I have been thinking a lot lately about certain things relating to our ideas of the church. This may seem a little brainy, or sporadic, but try to bear with me. Some of the main thoughts have been about the following topics:
1. Spiritual Gifts
2. Members of the Body of Christ
3. The way current day churches operate
4. The way the first churches started
This is a lot of information to cover, so I'll encourage you to read up on some of it before posting to create conducive discussion about this idea as to whether it would be feasible/ work. I'm still learning about it all myself.
That said, lets begin.
What I have seen in many different denominations in churches (around Pennsylvania) is that there are certain necessary practices that the churches have such as a form of any of the following: Praise/Worship, Tithing Call, Teaching (Sunday mornings), and a benediction. Other things are added/ modified/ removed depending on its value by the denomination i.e.: Sunday School.
These Sunday sermons always cater to both believers and non-believers (to varying degrees), but what is the goal of the church? I think phrasing the question that way, leads to some interesting paths we can take.
For example, one way to take it is to say, "We're to go out into the world and make disciples." and I would unwaveringly agree with you.
Another might say, "In the way you're stating it, I'd say that the goal of any church is to bring non-believers into the church so that they can hear the gospel and possibly be converted." and again, I would agree with them.
However, a third person may say, "The goal of the church is to raise up new Christians and make disciples out of them, and teach them sound theology so that they can know how to believe about what they believe."
A last perspective I want to throw into this mix is this one, "That we should send out as many Christians we can (mission minded) into the world to share the gospel with people."
For the record, I agree with all of these. However, when I look at how churches operate, I see them trying to perform all of these (to varying degrees) and having varying degrees of success. The overarching question that I'm trying to raise is: "How can we make churches more successful? across every denomination?"
So to move into how I think we can answer that question, I want to look at what problems are cause by the current model of how churches (in america out of my experience) operate:
1. Churches do not understand how to use their own members properly.
Any where I've been, people who want to server are overlooked, under qualified, or under experienced. Some people who don't want to serve, feel that they are also overlooked, under qualified, or under experienced. I think if the church were allowed to have more broken people, it might have a few more people serving in it.
While we're in the vein of service, please hear my thoughts on gifts and members of the body:
In my experience, different denominations tend to harbour certain personality types ex: Brethren in Christ, Evangelical Free & Congregational and I've been wondering, if the reason why is a socially psychological one: "similarity leads to liking and attraction." In layman's terms, you're similar, so you want to be around each other (includes doctrinal thinking). But what if the church, isn't meant to be that way at all? We talk all the time about spiritual gifts, and being different members of the body of Christ, but do we really implement and practice that? Suppose someone says, "I don't know what my gifts are." What should we tell them? "Go try to serve in all the gift areas and see what it is that you want to be involved in. If you don't try, you won't know if that's what your gift is." Suppose they come back and say, "I really think that our church needs to offer a Sunday School, I see a need for that." Then the pastor tells them, "No. We don't offer a Sunday School, and no you can't start one." (I use this because it's happened in my life along with others.) Then what is the attendee of that church to do? Go find another church that listens.
People with vision and leadership who can't get others to listen to their vision can tend to have a, "Fine, I'll go play with my own toys." mentality. I personally believe that's why we have so many denominations today. But in saying that, what was accomplished? A contributing member to the church was lost, the fulfilling of a need was gained somewhere else, and the church they left from may still have the need to be fulfilled. So what's my point in saying all this?
2. Denominations to me, are the observable mutilation of the body of Christ. each piece creating its own harbour to live in seperate from the others, all trying to accomplish the same goal using different visions with similar but varying degrees of success and theology.
Let me try to unpack this. Each time I go anywhere I pass at least 1 church visibly from my car. Normally I can find 3-4 churches of different denominations in my area within a 30 minute drive in any direction. One thing that has been rolling around in my head is, "What would happen if different denominations started working together, to re-unite the members of the body? What happens when we go from, "the 50+ churches in nashville" back to the idea of "the church of nashville"? The early churches were started by the apostles going out and fulfilling the "Great Commission". Somehow I feel that the american church today has got it backwards. The best evidence of this I feel is that we're "trying to get people in the door" and that we're trying to make the things that won't make sense, to make sense (1 corinthians 1:18). Because we're trying to accommodate and/ or win people from the pulpit, churches have to strattel what is best practice for both christian and non-christian in their church. But what if we use a model more similar to the apostles?
Here is my hypothetical model that I would like to hear your comments on as to whether or not you think it would be viable in america:
1. That denominations seek to merge and welcome each other's ideas to help their community at large, rather than create specialized church body parts.
2. That missions, happens outside every church. no more, "coffee shops to bring people in". That means that the church needs to get involved in the community in order to recognize its needs. Food banks are a good start, but everyone needs to shower, have good interview clothes, and to clean their clothes too. (This means people have the opportunity to witness and get involved in different ways.)
3. That the church does indeed become a "body of believers". Not that it isn't already, and no i'm not saying to turn non-believers away from your church. I'm saying that they'll understand what's going on inside when they can talk to you about it before they go in through conversations at workplace (as example). When we stop trying to bring non-believers in, it should create a less edgy, more honest environment for a bunch of broken people who all know they're all forgiven and have eternal life because of the same God. People who are being prepared or those who have already been transformed, will want to come to church through their obedience to Christ (which is why we don't need to get them in the door". Now because you're teaching to a 9/10 majority of christians, there's no reason not to use complicated (make you think) questions and theological jargon. If you want to teach to new people, offer something like an alpha course or truth project.
I think a model like this allows pastors, missionaries, and teachers to be able to freely teach what believers need to know, and minister to those who need it. I think that a model like this allows them to be more successful with greater ability to hone in on who needs what type of ministering.
