's life.

We are the representation of Christ that the world gets to see. If we want to effect change in Christianity, we must direct our eyes inward. We are the Body. Not the "institution" or any programs that bring us together once to twice a week. When we tick out open letters to the church, we must realize that they will also be popping up in our own inboxes. The Church is people, not an establishment of man.

There is No Perfect Church

A "perfect church" just can't happen here in an imperfect fallen world. And it's good to have that in the back of your mind when you are on the subject of just what it is in the church that is ticking you off. Because the church is made of people, the church herself by nature can be nothing but imperfect. There are many fallen leaders, liars, and hypocrites. So when we act as if the church should be perfect, we are holding real people to a standard that is unrealistic. Writing about what you dislike in the church can very quickly become an outlet for judgement, and that is judgement of people, not really a faceless organization.

And while I would like to be able to announce the location and phone number of the perfect church that will never offend you, I am sorry to say that it simply doesn't exist. That is not to say that it is not necessary to sometimes part ways with certain congregations at times in our lives. Not every stop in the road needs to be a permanent one. But when you do happen to find the place that God has called you to be, you might be surprised the moment that someone says something you don't one hundred percent agree with. Gasp! This must not be the one! It can't be with as many heathens I have encountered this month! But that is why we worship Christ and not the church. Jesus is our perfection and righteousness. If you're dissatisfied with the church, then we aught to just remember that all have fallen short. The church is righteous, but only through the cross, not on her own efforts.

The Church Cannot Fulfill God Needs

Going to church is wonderful. We get to receive a message from a teacher, listen and sing with great uplifting music, and hopefully connect with other Christians on a personal level. We might even be filled up personally, or enjoy personal communion with God during worship. But if we are trying to go to church and expecting the pastor, our friends, or an event to fill a spot that is essentially God's, then we will eventually become bitter and stop going.

Only God can heal inside wounds. Only God can be the father that we never had. Yes, you pastor can probably deliver a fine message, and God does change lives through Sunday mornings. If you are going to church expecting the pastor to your exact specific purpose in one of his messages, though, you're probably going to soon experience a level of disappointment that only God can put right. Nothing can replace a day to day fellowship and relationship with God- not even the most well preached sermon.

Healing can come during a church service, but God is the true healer. Community can be found in church, but the true Lover of our hearts is the Lord. Fulfillment, counseling, and true joy are not things that are rooted in finding the perfect church. God is the Holy one that provides what man simply cannot. The sooner we get ahold of what church cannot be for us, the easier it will be to stop expecting the church to be responsible for burdens that She was simply never fit to bear. Jesus bore it all on the cross. Let us not try and pluck certain things down from the tree and try to nail them to the churches back.

Church Should be a Place of Community

If we truly believe that the church, all of us as a whole, the Body of Christ, is in need of change, then we need action rather than a plain statement of our depravity. The worlds best arguments will fall flat if they offer no solution. So if a change in the church-the real church is what we desire, then we need a call to arms, and it needs to be directed to all in the church, not just those on the stage.

So what is our call to arms? As we look to scripture, we can see that we already have one from Jesus. Jesus in John 1: 20-23 prays that we who believe in him would be one, "so that the world may believe that you have sent me." So the plan of action is to be unified. And as wonderful it sounds to be in a church that is a community unified through Christ, it is not only to our benefit. We are to be unified so that the world may believe. And when we really examine our place in the world today as the church, it is clear how much our disfunction is spurning the rest of the world away from Christ.

The more that we walk outside the doors of our churches and choose to walk outside of love-outside of what God desires for us, then the more we assume a paralytic stance. That paralysis is stopping us as the Body of Christ, and the consequences of this unintentional, dead way of  living is souls. What we as the church need is not newer songs, and softer chairs. We don't even need to polish up our church services to the best case scenarios that we find described in many of these blog posts. We need to be unified, and learn to let the world know us by our love.

