A few weeks ago I asked a guest at our church how they ended up there. She commented that she and her husband had been part of a church community for 30 years. They had served, given, loved, been loved and then just got hammered by a few circumstances and let down by even a few more people–so they left the church. For two years they were off the radar. No doubt they still loved God, but they became part of a larger statistic of mass exodus in the mainline church. Barna says upwards of thousands a month leave and never come back to the church. But here they are sitting in our crappy little building and I’m asking why chance a homecoming? Their answer was raw. I could tell they hadn’t thought through their reasoning on the return. She simply said, “We missed her.”
I can relate. When I am away for significant periods of time from our community, I miss her. Of course, missing her doesn’t mean she (the church) is always ordered or predictable or even painless. She is not clean or easy or on cruise control. So I realize my fondness for the church is not in a vacuum. I take her with her fractured past and trust God is working His grace through every crack. And by the word church and even the pronoun her, I am referring to the unseen church that is the people. But I also join with 2000 years of organized faith in Christ that flies that banner of “church”. And so it’s that church that I love as well. I love that we are organized and ordered.
I know there are many who have left “the church” to “be the church”. And kudos to the expressions of Jesus found in homes and coffee houses. I have dear friends in the house church movement. I don’t poo poo on those that choose to build community and lift up the banner of Jesus in a more “organic” setting. Honestly, I love and celebrate diversity in the church. My beef comes when those that leave the organized/traditional church spit venom at the existing church and indict the millions that meet in sanctuaries and movie theaters and converted VFWs to celebrate the risen Christ. And while I understand and have often voiced my own grievances to the traditional church, I still love the organized church!
I love that the organized church has leaders/elders that are chosen based on the organized plans of scripture. We have organized/traditional meetings and talk about the needs of the poor, widows, disenfranchised and ask for wisdom from God. Even Roberts-rules-of-order are used and I love that! But more so, not a week goes by when I don’t thank God for elders in our community that pastor with such grace, skill and wisdom. These men are not leading haphazardly. Often I find them praying with and generously giving time for the sake of God’s people. These elders have helped create an ordered culture of authority where submission to God and His leaders is actually appreciated, not disdained.
I love that the organized church is accountable and held to a biblical standard. What would the church be if Paul didn’t confront Peter in Galatians 2? Accountability is part of the DNA of the church. What would the church be if everyone just did what was comfortable? I love that most organized churches (at least that I know of) practice church discipline, publish financial records, and are serious about doctrine. And of course, accountability and/or the organized church is not new. The Jerusalem council (Acts 15) called Paul to account for the gospel he was preaching. They just wanted to be sure that Jesus was being rightly represented. Even the Apostle Paul was held accountable.
I love that the organized church owns/rents/leases buildings. This may be surprising since this is often the major complaint from the home church advocates. And while I don’t disagree that buildings are expensive, they are often worth the price tag. I am grateful we have a place for regular counseling, a space for a weekly food pantry, classroom space to disciple new believers, expansive classrooms to engage children concerning the love of Jesus and a large space to invite hundreds of adults to be challenged weekly through the organized and systematic teaching/preaching of the bible. I don’t apologize for our building. In fact, I thank God for our building. We are creating opportunity for hundreds of people to know Jesus, find their ultimate satisfaction in Him and then to tell that story to everyone they know.
I love the church. She is beautiful and ordered. Sometimes quirky and often cranky. But she is amazing even if she happens to be organized.
