being the body…identity crisis (part 1)

thanks for all your thoughts & prayers. i am in my layover and KCI and enjoying a very slow but free wifi connection. i thought i’d take this chance to start a discussion on here. i hope you’ll participate.

our teaching pastor, wes hamilton, let me borrow a book by chuck colson called “being the body.” if you have even the smallest bit of your heart that you love the church with, i strongly recommend you getting this book. it is almost 500 pages long and a very deep read, but it has been one of the most intriguing books i’ve tackled in a while (I’m only on page 130 287).

i have been taking notes throughout, and thought i’d post a little bit about what i’m learning and hopefully open up some discussion. the first part of the book is about how the current church is in the midst of an identity crisis. here are some bullet points i took out that i’d love for you to think about and discuss.

Misconceptions of the Church/Identity Crisis

-The Church is a building

1. The word church is from the Greek word Ekklesia, which means gathering of people. It really was used more in a political sense in the New Testament times but believers began using it to describe their gatherings
2. Instead of an abundance of “go and tell” it has become “come and see”

-The Church goer is a consumer

1. What’s in it for me?
2. Go where you “feel” good – where you feel “led”
3. Many churches aim to provide support over salvation
4. Help…over holiness
5. And convey the sense of “spiritual equality” and not God-ordained authority
6. Many churches also unintentionally encourage spectators instead of participators
7. People are invited to “discover themselves” in churches — and self realization and God realization are diametrically opposed
8. Consumerism works against the unity of the universal Church. You know you have heard conversations about people church hopping because of better programs, and I know it may not be the heart of any particular church to “steal” these people away, but let’s not be stupid here. It happens. And unity is the single greatest evangelical tool the church has — It shows that Jesus is who he claimed to be.

-Ending Thoughts

It’s no surprise people who aren’t religious or don’t go to church don’t understand its identity and mission. In fact, I am sitting in front of several ladies who are talking about the fact they have no clue about anything religious (They also think Kwanzaa is an Asian holiday). But when Christians don’t know what the church is…it’s a CRISIS.

your thoughts?

(next topic: fellowship)