How We See Church

Last Sunday was a special day in the life of The Church at Shelby Crossings. We had a great time of worship on Sunday morning, and an equally inspiring time in our 25th anniversary service on Sunday afternoon. It was good to see some old friends who came back for that service, and to see the photos and hear the reports and testimonies of how God has worked to change lives over the years through this community of faith. 

It was a good reminder that the church is not a building, or a program, or an institution, it is people. And whether we are meeting in a school cafeteria, a warehouse...or even a cathedral... how we view "church" certainly affects what we do when we are together.

Some people see church as a performance on the stage that one observes from the crowd. As such, they consider themselves as merely members of an audience instead of part of a church body. Accordingly, when the service ends, you would reasonably expect them to quickly gather their belongings and head to their cars to go home. There is really no attachment to their fellow audience members.

This would be similar to how many of us would view going to a movie theater. There is a particular "show" that we have paid to see, and we watch it for our entertainment value. We really have no interest in interacting with the people around us; we are here to see a flick, and maybe eat a little popcorn along the way. Those of us who are especially extroverted might consider making a brief comment about the movie to someone coming out of the same theater on the way to the car, but that is still pretty unlikely. We aren't there for the people; we are there for the show.

You could also use a concert or sporting event in that analogy. Those in attendance see themselves mostly as spectators (or fans), though the environment of a game where you are surrounded by fellow fans of the same team does allow for some social interaction. Still, for the most part, whether it is a movie, a concert, or a football game, we understand that we really don't have that much of a connection with the people who share the role of audience member with us. But that is not how church was ever intended to be in the first place, and should never be now.

The environment of authentic church life as defined by Scripture is that of an extended family, not of an audience. We are never mere spectators, we are always participants, and we are there as much for the horizontal interaction with our fellow "called out ones" --which is what ekklesia, the Greek word for church, means--as we are for the vertical relationship we have with God. Let's face it: if we were just there to worship God, we could do that in our own prayer closet at home. If we were there only to hear from His word, we all have access to Bibles and don't need to come to a building to read it.

In our message last Sunday morning, from our core value "What We Do, We Do Together," we focused on that key New Testament term koinonia, which is often translated as "fellowship." The word itself means "to share" or "to have in common." I remember a former pastor of mine saying that "fellowship" is two fellows in the same ship. And what is that ship? It's what we have in common, a shared relationship with the God who created us, through His Son Jesus Christ. That common bond is what makes us family, and when we come together as the called out ones to share fellowship together, we are essentially having a family reunion. 

With that in mind, I can't imagine someone going to a family gathering, finding a seat without acknowledging those around them, and never speaking to or welcoming fellow members of the family. Likewise, it would be hard to fathom someone attending such a reunion and then running to the door as soon as a final prayer or greeting was offered, without ever interacting with those in the same family. And yet, some people do just that many Sundays.

So, I guess the question is, how do you see church? As a performance, where you are a member of an audience? Or as a family gathering, where you come together to meet with those whom you share the same experience of having been gloriously saved by the gospel? Your understanding of what church is will determine how you act when we do have the opportunity to gather.

I am grateful to be a part of The Church at Shelby Crossings, and even more glad that you're in it with me. I'm praying for you, as I hope you are for me, and I look forward to seeing you on Sunday

--Pastor Ken