Design your own church...

What does it mean to be the Church?

I think a lot of people have pretty strong feelings about what a church should be. We have our pet peeves about our church or that church that we used to go to. So if you were going to start a church today, what would you do to “start it?”

If you’re at all like me, you might start by sitting back and wondering what is most important. You might think up principles that you’d employ and maybe you could spin those into a list of values or even a “mission statement.” You make it good and catchy, theologically sound, and clear enough that people can live it. Then none of these problems that you see with the church could squeak in. Next, you come up with a marketing strategy about how you’ll bring in other people and hope that some of the people you bring in have good gifts that you can use to expand what it is that you’re going for. “Maybe we have a weekly get together- maybe in the evening...maybe even a weeknight to be a little extra edgy. Wait, people are more flexible on the weekends. Saturday night. That’s good.” You think through what would be unique and exciting, authentic and creative. Then we give it a little dose of structure and as people start flocking to this thing, we get some more resources to funnel into it and build it up into something really big and cool.

How would Jesus build a church? How did he?

He got a group of people together who were willing to seek God. He taught them that, if nothing else, you’re supposed to love God with all that you are-with every thought, word, movement, and emotion because you’ve heard about how deep his love for you is. And that needs to lead to pushing down your desires to be great, to be served, to be in charge, to be the expert, and focus on other people. Those people started living differently. They related to people differently-to each other differently. People wanted to hear their story and came into their community and shared meals with them and learned to pray with them.

Could something like that still work today?

Then, as people start flocking to this thing, we'd get some more resources to funnel into it and build it up into something big and cool--then it can be really great. Then I can make sure my needs are met–I’ll be in charge. After all, I will be the expert-the one who created this thing...

Lord have mercy.