Church of the Community

For a long while now I have differentiated between the Church (note the definite article) and a church. The Church is also known as "the Body of Christ" signifying its purpose of being the physical representative of Christ on earth. The Church consists of the true followers of Christ throughout the world. The Church is beautiful and holy, with Jesus Christ at its head.

A church is a group of people who gather together to worship God. A church is composed of people who are devout and not devout. A church can be very beautiful, reflecting the Church, or very ugly. And for the longest while I think I've let my ideas of church and my images of ugly churches skew how I think church should be done. So I present this idea which has struck me lately:

Church is about a group of people who have encountered and been transformed by Christ gathering together to share in their mutual love. Based upon Christ, these people mutually encourage and love one another as they continue to strive to embody the Gospel more and more. So church is merely a community of Christians and not a building. Not necessarily an organization.

Yet, I have community with Christians all the time. And I have been called to ministry. So perhaps I can look at things like this: My family, my friends, my coworkers, my neighbors, etc are all part of my congregation. My fellow Christians are part of a small church. As a result, everyday I have the chance to be a shepherd to them. In the sense that I might ask: Is my house a sanctuary where people can come to feel love and grace? Am I bearing the fruits of the Spirit in my relationships? Do I help to bring greater community to those around me?

Ministers tend to be very intentional in how they do ministry in their church. They create special events, build relationships, etc with the intent on helping people draw near to Christ. But what if every Christian led their lives that intentionally? Like had big dinners, got together people to have fun in a park, got coffee with someone, etc. What if everyone strived not to push the Gospel on other people but intentionally sought to embody it for their micro-communities?

True community lies all around you. You are part of a small church everyday in your interactions. Perhaps we should stop depending on institutions do the work that people should do and begin to pour into our relationships.