One of the best ways that we could come alive as the church, is if we were to grab hold of the concept and action of befreinding. Let me reiterate, the problem in the church is not the types of songs being sung, not the "irrelevant", "unhip" ways that a large number of churches do things. We must take our eyes off of Sunday morning service and learn to focus in on us as the Body, because God can move in a quiet Church of Christ just as much as he can move in an nondenominational church. God is not respecter of typography laden anouncements over doilies and fake flowers. The problem is that we as the Body are not moving.

We show up at least ten minutes early, and sit happily in our pews without saying anything meaningful to anyone else. We do not go deep, we are not vulnerable, or we do not care to be a receiver of vulnerability As a result, needs are not being met on Sunday mornings or any other day of the weak. Simply put, "church" relationships are shallow. We have found ourselves in a spot in time in which we come to church to have our needs met, but do not do what is necessary to have them met. We are a church frustrated with herself, and also unwilling to work with herself. We want to rattle off a list of problems in the church, but don't spend enough time and compassion on each other to even know what those problems really are.

We have morphed our weakly act of Christian devotion into a show, and it's fruits are small. We come because there is an obligation. To not go would be a stark indicator of our obvious depraity to the onlookers around us. "Oh, I didn't see Mr. and Mrs. Soandso this morning. Something must be going on". We go and tick off another holy box. The obligation is met, but we leave just as hollow and in need of some saving grace as before we came in. Church has become a social expectation, complete with rigid rules as to what counts as church and what does not. We are hungry for salvation and revival, but are starving because Sunday mornings are essentially toast that expected to feed us for a whole week.

We must come together as the church. Ask how people are doing. Meet with them outside of church. Text or call and see how they are really doing. Help them in their walk and let them carry part of your burden too. As we intertwine our lives and start to let Jesus open up our heart for those around us, we as the church will blossom into a community that acts and moves for the glory of God. The sooner we toss aside our masks of feigned holiness and let ourselves be stripped down enough to form a real breathing community, the sooner we can wake up as the Body of Christ and let his work be done through our willing hands.

The church was never meant to be just a way to start your week. The word "church" was never meant to define a building or a sermon or a pastor residing over a group of people. The ability to walk with other believers is one of the greatest gifts that we have been given. Let us not disdain the treasure of communing with each other by neglecting it entirely. The best reform that the church could hope for is to learn how to be on fire for God together again. We must learn to desire to know those sitting in the rows with us, and have our hearts turned to those who feel like outsiders.

God Has Got Us

God has always been in the habit of working with broken and fallen people. The fact that we notice that there are things wrong with his bride only speaks to how much God uses those of us who are weak. We must not look at our broken state in the church and forget that Jesus is our Savior. Our strength comes from God, not from being a church that has all of her ducks in a row. Yes, we run this race in order to win it, and maybe we need to do a little more of that. But we will be completely perfected in heaven. We must not expect that as a church we will ever be perfect enough to stand tall and on our own. God is the one who we should put our trust in, not a congregation of believers. In the end, he prevails over all. No state of personal brokenness or the faults of those around us will ever change that fact.



I hope that this honest look at the church has been helpful and invigorating. God has huge plans for your life, and God has huge plans for the church. He desires for each one of us be to soft clay willing to be formed into vessels to hold his all-surpassing power. But we don't have to do it alone. We have a community of believers that we can call on. If you're in need of friends, try out a small group, put yourself out there. It might be frightening at first, but God will provide people to walk with you. Have faith, and take the necessary steps. Live intentionally. If you already are part of a group, befriend others. Let God soften your hearts for those who are left out and rejected. You will find that there are many around you who are just waiting for a dependable person to listen to what no one else cares about.

As we stay connected to God, he will show us his fiery love that never quits. Day by day we will become more like him, and become more willing to sacrificially give of our time to others with caring and sincere hearts. God will allow our paths to cross with those who are deeply in need of love. All we need to do is listen, and extend a loving hand as the Body of Christ.