I have recently been advised to read a book with the above title in which the author encourages disgruntled and discouraged members to look for the beauty in the church.  The statistics show that there has been a decline in memberships and the book is designed to help Christians see the benefits of staying connected to the social group.  He explains, “No other social group can give us community like a spiritual community – not our families, not our government/nation, and not our activism or hobby collectives”(pg. 7).  Reviewing the first two chapters has raised some interesting observations that I will address in this blog.

First, the author, Joseph Conway, illustrates the situation by comparing his friend’s decision to marry a girl who he believed was not good for him.  His first attempt, while they were dating, was to talk directly to his friend.  When that did not work, he talked to the girlfriend thinking that he could alter her course or convince her of their incompatibility.  Then, he discontinued all contact with them until years later after their marriage.  When he and his wife invited his friend and wife to supper, he discovered what his friend saw in her and that attracted him.  Though there seemed to be the same issues in her character, he saw a kindness and goodness that he hadn’t seen before because he was not looking for it.

The story was designed to illustrate that Jesus is married to the church, composed of broken, imperfect people but that it still has the benefit of family who has each other’s backs.    The problem with this is a failure in identifying the cause and effect of the local church organization.  Without the organization, we would still have broken, imperfect people but we would not have those broken imperfect people wed to an organization that is run by a leadership who calls the shots and makes decisions on behalf of the people.  The people are not the problem.  We are expected to be a family of transparency and holding each other accountable.  The problem is the humanly devised plan of church planting and organizations.  This organization becomes the centralized agency through which disciples serve.  Rather than individuals giving directly to the need, studying and applying truth for themselves, visiting fatherless and widows, teaching the gospel of Christ, bearing burdens (own and others), and restoring those overtaken in a trespass, it is accomplished by proxy.   Just give to the church and the leadership will hire and fire preachers according to their best judgment, support preachers, provide good classroom teaching, and promote training in all matters concerning the edification of the assembling.

If the church (biblical ekklesia) was just a family, made up of imperfect individual saints, we could follow the guidelines set for us in Scripture by humbly acknowledging our sins, praying for forgiveness, and accepting that we are all broken.   But, when you have an institution, call it the church, attach leaders to it that make decisions in it, and oversee the affairs of that local church institution, you create problems for which there is no biblical antidote.

It is true that there is a strong social magnetic pull to the church organization as a “mother,”  especially if you were raised in the church.   This is true even if one recognizes that the local church is the creation of man.  The attachment is not easily broken.  It is associated with spiritual pursuits, godly giving, hearing sermons that prick our hearts, and an overall assessment of faithfulness.  Adversely, lack of attendance where such attention is given to spiritual things is a barometer of unfaithfulness.  However, this judgment is based on marriage to the church organization, not to the Savior.

After pulpit preaching for over thirty years, I have observed that the majority of the 20% of faithful members measure their faithfulness by their church involvement.   Think this through carefully.  Do you envision brothers and sisters praying often together outside the wall of a church building?  Do you envision a sister breaking out in song in a phone call, personal visit, or any other context outside those walls?  Do you envision hearing admonition and warning from brothers and sisters outside the regularly appointed church services?   Finally, do you envision brothers and sisters confessing their sins one to another, including preachers and elders?   On the rare occasion that you do hear a confession of sins, is it when they come to you or when they walk down the aisle of a church building?

It is only when you remove the local church that you are left with a spiritual family whose homes are open for prayer, study, encouragement, weeping, rejoicing, warning, or comfort, etc.   Today’s leaders are those individuals who lead all areas of a disciple’s life by a personal example.   Even humbly acknowledging sin and begging for forgiveness should be exemplified by all, especially in the life of a wiser saint.  Putting this in the context of a church, he would have to resign an office or move on to another area where his reputation is not tarnished.   This is not supported biblically but only in our social group.  This is just a sample of the problems created by human wisdom.

There are rules in this social club.  Rules of membership, membership dues, and responsibilities are the norm.  Administrators are voted to supervise the financial accounts and follow through with business decisions that are made by those in charge.  There are rules for attendance and non-attendance regarding membership rights, duties, and remaining in good standing with the club.  The longer the club continues and the more involved they become in their purpose, the more rules are created.

However, the called-out body of saints is not a social club.    Their contact is not based on a regular scheduled appointment or meeting time (once or twice a week).   These are in the same family and have the kind of contact and interaction that we would expect from a family — daily contact.   They would have the kind of spiritual diet that we would expect from a family (two or three times a day).  They should expect the same degree of accountability, openness, support, and discipline expected in a family (observed and measured daily).  This is not a social club, though churches are more closely aligned with it by allotting a certain amount of time, energy, and money and no more.   Fellow Christians, on the other hand, are customarily in each other’s homes where they are comfortable sharing their food, the warmth of their kindness and laughter, and their sorrows and joys.   This family is very accustomed to praying together.  When burdens are too heavy to lift, you don’t wait to be asked to help lift that burden.   You come alongside, uninvited but welcomed and so appreciated.   Also, you respect differences, whether conscientious scruples or doubtful questions.  No one is a policeman or an enforcer to get all to agree with yourself.    By the time such relationships are well established and practices of study and prayer firmly set, rarely will there be a need (spiritually or physically) that is not immediately met.  This is the nature of a family, not a social club.