When I was at Fuller Seminary a few years ago, I sat under a well-known professor who is also a prolific author. My guess is that he was in his late sixties when I took the class.
This Christian leader did not attend a traditional church, even though he’s been identified with a specific denomination nearly his whole life.
Instead, he attended a house church of about 35 people on Sunday evenings.
When I first heard him mention this, I thought he was being a bit rebellious. Weren’t there scores of already-existing churches within a few minutes’ drive of his home? Couldn’t they benefit from his worldwide teaching ministry?
At the time, I was probably at the apex of my own pastoral ministry. In fact, our church was ready to start construction on a new worship center.
Fast forward ahead a few years and matters are very different.
In my last article, I wondered if my wife and I have outgrown the local church. I certainly hope not. We need to continue to grow spiritually. We need to hear the Word of God preached. We need to use our spiritual gifts. We need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
As Joanna Hogg of the Irish group Iona sings in their song “Dancing on the Wall”: “I am part of something that is going to change things for the better.”
We’ll always be a part of the kingdom of God. And we’ll always be members of the Church Universal. But what about the local church?
Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that my wife and I have entered that season in our lives when some Christians decide to become part-time churchgoers rather than full-time ones.
Let me share two more concerns about the churches I’ve been visiting (the first three were presented in my last post):
Fourth, there are fewer invitations to receive Christ. I grew up in churches where the pastor gave an altar call at every service. He invited unbelievers to receive Christ by asking them to leave their seat and walk to the front of the worship center. Too many pastors back then used manipulative tactics to force people to “walk the aisle” and implied they couldn’t be saved unless they did. Although this practice is never mentioned in the New Testament, it was a third sacrament in many churches until baby boomers became pastors. I was so alarmed at what I saw in some churches that I wrote my thesis in seminary on this practice.
But now the pendulum seems to have swung in the other direction. I honestly cannot remember the last time I was in a church service and a pastor invited unbelievers to pray and receive Christ.
In the church we’ve been attending, many people are being converted, and although we haven’t gone to the membership class, my guess is that that’s the place where people are being won to Christ.
But what about those who choose not to attend the class?
Pastors have differing views on this issue. A decreasing number of pastors invite unbelievers to receive Christ after every message. Some rarely if ever do. In my case, I did so if (a) the passage called for it, or (b) the Holy Spirit prompted me to do so.
Decades after my own conversion, I’m still thrilled when I hear the gospel preached in a biblical and relevant way. But I’m hearing it preached less and less.
What have you been noticing along this line?
Finally, too many churches act like they constitute the kingdom of God. Six months after arriving in the Valley of the Sun (it’s only 104 degrees here today), I visited with a denominational executive. I asked him if there was any kind of annual convention or larger meeting of Christians in the greater Phoenix area, and he told me he didn’t know of any. (When I was a pastor in Silicon Valley, for example, the National Association of Evangelicals sponsored a monthly luncheon for pastors.) This leader told me that Phoenix has a Wild West mentality about it and that it tends to be “every man for himself” here.
And maybe “every church for itself” as well.
I’m a local Christian but a global Christian, too. I like knowing that there are churches and Christians in Western Europe and Eastern Africa as well as in California and Texas.
But it seems to me that more and more church leaders aren’t promoting much about Jesus’ worldwide kingdom outside the four walls of their own buildings. In the process, it’s easy for a church to give off the impression that “we are the kingdom of God” rather than “we are just a part of the kingdom of God.”
There are exceptions to this, of course, but this is the trend I’ve been seeing.
My favorite verse about the church is Ephesians 5:25 where Paul tells us that “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her …” If Jesus loves the church, then I need to love her as well. And if Jesus gave His life for His people, I need to do the same.
But Paul is talking in context about the Church Universal, not necessarily a local church.
I agree with Bill Hybels that “the Church is the hope of the world.”
But how does that play out in the 21st century? Must we all attend services in a church building in our community? If not, is a house church a legitimate biblical expression of the church in our culture?
