[Note: This article was originally posted in February 2005.]
I have a confession to make: I don’t like church. I’ve been a Christian for thirty years (since I was six years old) and have attended services at churches that were Southern Baptist, Independent Baptist, United Methodist, Free Methodist, Presbyterian (both PCA and PC (USA)), Pentecostal, Adventist, Assembly of God, and various denominations that call themselves “non-denominational.”
I’ve been in some churches were the preacher spoke in dulcet tones and others where he’d speak in tongues. I’ve been in churches were the congregation sits in the pews and others were they roll in the aisles. I’ve been in churches where people raise their hands in praise and others where they keep their hand on their wallet. I’ve been in everything from mega churches in California to house churches in Japan. I'm no stranger to church.
But no matter where I go there is always one idiot who ruins the experience for me. They think they know more theology than the pastor or believe they would do a better job leading worship than the music minister. They are invariably unfriendly, judgmental, hypocritical, and more than a little bit smug. Every church I go to I find a fool like that and so I shop around trying to find one that won’t let someone like that join their ranks. But he’s always there. No matter what I do I can’t shake him. Because that guy is me.
So I have to admit that I don't like church. I'd rather sleep in on Sunday mornings. I'd rather follow my own path. I'd rather excuse myself from public worship until I can "get right with the Lord." But I can't do that. Church is where I belong.
In a an interview with Christianity Today (not available online), Eugene Peterson explains why the church is necessary:
But many Christians would look at this church and say it’s dead, merely an institutional expression of faith.
What other church is there besides institutional? There’s nobody who doesn’t have problems with the church, because there’s sin in the church. But there’s no other place to be a Christian except the church. There’s sin in the local bank. There’s sin in the grocery stores. I really don’t understand this naïve criticism of the institution. I really don’t get it.
Frederick von Hugel said the institution of the church is like the bark on the tree. There’s no life in the bark. It’s dead wood. But it protects the life of the tree within. And the tree grows and grows and grows and grows. If you take the bark off, it’s prone to disease dehydration, death.
So, yes, the church is dead but it protects something alive. And when you try to have a church without bark, it doesn’t last long. It disappears, gets sick, and it’s prone to all kinds of disease, heresy, and narcissism.
In my writing, I hope to recover a sense of the reality of congregation – what it is. It’s a gift of the Holy Spirit. Why are we always idealizing what the Holy Spirit doesn’t idealize? There’s no idealization of the church in the Bible – none. We’ve got two thousand years of history now. Why are we so dumb?
Why am I so dumb that I expect the church to be something its not? Why can’t I recognize that the trouble with the church is that it accepts sinners like me? If they excluded the people who could ruin it church might be a better place. But it would also be empty.
As Peterson says, there’s no other place to be a Christian. I may not like church but it’s where God wants me to be. And though I may be nothing more than deadwood in the pews, I’ll still be there, doing my part to protect the life of the Church within.
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Jesus had only 1 plan for saving the world, and that's through us. He really loves his Church.
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When a Christian bounces from church to church it may be that we are looking outward pointing fingers instead of inward at the real problem. There is no 'perfect' church. Its been said that churches are hospitals where sinners go. These are imperfect people and if you are looking for them, you'll find them. I've always ascribed to 4 principles in choosing a church. 1) Go where you are fed. Go to a church that teaches the Word of God. 2) Go where you fit in. Go to a church where the teaching is in your style. God has created many churches with many teaching styles and teachers teach differently. God loves variety. 3) Go where you see fruit. Are the ministries in the church you are selecting producing fruit? Are they faithfully stepping out to fulfill the 'great commission' of sharing God's Word with each other, their community and the world? Also, does this church have a place for you to serve? 4) Go to a church that promotes fellowship. Bible studies, classes and other events to further you relationship with the Body of Christ.
Most of the time when i have counseled with those who cannot find a church, don't do so because they are looking for things to disqualify churches in their minds. When, in fact the real problem is the person themselves. In summary, people are sinners and make up Gods church and therefore there WILL be imperfections in teaching, worship, etc. ESPECIALLY if you are looking for them.
Find a church using these four criteria and STAY there a while, get plugged in and grow in that imperfect place with imperfect people and take joy in the fact that Jesus has died for and can use such as these to proclaim the Gospel to the world.
-vb
posted on 05.09.2006 8:02 AM3
In my callow youth, I went on a very serious search for "spirituality". Of course, I visited all the usual suspects. Spent some time (and when I say time, I mean, on average, a couple of years) with yoga/vegetarianism, Zen Buddhism, and finally ended up for many years with deism. I belong to a United Methodist church now. There are sinners in my church. I know, because I belong. When people bemoan the presence of sinners in church, I'm always reminded of a statement by an Episcopal priest.
As a part of my search, I talked to a lot of religious professionals. I recall sitting in this priest's office in the Campus Christian Center. He had asked me why I had abandoned the Christian church as soon as I got old enough to make my own decisions about where I would spend Sunday mornings (about 13), and I responded with the old saw that "church is full of hypocrites".
He looked at me and simply said, "Isn't that where they belong?"
