Church isn’t a place you GO or an activity you DO.
Why the modern church expression is a barrier to the church in the world.
Over the years, I have found many people that say they agree with a certain concept, but when it comes down to how it is lived out, most often their actions do not align with their words.
The premise is this:
Church is not a place. It is not something you GO to.
Church is not an activity. It is not something you DO.
Church is an identity. It is who you ARE.
Many people I know agree with these statements. But most of those same people still go to church or still see church as an activity that you do. And when someone else doesn’t go to church or doesn’t do church in some way, they see it as a warning flag or that something is wrong or off. This worry is a sign of true belief; if we really believe the concept that church is something you are, then these things would not worry us.
Many will try to use scripture to highlight the importance of the local church, but that is a flawed argument because what we know of as the local church simply did not exist when the scriptures were written. The concerns in scripture for things such as a gathering of believers, “the church in ________,” deacons, elders/overseers, etc etc were all in a context prior to the modern organized church gathering.
That is not to say that there was no such thing as a local expression of the church in scripture; in fact, they are many and varied. Throughout the epistles, local groups of believers gathered in people’s homes. Paul and others gathered alongside a river with others. Jesus gathered people in “an upper room.” The Jesus community in Acts 2 gathered in the courts of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem.
The point is not that gathering is wrong; it is that limiting the gathering to what has come to be called “church” today is incredibly limiting to the vision of church we see laid out in scripture. Jesus himself says that “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I with them.”
Religion may decree that its tenants gather at a specific time and place on a regular basis, but Jesus casts off this religious burden and frees his people, The Church, to gather at all times and all places.
In accepting the modern idea of church, our imagination about what the church could be has fallen dormant. Imagine if Jesus’ people really took seriously the idea that the church was allowed to exist in all places at all times. Imagine if we realized that the church really only exists in relationship with others, and that those very relationships (also known as friendships) were the only thing required. Imagine the place and people that could be touched by good news if that news weren’t dependent on or contained strictly inside of a building or a brand. Imagine if the church was allowed to exist in your living room, on a rooftop bar, or at your neighborhood park and that no special skills, degrees, or ordinations were required.
My hope is that one day, you will not have to imagine it because you’ll find the freedom to be the church, right where you are.
Further Reading:
I recently came across a blog post from 2001 called “Why I Don’t Go To Church Anymore: Living in the Relational Church.” I don’t know the author or anything about him outside of this article, but it feels like I could have written 95% of it myself. You can read the article here: https://www.lifestream.org/why-i-dont-go-to-church-anymore-living-in-the-relational-church-part-6/
Next Steps:
If you read this and also have a longing for a different expression of the church in the world, I would love to have a deeper conversation with you. If you happen to be in the Tulsa area, let’s grab coffee or a beer. If not, I’m always open to connect over Zoom. Feel free to reach out via Facebook or Instagram.
