Church: Just Imagine

This is the first in a series of blog posts on “Church outside the box”. It’s aim is to prompt discussion, to raise questions, and to offer a few ideas. It’s the product of thinking-in-progress, so when you think of something to add, or want to raise a question or disagreement, please use the Comment box!

The main point: As we do church, we need to be inflexible on the inflexibles, but also flexible on the flexibles.

Imagine sitting down with a Bible in your left hand, and a blank sheet of paper in your right. Then imagine writing down on the right-hand piece of paper everything your left-hand Bible says MUST happen at your church meetings.

What would be on it? I think the list would pretty much look like this:

• Gathering of believers (Acts 2 v 44, 46)
• Bible teaching which points to Christ (Acts 2 v 42, Colossians 3 v 16)
• Lord’s Supper/Communion (Luke 22 v 19, 1 Corinthians 11 v 23-26)
• Praying (Acts 2 v 42, 1 Timothy 2 v 8)
• Singing (Colossians 3 v 16, Ephesians 5 v 19)
• Opportunity for believers to use their gifts (Romans 12 v 3-8, Ephesians 4 v 11-13, 1 Corinthians 14 v 39)
• Encouragement (Hebrews 10 v 24-25, Ephesians 4 v 15)
• Good order (1 Corinthians 14 v 40)
• A meeting that makes the gospel understandable to newcomers (1 Corinthians 14 v 23-25)

That’s not a very long list! It’s worth mentioning what it doesn’t include:

• what the building’s like, and how it’s set up
• timing, length and order of service
• manner of liturgy
• length and type of teaching
• what people should wear (as long as it’s not provocative, 1 Corinthians 11 v 2-16)

FLEXIBILITY

In your right hand is a bit of paper with a lot of room left. A lot of space to imagine, or re-imagine, how our church gatherings look, feel and run. A lot of areas to be flexible, to think about what will most encourage our fellow Christians, and what will most connect with our community’s non-believers.

An individual church exists in a culture, a time, a place. Two of those three are always changing. If a church isn’t flexible on non-Biblical essentials, it will be existing in (and seeking to reach) a culture that no longer exists, in a time which has passed. Surely it’s no accident that that Bible leaves us so much flexibility.

INFLEXIBILITY

In our left hand is the Bible. No room left at all here—it’s packed with everything God wants us to know about His Son. This is what we need to be resolutely inflexible on—it is what our fellow Christians, and our communities’ non-believers, need to hear.

A church needs to be inflexible on what the Bible says, for the glory of God… and flexible on everything else—for the glory of God.

…MY CHURCH?

This may seem obvious! But is it how our churches work? Let’s categorise churches into four types:

Type One

• Flexible where they should be (where the Bible is silent, happy to challenge themselves and think radically)
• Flexible where they shouldn’t be (if part of the Bible proves unpopular or uncomfortable, it’s ignored or explained away)
• Evangelicals are very good at spotting this kind of church!

Type Two

• Inflexible where they shouldn’t be: seeking to preserve another culture, time and/or place. The highest authority is: “this is how we do things”.
• Flexible where they shouldn’t be: Tradition is much more important than the Bible.
• Again, evangelicals are very good at spotting this church!

Type Three

• Inflexible where they should be: committed to Bible teaching, even when unpopular. Inflexible where they shouldn’t be: the right instinct to Biblical inflexibility spills over into all areas of church. Radicalism is viewed with instinctive suspicion.
• Evangelicals are not very good at spotting these churches. Often, we’re in them!

Type Four

• Inflexible where they should be: clear, Christ-centred Bible teaching.
• Flexible where they should be: constantly challenging themselves as to how they can encourage their members, and reach those outside the church, and changing accordingly.

Is it worth asking what type of church our own is? And if it’s not Type Four, asking what would need to change to make it that kind of church?

Practical suggestion: Actually get that right-hand sheet of paper. Scribble down what the Bible says we MUST do in church. Then use the space that’s left to re-imagine church, for your culture and community, which:

• models true community
• teaches the Bible in an inspirationally, memorably, and applied way
• is clearly, consistently welcoming and relevant to outsiders