Purpose of Church

This is Part 2 of my church discussion....just my thoughts and questions spewed out on this page. :)

Both Ryan and I enjoy going to church, fellowshipping, worshipping, etc. It is something that we both want to do and consider important and crucial to our spiritual lives. We have had discussions recently about church and it’s something I’ve really been thinking about as I know he has. I know that I come with preconceived notions about church and why we go to church and who church services are for, etc. I’ve begun questioning those, however, and where they came from, if in fact they are true, Biblical viewpoints. I guess I would just like to start over from square one, removing everything I know about it (as much as humanly possible) and start over.

What was the original intent for early Christians? Why did they gather? Was it intended just for them or “to bring your friends to?” Should the modern church now be “visitor friendly” or geared more towards Christians who have been out in the world all week being beaten up by the non-believing world and who need to come rejuvenate and encourage one another to go out there for another week (as well as, corporately worship our Creator and Savior)? Or is it for both? And how would you gear it towards both pre-believers and believers?

I've heard it put “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty.” Or another way (basically as I remember it) “The gospel message never changes, but everything else can change.” So music and all other parts of the service can change and still worship God.

The last church that I attended was very much geared towards the visitor - “guest-friendly” as it was referred to. Keep in mind, the gospel message was very clear and was not watered down as some churches with that focus can be. But outside of that, all decisions were based on coming from a visitor’s point of view. The church grew and truly people were coming to Christ, mainly because people had developed relationships with those in their lives and felt comfortable in inviting them to this particular church. One of their statements was “helping people become fully devoted fully delighted followers of Christ.” So, then my thinking has been that this is how churches should operate. Isn’t that fulfilling The Great Commission?

When I moved out the sticks when Ryan and I got married, our church was very different from any church that I had ever gone to. It was a bit of a rough transition and many times I just wanted to switch churches and go to a more “normal” church. However, I knew that that wasn’t the solution or the answer or what God wanted me to do. So really, questions about church have been circling in my mind for almost 2 years. I kept wanting to make it what I knew from all my past experiences. After all, those have to be right because that’s what I liked. Yep, I said it, what I, Connie Roberts, liked. Wow. That’s when it started to hit me, is something right or wrong because I like or don’t like it? Of course I knew the answer to that was no. I do think, though, that some of the ideas can be used to change things up or incorporate new ideas. I know God wants to use me and my past experiences, skills, knowledge, etc. I just never wanted to do it for the wrong reasons. I wanted to do things because that was what God was calling me to do or how He wanted me to use what He had given me. Basically, I wanted to make sure my motivation was right and I wasn’t just going to go change things to how I liked or wanted them.

Recently, I was listening to a sermon online that made me think even more about church and it’s purpose and who the intended audience of church is….seekers or believers. I’m sure the answer is both. But it seems like there are two extremes. It helped me to see church as a place not only to worship God together, but encourage each other to keep on keeping on. I’m not getting that, but MORE IMPORTANTLY, I am not giving that. I am not sharing experiences from my week with others and I’m not asking about theirs. I’m not encouraging fellow believers to live for Christ during the next week. How do you meld that with also being pre-believer friendly? Or should it be more that The Great Commission is lived outside of the church and once God has opened a person’s heart that going to church fits into that? I guess a person wouldn’t even consider church if God hadn’t opened their heart. Right now, though, I’m not sure I would invite someone to my church. I guess I have invited a couple people, but no one has come yet. I would be nervous if they did actually come to church. Is that doubting God’s ability to work? Or should the church be more inviting to those who don’t yet know Him?

I definitely don’t want to get legalistic and say that a church must do A, B, and C or it’s doing it all wrong. I want to know what GOD’S intent for church is. Then help build the church that direction with freedom in the non-essentials while making sure that the purpose God has for the church is being fulfilled. I definitely need to dig into my Bible more to see what God has to say.