I'm not Episcopalian today, but his words are, in my view, Truth. Hypocrites, drunks, whores, dopers, liars, thieves, and anyone else who wants to repent a life of sin and dissolution and reap the inexpressible joy of a relationship with God should be welcome in church.
posted on 05.09.2006 8:54 AM4
When I became a Christian, somewhat late in life, I knew that God was sending me to a particular church. God had sent me to the pastor there to be descipled and he did a good job taking the time to direct me in my Bible reading and discuss what I had read on a regular basis. It turns out that there were contentious factions in the church from before the pastor started and as he was a gift from God to me, it turns out that having a new Christian full of the joy of a new relationship with God was a breath of fresh air to him. It's been ten years now and that pastor moved on and our present pastor is a little to fond of Rick Warren for my liking, but he preaches from the Bible and his sermons ring true and I'm not leaving. God put me where I am and He hasn't told me to move. Seventy five percent of the people there now weren't there when I came. Many have come and many have gone, often for reasons I consider silly at best and unchristian at worst. Fortunately God gets what He wants done in spite of what He has to work with, people like me.
posted on 05.09.2006 9:46 AM5
My journey began by leaving "organized religion" at about 13. The churches rejection of teens with long hair and jeans,some racism I saw in the church body, and hypocrites in general were the reason for my rejection of Christianity altogether until I was in my thirties. I went through every type of spiritual movement that came down the pike in my teens and twenties and even scornful atheism for any weak minded idiot who needed religion at all.
My husband shared an office with a born again Christian for seven years and he saw something in him that he wanted in his life. I tried everything I could think of to keep him from being sucked into that bull but oddly enough everything I tried to pull from the Bible to show him what crap he was buying into began convincing me that there might be something to this.Then my father died suddenly and I had to fall on my knees to come back to God.There was just no other answer that held any hope for me to see my Dad again. Still I did not want to go to church because I knew what those places were like.My husband just said," I don't know enough about this and I need to go."So we went back and things were so much different. There are still people I don't agree with but there are others I have learned so much from as I have grown to focus on Jesus and not the imperfect people who are trying to follow Him too.Church as a gathering of believers helps you keep your eyes on Jesus.
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Nice post. Thanks for sharing it again. Has anything changed since 2005?
Like so many other evangelicals, I've struggled with local churches. There's frustraction, sure. But also so much good. It's too bad that the frustrations often get the best of us.
Last year I reread Graham Greene's The Power and the Glory. It helped me to remember that earthen vessels are not only the down and out who God uses, but also sometimes the slick-looking pastor. Many evangelical churches are filled with "Whisky Priests" - drunk on church growth or theological nit picking or whatever. But they keep serving, loving, sacrificing, and more.
posted on 05.09.2006 2:18 PM7
I wholeheartedly disagree with the sentiments expressed here.
"There is no perfect church."
So? Lacking the capacity for perfection does not excuse local churches from reasonable expectations. In most cases, this argument comes across as an attempt to blame the individual for any and all negative experiences at local churches.
Fellowship between believers can occur anywhere, at any time. Why restrict our fellowship by redefining our fellowship as specific institutional meetings? Worldly divisions, like denominationalism or sectarianism (ref. 1 Corinthians 3:1-7, 1 Corinthians 1:10-17), demonstrates spiritual immaturity.
Now, how does one define "church"? For instance:
1) Where does the New Testament endorse the "clergy-laity" or "corporate" models of assembly, especially in light of 1 Peter 2:4-9, 1 Corinthians 14:26-33, Colossians 3:15-16, and 1 Corinthians 12?
2) Why do mainstream churches equivocate the Church with local churches? The phrase "go to church" is misleading, for all believers compose the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13, 27, Romans 12:5, 1 Corinthians 10:17), which is the Church (Ephesians 5:22-33, Colossians 1:18, 24, Ephesians 1:22-23). So, if I "go to church," then do I "go to myself"?
3) Why do mainstream churches treat church buildings as temples of God, or "God's house"? God does not indwell man-made temples (Acts 17:24).
Just some food for thought, as inspired by 1 Thessalonians 5:21 . . .
posted on 05.10.2006 1:12 AM8
a self-reflective christian evangelical?
perhaps there is a god who performs miracles.
well written sir, well written.
in another time you'd make a good reformist muslim.
posted on 05.10.2006 7:38 PM9
Yes. I am a self-reflective Biblical literalist fundamentalist. How can self-awareness preclude self-reflection, without numbing the mind?
Engaging in self-reflection is like "going down the rabbit hole." It depends on how far the individual is willing to go. For instance, self-reflection asks: Why should one accept different forms of traditionalism? Why does one believe what one believes? Who are you? What do you want?
I would make "a good Reformist Muslim"? I appreciate the spirit of the compliment, but I do not believe that such a time will come.
posted on 05.10.2006 9:56 PM10
While agreeing with the original premise, I'll reference Vaporboy's rule # 1 and say that "going where you are fed ... to a church where the Word is taught", can be the show-stopper. Are they easy to find?
I think the challenge isn't with mega-churches so much as mega-churches-striving-to-be-seeker-friendly. A friendliness and comfort approach enables watering down The Word to the point of quenching growth.
posted on 05.12.2006 12:43 PM12
Thank you!
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Very few NT churches were praised unconditionally. Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, etc. and 2 in Revelation, the persecuted and the poor. 5 of the letters to the 7 churches were scathing indictments and all 7 churches exist in our churches here and now. The Lord wondered if there would be faith on earth when He returned. We are called to presevere...with joy.
posted on 05.15.2006 2:58 PM