In the 21st century, Christianity amounts to Going to Church. Pollsters separate us as “churched” or “unchurched.” We are the “churchgoers.” Does “Going to Church” qualify one as a Follower of Christ? Keith Green used to say, “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to MacDonalds makes you a hamburger.”
Are our churches retreats from the world? Jesus commanded us to “go” not retreat. A church can be comfortable. It’s always nice to be among others like ourselves. The world is cold, hostile and threatening, but that’s where the battle is and where we are called.
More than retreats, churches aren’t really efficient at growing followers of Christ. Going to Church falls short in several ways. Primarily Church in 2018 isn’t church as portrayed by Jesus or lived out in the first century.
Consider:
Delegation
Church members are divided into two classes. The Ordained/unordained, Clergy/Lay, Paid/Unpaid distinctions in the modern church are unbiblical. We are called to be a Kingdom of Priests. The Great Commission is personal. The temple curtain has been torn. All His children have access. With that personal privilege comes personal responsibility.
Nearly 80% of unchurched people said they would engage in a faith conversation if asked. They are far less likely to show up at church or even accept an invitation to “go to church.”
When we “go to church” we pay others to do the ministry. We are not called to write checks. The plan is personal one-on-one evangelism. Each changed life gives witness to those seeking something different, something more.
Building
“Church” was never meant to be a gathering place. Christians in the first century met in homes. Buildings are an economic and mission drain. For most churches, maintaining the building is the first priority. Doesn’t sound biblical at all.
I once was a member of a church without walls. Without a building, we were able to send out half of all money that came in. Having to set up church every week meant everyone had a job to do on Sundays. In place of buildings, we met at the pastor’s house on Sunday. When that pastor left and was replaced, the new guy couldn’t wait to get a building, the church was never the same.
Theatre
It’s not just the existence of a building that’s a problem; it’s the nature of the building. Churches are designed like theatres. Members are an audience observing a performance. We, therefore, judge the church by the quality of the teachings and music. Church becomes a spectator sport. Add that to the delegation mentality, and church members have no purpose or part in the Great Commission.
School
It’s not just theatre. Churches closely resemble schools. “Good” pastors are good teachers. A “good” church feeds the congregation. It’s in this context that the words of Jesus, “I never knew you” are most horrifying. Churches are designed to teach us about Jesus, more than to introduce you to and develop your relationship with Him. You could be a Jesus encyclopedia and yet He never knew you.
Communion
At church, we have taken practical exercises meant to bind us to Our Lord and to each other, into less meaningful rituals. As conceived, “communion” was a meal during which the common acts of bread breaking and wine sipping became reminders of the Savior. Human bind and build relationship while eating together. Meals are or at least used to be, a daily exercise in not just bodybuilding but relationship fostering.
Attitude
Gatherings of the body were meant to be highly anticipated opportunities to share what Jesus is doing. At best they have become, refuelings for members depleted and worn out by an oppressive world. “Going to church” has become a give-me-what-I-need event instead of a celebration of the difference life in Christ means.
The Decline of Institutions
Church has been largely unchanged for centuries. In the past, however, respect for institutions propped up less than perfect churches. Institutions aren’t what they used to be. Not only are divorce rates alarming, now marriage statistics are down. 57% of adults got married ten years ago, but only 51% are getting married now. Last year, only 9% of 18-to-24-year-olds in the U.S. were married, compared to 45% in 1960. And the Pew Research Center reports that from 2009 to 2010, 13 percent fewer people in this age group got married.
Government and the press used to be respected institutions; not so much anymore. The government used to exist to protect us and provide infrastructure. Press was supposed to provide us with the news. These institutions moved from their principal business and have lost respect and credibility.
New Generations question the institution of the church along with marriage, government and the press. Churches now try to be praise band concerts, preaching superstar venues, family counseling centers, social justice movements, and coffee shops. When you stray from your principal purpose you lose effectiveness and respect.
Response
I am almost as disappointed in my country as I am in the state of the church. But like America, I am unwilling to give up on the church. I still believe both America and the church, though imperfect are the best we have.
I am not in the majority in that thinking. An alarming percentage these days believe they would be better off living in a socialist country. Increasingly, younger folks don’t see the purpose or need of church membership. Less than twenty percent of Americans regularly attend church. If present trends continue, the percentage of the population that attends church in 2050 is estimated to be at almost half of 1990’s attendance—a drop from 20.4 percent to 11.7 percent.
The “need” for the church may be perceived as minimal but the need for Jesus is greater than ever. Drug addiction is epidemic. Teen suicide is so prevalent that individual instances are no longer newsworthy.
People still seek. Bible reading, is however, up. 24.5 percent of Americans now say their primary form of spiritual nourishment is meeting with a small group of 20 or fewer people every week. About 6 million people meet weekly with a small group and never or rarely go to church.
What should we do to maximize church?
Repurpose
If marriage is to regain importance as an institution, it needs to become THE place of sexual intimacy between the sexes, THE place to have children. The model for a lifelong commitment.
If the press is to regain its place as an institution, it needs to be repurposed as the primary source of news and abandon its goals of policy and opinion molding.
If the government is to regain institution respect, it needs to repurpose as a defender of freedom, provider of infrastructure and abandon its other goals.
If the church is to make a comeback, it needs to repurpose to the entity Jesus envisioned and the first century Christians lived out.
Support
Rather than abandon our “clergy” I think we need to be more supportive. We are paying folks to do our jobs. We should make sure they are well paid. That their spouses are not required to do more in the church than what they are comfortable with. That they are allowed sufficient family time and support to have strong families. We need to make ourselves available to do more than usher or direct traffic. There is plenty to be done that doesn’t require a seminary education.
We should consider more what we can bring to the body and less what the body owes us. The phrase, “I’m not being fed” should be blotted from our vocabulary. We should be serving in and out of the church. Churches need to refocus on providing means and methods of service.
Change
While supporting the church, we need to do all in our power to move it toward something more like Jesus intended and closer to what the world needs. We need to emphasize personal responsibility as followers. We need to view the church as a means and tool and not as an end.
Relational
We need to work toward making church less a place to meet and more a community built on relationships founded on Jesus. Our most obvious quality should be our love for each other, not our holier-than-thou or separate-from-the-world attitudes.
More Trade School – Less University
We need to focus on the practical and less on the theological. More Jesus less bible.
Do What We Do Best
Churches are best at face-to-face fellowship between those who love Jesus. It’s what we should be doing. Anyone can hear great sermons or praise music without entering a church. Fellowship and responsive worship only work in the church environment.
Jesus is the last best hope for man. Church should be the functioning mechanism assisting man in connecting with Him.
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