And what if we choose not to participate in a local church at all? (Yes, I know about Hebrews 10:24-25!)
I’m not trying to be a heretic, but I am trying to be provocative.
What do you think about the future of the local church where you live?
Jim,
You have given me a lot to think about (with this post and the last) and I am going to respond after I give this some more thought. However, I will say that I am having some of the same feelings about my involvement in a local church. More later…
David
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Dave, I always value your thoughts, so I look forward to reading them!
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I was thinking about this today too and I think one of the great things about being a local church is how uncomfortable it can be at times. In my recent marriage counseling Terry said that God would be able to get to me (my heart) in ways he was unable to do before marriage. So far he has been right.
I’ve found that sticking it out in a church even when it’s not ideal has been great for my character/my heart. It has exposed areas of pride, a lack of patience and a lack of grace.
I was listening to Rick Warren give an interview the other day and he was saying things like, “If you pray for patience God is going to put you in situations where you have no patience.” He went on and on with examples, but the point was made.
Having said that, my church has quite a few opportunities for people to teach and for us to get together in groups to study the Word more.
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For me…it became apparent that the institutional church is a large corporation, competing for market share by appealing to demographics and striving for church growth…(as oposed to the advancement of Gods kingdom) So I began to see it as a counterfeit of the true church. A substitute for the real thing…a placebo, if you will. As an institution…it is part of the (antichrist) world system. This after a lifetime of active involvement.
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Hi Shirley,
I just returned from a cross-country car trip, and I’m a bit behind in responding to people’s comments on my blog. Thanks so much for writing and sharing your opinion.
I don’t fully agree that the local church is part of the world system. The New Testament gives church leaders guidelines on how to manage a church, but it leaves a lot of freedom for churches to minister to their own cultures.
But I do agree that too many churches HAVE adopted the mindset of corporate America … ignoring the NT in the process … and that they worship at the altar of numbers and the Almighty dollar. I have sat in board meetings where the big issues were church attendance and weekly offerings, while board members didn’t seem to know or care about the spiritual growth of people.
I’m sorry you’ve had a bad experience with local churches. Ephesians 5:25 says that Christ loved the church and gave Himself for her. He asks that we do the same. I just think that pastors and church leaders frequently don’t know how church attendees are really doing in their spiritual and private lives. So instead of the church serving the people, the leaders ask the people to serve the institution of the church.
Many people are disillusioned with churches today, so you’re not the only one. But I agree with you: it’s about advancing God’s kingdom.
God bless you, Shirley!
Jim
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The Chursh belongs to God, but local churches are administered by sometimes flawed human beings. Yes, churches look at demographics and growth, but what is the motivation behind it? What is the heart of the pastor? For him does church growth equal a number to brag about or souls won over to Christ? Is reaching a demographic mean being efficlent in a corporate sense or just wanting to reach as many people as possible?
I agree with Ryan on all points. We grow when we are uncomfortable, or being tested, or in conflict. In the area where I live it is imperative that there are local churches even though it is not easy for them. The sun shines most of the year here , but it is spiritually dark and the local churches provide more than a glimmer of light and hope.
Our pastor invites people to receive Christ after every message, but he does it in a way that is not at all intimidating.
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Hi Ce Ce,
It’s good to hear from you. I believe in the local church. I’ve attended a church all my life and have served in them for more than 40 years.
I don’t think we need to question the “organized” church … even though some people say they don’t like “organized religion” … but I sometimes wonder about the value of the “institutional” church, and that’s what I was getting at in this article.
When churches serve the people in their community, they do a whole lot of good. When they insist that people serve the church, they end up harming people. I think the reason so many believers aren’t attending local churches in our day is because church leaders sometimes create an institutional agenda and then insist that attendees must follow that agenda to be spiritual.
I do believe that a local church is invaluable for practices like preaching, worship, and community. It’s just the institutional aspects that make me … and many others … wonder if there are ways we can do it better.
Jim
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