I’ve been thinking alot lately about what the church is. Really I should say what did God intend the church to be. When I speak of the church obviously there is the universal church that consists of those who have made Jesus their Lord and Saviour, those who are born again, but what about the local church. Specifically how is the local church to function. There is very little specific direction given in the Word concerning this. To be honest this is something I have thought about since I was born again in 1978. It’s coming up on 30 years now and I still have more questions than answers. All that to say that anything I say about this subject is just my opinion.
One thought I have had lately is how the Word talks about the church as a family. I was remembering how when we first came to our current church I did the “pastor” thing of standing by the front door and greeting everyone as they left. I hated it. I felt like a flight attendant or a pilot standing by the door saying “Bye, bye” over and over and over. So, I quit doing it and started just wandering around after the service talking to people. It just seemed more natural. What does this have to do with the church as family. When family comes to visit do you stand at the door, shake their hand and say “Thanks for coming” when they leave. Probably not. Family acts like family. They laugh, joke, hang around too long, and generally just enjoy being together.
A few years ago I noticed people hanging around after church. This was something we hadn’t seen before. When I say hanging around I mean hanging around. We finally resorted to flipping the lights off to move people out. I realized something, we had crossed the line from just people coming to church to a family. A group of people that truly enjoy being together. And I still don’t stand at the front door!
October 23rd, 2007 at 5:42 pm
That makes me laugh, which is better than crying, which is what I felt like doing when we stood at the door each week! =) Our church is our family and I love them that way. As the momma of the group I want them walking in the steps of Jesus and experiencing what it is to know God personally. We are a family that is to bring God glory. That is what church is to me.
October 24th, 2007 at 8:21 am
Good post. I’d be interested to read more of your questions about the church.
October 24th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Yeah, I like it that we are not “church as usual”. I like it that you are you and not religiously pastory. I’ve always wanted to serve a Jesus who was real and personal which is why it’s easy to hook up with leaders who live their lives with this real person of Jesus instead of just putting a religious face on to go to church and then people leaving the same pitiful way they came in. What kind of people want church like that???????? I don’t!