What do you think? - phew you made it! B)
1. Spiritual Gifts
2. Members of the Body of Christ
3. The way current day churches operate
4. The way the first churches started
This is a lot of information to cover, so I'll encourage you to read up on some of it before posting to create conducive discussion about this idea as to whether it would be feasible/ work. I'm still learning about it all myself.
That said, lets begin.
What I have seen in many different denominations in churches (around Pennsylvania) is that there are certain necessary practices that the churches have such as a form of any of the following: Praise/Worship, Tithing Call, Teaching (Sunday mornings), and a benediction. Other things are added/ modified/ removed depending on its value by the denomination i.e.: Sunday School.
These Sunday sermons always cater to both believers and non-believers (to varying degrees), but what is the goal of the church? I think phrasing the question that way, leads to some interesting paths we can take.
For example, one way to take it is to say, "We're to go out into the world and make disciples." and I would unwaveringly agree with you.
Another might say, "In the way you're stating it, I'd say that the goal of any church is to bring non-believers into the church so that they can hear the gospel and possibly be converted." and again, I would agree with them.
However, a third person may say, "The goal of the church is to raise up new Christians and make disciples out of them, and teach them sound theology so that they can know how to believe about what they believe."
A last perspective I want to throw into this mix is this one, "That we should send out as many Christians we can (mission minded) into the world to share the gospel with people."
For the record, I agree with all of these. However, when I look at how churches operate, I see them trying to perform all of these (to varying degrees) and having varying degrees of success. The overarching question that I'm trying to raise is: "How can we make churches more successful? across every denomination?"
So to move into how I think we can answer that question, I want to look at what problems are cause by the current model of how churches (in america out of my experience) operate:
1. Churches do not understand how to use their own members properly.
Any where I've been, people who want to server are overlooked, under qualified, or under experienced. Some people who don't want to serve, feel that they are also overlooked, under qualified, or under experienced. I think if the church were allowed to have more broken people, it might have a few more people serving in it.
While we're in the vein of service, please hear my thoughts on gifts and members of the body:
In my experience, different denominations tend to harbour certain personality types ex: Brethren in Christ, Evangelical Free & Congregational and I've been wondering, if the reason why is a socially psychological one: "similarity leads to liking and attraction." In layman's terms, you're similar, so you want to be around each other (includes doctrinal thinking). But what if the church, isn't meant to be that way at all? We talk all the time about spiritual gifts, and being different members of the body of Christ, but do we really implement and practice that? Suppose someone says, "I don't know what my gifts are." What should we tell them? "Go try to serve in all the gift areas and see what it is that you want to be involved in. If you don't try, you won't know if that's what your gift is." Suppose they come back and say, "I really think that our church needs to offer a Sunday School, I see a need for that." Then the pastor tells them, "No. We don't offer a Sunday School, and no you can't start one." (I use this because it's happened in my life along with others.) Then what is the attendee of that church to do? Go find another church that listens.
People with vision and leadership who can't get others to listen to their vision can tend to have a, "Fine, I'll go play with my own toys." mentality. I personally believe that's why we have so many denominations today. But in saying that, what was accomplished? A contributing member to the church was lost, the fulfilling of a need was gained somewhere else, and the church they left from may still have the need to be fulfilled. So what's my point in saying all this?
2. Denominations to me, are the observable mutilation of the body of Christ. each piece creating its own harbour to live in seperate from the others, all trying to accomplish the same goal using different visions with similar but varying degrees of success and theology.
Let me try to unpack this. Each time I go anywhere I pass at least 1 church visibly from my car. Normally I can find 3-4 churches of different denominations in my area within a 30 minute drive in any direction. One thing that has been rolling around in my head is, "What would happen if different denominations started working together, to re-unite the members of the body? What happens when we go from, "the 50+ churches in nashville" back to the idea of "the church of nashville"? The early churches were started by the apostles going out and fulfilling the "Great Commission". Somehow I feel that the american church today has got it backwards. The best evidence of this I feel is that we're "trying to get people in the door" and that we're trying to make the things that won't make sense, to make sense (1 corinthians 1:18). Because we're trying to accommodate and/ or win people from the pulpit, churches have to strattel what is best practice for both christian and non-christian in their church. But what if we use a model more similar to the apostles?
Here is my hypothetical model that I would like to hear your comments on as to whether or not you think it would be viable in america:
1. That denominations seek to merge and welcome each other's ideas to help their community at large, rather than create specialized church body parts.
2. That missions, happens outside every church. no more, "coffee shops to bring people in". That means that the church needs to get involved in the community in order to recognize its needs. Food banks are a good start, but everyone needs to shower, have good interview clothes, and to clean their clothes too. (This means people have the opportunity to witness and get involved in different ways.)
3. That the church does indeed become a "body of believers". Not that it isn't already, and no i'm not saying to turn non-believers away from your church. I'm saying that they'll understand what's going on inside when they can talk to you about it before they go in through conversations at workplace (as example). When we stop trying to bring non-believers in, it should create a less edgy, more honest environment for a bunch of broken people who all know they're all forgiven and have eternal life because of the same God. People who are being prepared or those who have already been transformed, will want to come to church through their obedience to Christ (which is why we don't need to get them in the door". Now because you're teaching to a 9/10 majority of christians, there's no reason not to use complicated (make you think) questions and theological jargon. If you want to teach to new people, offer something like an alpha course or truth project.
I think a model like this allows pastors, missionaries, and teachers to be able to freely teach what believers need to know, and minister to those who need it. I think that a model like this allows them to be more successful with greater ability to hone in on who needs what type of ministering.
What do you think? - phew you made it! B)
