Let's talk about the Church

For most of my life I have belonged to a church. I have written previously about things learned in church leadership. Church communities can be great: when both my wife and I were unwell just before Christmas one year, a church member appeared on the doorstep with a large turkey. When we were told that our son born prematurely might not survive the next few days, our pastor appeared at the hospital that Sunday morning instead of going to church! Unfortunately and perhaps inevitably, we have seen our share of the bad stuff as well. So I do get why for some, enough is enough and they feel they can no longer be part of church. If I’m honest, I have periods when I feel positive and enthusiastic about Jesus but ambivalent at best about groups of his followers.

So this post is more about the idea or ideal that is 'the church’ - what it is or what it can be, rather than the actual churches we may attend or have attended

Ekklesia

New Testament scholars are prone to point out that Jesus talks a lot about the Kingdom but not very much about the church. That is true but other New Testament writers do talk a lot about the church. They use the Greek word ‘Ekklesia’ – a word meaning a gathering or assembly, comes from the gathering or assembly of the citizens in early Greek democratic states. When they come together, they are ‘ekklesia’. So it is worth noting that the idea of 'church' is not tied to buildings, specific locations or even organisations, even if we do at times use the word in these ways. There is a sense in the gathering or assembling of 'ekklesia' that it is as much verb as it is noun; there is something active and participatory about being church.

What (in theory) Church Is

The New Testament gives 3 different illustrations that help us to understand what the church ought to be

The Body of Christ – the church is described in 1 Corinthians 12 as a body. This gives us 3 insights.

·        A body is one interconnected thing. In a challenge to our individualistic age, the church is called to be a community, one that experiences ‘life together’.

·        Each part of the body is different. The church is made up of variety and diversity; each is valuable. And we are not all the same - members should not compare themselves to others in the body.

·        Because of this variety, the parts of the body are each useful and have a function. Like our physical bodies, the church body works best when each is involved and playing its part

The Bride of Christ – the church is described as the bride of Christ in Ephesians 5 and in the book of Revelation. From this we learn that

·        The church is a group that should have a deep love for Jesus. Just as a bride’s main concern and love is the groom; so too the church should be all about Jesus. It should not get distracted by lesser things.

·        This is comforting as this love is reciprocal; the church as the bride is loved by God despite its imperfections.

·        The imagery of the bride also invites the church to be future focused and forward looking; it anticipates the future wedding – the fullness of God’s Kingdom.

Church as building – The church is described as a building in various places including Ephesians 2 and 1 Corinthians 2; the image shows us that

·        God is the Builder. ‘I will build my church’ says Jesus in the one main reference to the church in the gospels. The church is his and not ours.

·        We are partners in the building. God does not build alone. In 1 Corinthians, Paul explains that he laid a foundation and another Apostle Apollos build upon it. God does not build alone. There is a delegated responsibility to those who build; they can build wisely or poorly.

What Church is not

Given what the church at its best could and should be, it may also be worth reflecting on what the church is not

The Church is not a shop - we may be initially attracted to the church by its ‘goods and services’; we may even aim to make aspects of faith attractive to those on the fringes of faith. This is not necessarily wrong but ultimately a Christianity that is consumer-based is not healthy. Our enjoyment may at times accompany our membership of a church community, but it is not the main purpose.

The Church is not a single-issue pressure group – there are many issues that individual Christians or groups feel strongly about. At times there may be some campaigning around things that align clearly with the Kingdom of God, but at other times, particularly on complex issues where there is disagreement, it is unreasonable to expect a whole church to prioritise campaigning on our pet issue. This carries the risk of division and distraction.

Is not a museum of saints (it is a hospital for sinners) – The quote often attributed to Augustine (Probably falsely). The church at its best is not a community that is imprisoned by the past (although it will honour it) nor is it a community of perfection. If it were, each of us might spoil it by joining! The church at its best is a present community of flawed people journeying together; a community of gracious people bearing with each others flaws and foibles.

The hospital imagery is perhaps helpful here. Whilst we rightly have high expectations in terms of the ‘ideal’ of church, it is probably worth balancing this with some realism treating each other’s ailments with love not frustration or revulsion. As church members we are in a sense both doctors and patients. We benefit from the care of others, but we are also participants in the work of healing. And perhaps some of us could benefit from improving our bedside manner...