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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: The Church (12/06/07)
There is certainly a variety of thoughts and images evoked in people when they think about the church.

Today, I read an article about the church as a political institution. That's one view I disagree with. Many people I've talked to in my region in Michigan, where I interviewed people for a demographic study of the neighborhood where my church would be established, said they’ve been hurt by the church. They could see the faults of the church more clearly then the church’s merits. The main faults that were mentioned included the church’s fixation with money, the insensitive nature of church people and pastors, and the ever popular “hypocrisy.”

I know people who love God’s Church. They live in a deep dedication to advance the work of God through the avenue of the church. These peers of mine like to distinguish the difference between the church as a universal institutions and the church that is the metabolic embodiment of a living Christ. They make the distinction in writing by using a small “c” when talking about the institution and a large “c” to talk about the body of the living Christ.

I think that this is a fair distinction, because Jesus made a similar distinction when talking to and about the two. He also talked about the difficulty of fitting the big “c” church into the small “c” church. He illustrated this difficulty with an analogy of using old wineskins and new wine.

With all that I have come to know about how people see the church, I have been discouraged at times. The failures of the small “c” church have hindered the big “c” church’s advancement. There is also a major challenge to trying to convince those who have been negatively affected by the failures of the “church” that there is a difference. I have had people accuse me of being judgmental in my estimation of one organization over another. I can’t talk about the failures of the “church” without appearing to claim superiority. This plays right into the bad conception that these people already have.

I have also been challenged in an inspiring way. I hope I can pass that inspiration on to you. Bruce Carroll is a contemporary Christian Musician who wrote a song that has a chorus that says “I would rather see a sermon then hear one any day.” That is the challenge. We can stop preaching and start living as the body of Christ. There is still a place for a pastor’s message to be presented. But that presentation should be a Christian life lived out. It should be honest and loving and clearly present the message of salvation. That pastor should forget about politics that may be necessary for an institutional, small “c” church.

I personally would rather fail as a pastor, than play games with the church as a pawn, so I can succeed. I also would rather have a pastor who is a failure, by the world’s standards, but is honest, loving and faithful to God. He may never get the opportunity to build a huge building and have a large number of congregants. But there will be potency to his ministry that can only come from the power of integrity.

Here is a challenge for you who are reading this article. You may be part of a church where your pastor is being beat up by politicians. The politicians could be the elders in your church, who function in a political manner. Jump in a support your pastor. Let him know you are behind him.

On the other hand if you are in a church where the pastor has become the politician, don’t let that mar your view of God and his “Church”. Pastors are human and it is hard to survive in ministry. It takes either the obdurate or those who compromise. Those who can endure are fewer. Many do not stay in ministry very long. Those who compromise are usually innocent, for trying to accomplish God’s work the only way that is being presented to them by the politicians around them.

The most important part of my challenge to you is stay encouraged and positive. There are gong to be negative things you see in the church and you may even be tempted to give up on it. Don’t give up. The church needs you to be that sermon that people can see; the metabolic embodiment of a living Christ.
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Member Comments
Member
Date
Lee Ann Rubsam
12/15/07
Yes, yes, yes! to many of the ideas you have touched upon. If the world could only see "Christ in us, the hope of glory," we would be turning the world upside down, as the early church did. God wants that more than ever in our day.
Jan Ross
12/16/07
Good job -- I like the concept of the "big C" and "little c". This reminds me of a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: "Preach always; use words only when necessary." It seems the church does a lot of preaching but not enough living. Watch your grammar -- there's quite a few "then" rather than "than". Little details like that make the difference between a good writer and a great writer. You've got what it takes -- tighten up the loose ends! Great article! Christmas blessings! :)
Betty Castleberry
12/17/07
This made me think of something our church recently went through. The thoughts are ones we should all heed. I see a couple of spelling/typo errors, but nothing major. All this piece needs is a little polish. You have some powerful thoughts here. Good job.
Jan Ackerson
12/17/07
Lots of good stuff here--I'd suggest that you come up with a catchier title and an opening paragraph that'll really hook your readers. Once I pushed through the opening paragraph, I was quite involved in your article.
JoAnne Potter
12/18/07
Agree with other comments about your depth of thought and perception here. You image of the Church as metabolic is powerful. You do need a grabbier beginning, though. I wonder whether the quotation could have provided that if you chose to use it earlier?