When it comes to church life, culture is important. The culture we want to create will ensure the quality and quality of life that is produced. What we often discuss with our church family is that the nature of the church will determine the structure. If the church is simply an organization then it will be structured accordingly (typically from the top down). However, when we discover that the church is a living, breathing, organism then our structure will be radically different. Above any other description that we could give of the church, the one thing I see in Scripture is how they were a family.
Sure...there are other descriptions: Fellowship, Body, Flock. But I believe what we see in the book of Acts clearly represents the family or community understanding of the church. The way they interacted, shared life together, and built one another up in the faith is not representative of a club but that of genuine family. As a family we are governed by love, invested in honor, live in harmony, and led by fathers/mothers. We learn what it means to invest in one another. And...as a family, we relate to one another on a much deeper level.
Establishing a strong church family is a matter of the will. In other words, we must choose to do life this way. It's crazy to me that we even have to have this conversation but just look at how the church operates in our present culture. Many pastors are more like CEO's rather than fathers. The church is very structured rather than flowing with life. Relationships are superficial for the most part rather than being a primary focus. It is for this reason and this reason alone that I choose to view the church as a family of believers. I long to see the community that has been lost by our current structures. I realize that those words get used more often than not to describe churches but the reality is that people do get lost in the shuffle.
Establishing a strong church family is also a matter of the heart. This means that we learn how to open our lives to one another. This is quite difficult for some people. But when we learn to allow love to be the governing force in our lives, it will make heart to heart connections much easier. People need to know that church is a safe place. It's a family where we are allowed to be ourselves, share our concerns, receive/give love, and grow in relationships. You see, I can join about any civic club in the community but never have a heart connection with anyone. However, it is impossible to be the church without these connections. Jesus told His disciples that the world would know that they were His by the love they showed to one another. Love opens our lives, expresses genuine concern, and creates an environment where people can thrive.
One of the other aspects of church family that I appreciate is that it moves us away from the hierarchies that we often see. Instead, we choose to appeal to people as fathers, mothers, brothers, and sisters. We recognize the commonality of life that we have in Jesus. We honor one another not because of a title but because of the person that God created them to be. In most leadership models we simply submit to authority because that is the way it is. In a family we submit to a father who has exposed his heart to us. The dynamic of this relationship is quite different. What it produces in the people is quite different as well. Fathers & Mothers raise up Sons & Daughters not just followers. These sons & daughters grow to maturity and carry the legacy of the family wherever they go. In this culture, we actually send out multiple sons and daughters which advances the kingdom much quicker and creates an environment that draws people to the ecclesia once again.
It is my prayer that the church regain this understanding of the church and recapture God's vision for His children. May the prayer of Jesus be fulfilled in our generation: "The glory that You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one even as We are one" [John 17:22].
1 comment:
Thank you!
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