Clarifying “Church”

How do we define church? What is the role of the church? What makes a church a church and what is the ideal church? Or what isn’t the church? On a macro level, the universal church is the body of believers with Christ as the head. On the local level believers gather together regularly to worship, have fellowship, discipleship and receive mission and edification through ministry.

The church is the people of the New Covenant, both living and passed away. The church is the community of Jesus and a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that the whole world would be blessed through his offspring. Believers are children of Abraham through faith in Christ (Galatians 3:7. 3:29; Romans 4:16; Romans 9:7-8). The church is not buildings, budgets and programs.

The church is the adopted children of God, redeemed and purchased by the blood of Christ, incorporating all believers throughout all ages. We were once slaves to sin and are now part of a loving relationship with God as Father and each other as brothers and sisters in Christ (Romans 8:15-17; Galatians 4:4-5; 1 John 3:1). The church is the body of Christ (Colossians 1:18) that functions as His instrument in the world. The church is also the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:25-32) that is loved by Christ and is betrothed to Him, faithful to Him and devoted to Him.

Jesus founded His church by choosing the disciples, teaching them about God’s kingdom and commissioning them to spread the good news of the gospel. The mission of the church is found in Matthew 28:18-20. “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’”

BELIEVERS WHO ARE COVENANTED TOGETHER

In the New Testament the church often refers to believers who are covenanted together to worship God, love one another and witness to the world. As members of the church, believers share life together, grow in maturity of faith together, minister together, worship together and serve together.

In Acts 2 we learn that the early church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42). We also learn that they saw themselves as a “community” and shared meals and their belongings, as well as caring for the needy. They worshipped together and enjoyed the favor of all people. The early church wasn’t simply individuals but a collective body that lived out their faith.

The church is alive just as Christ is alive and transcends all generations through the power of Christ. In Ephesians 3:20-21, Paul shares, “Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Paul is not referring to an organization but to a people.

Unless Jesus is the impetus of the church it is nothing more than an attraction to consumers who want to know about Christ but stop short of knowing Christ. When Jesus is given the reigns of a church it will produce disciples and they will in turn carry out the will of God by producing more disciples. The church is a living organism and it grows regardless of where or what circumstances it encounters.

Viable churches have been planted where there is no building, no pastor, no programs and no budget. Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am with them.” That is the power of a church and that is how churches coalesce and have impact. Discipleship produces more disciples and nurtures new disciples in their walk of faith.

If new believers are left to their own devices after conversion, it is equivalent to leaving a baby lamb alone without food or protection. Mentorship is crucial to developing disciples into feeling empowered to make new disciples. The result is organic church growth – not simply filling seats but raising up children with the conviction to serve Jesus with passion and bear fruit for Christ.

EQUIPPING PEOPLE TO MAKE DISCIPLES

Equipping people to make disciples involves training in spiritual disciplines that unleashes believers so they can answer the difficult questions they will face while spreading the gospel. More than knowing theology and knowing the what but knowing the why of the Bible. Many church congregants feel inadequate when it comes to evangelization. There is power in the Word and knowledge of scripture is paramount to building a church with God’s power.

The prophet Isaiah wrote, “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”

God’s word is radically transformative and isn’t limited to creating a better version of people. Rather, it creates new people that are no longer the same but new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). However, once the seed is planted it must be watered and nurtured in order to grow and produce a harvest. That means mentorship is integral to discipleship.

If a church is failing to produce fruit it becomes stagnant and begins to deteriorate. Members lose their love for Christ and the desire to serve Christ, and discipleship ceases. In Revelation 2:4- 5, the church at Ephesus is warned, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.”

A great many local churches have ceased to function and their cathedrals stand vacant. Some are now libraries, museums or coffee shops, others are night clubs and restaurants. They are icons of Christ but He has left the building. Their lampstand was taken from them because they stopped making disciples and lost their passion for Jesus. These churches stopped being relevant to people seeking salvation.

SUSTAINABILITY DEPENDS ON DEDICATION TO CHRIST

Sustainability depends on dedication to Christ, conviction and commitment. Without disciples who are equipped to make new disciples any church cannot grow. Jesus said, “For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost.” (Luke 19:10). When the church fails to evangelize and seek the lost, it becomes dysfunctional and no longer has a sense of purpose. Many church organizations today prioritize religious ritual and ceremony over following Jesus.

When the apostle Paul planted churches around the Mediterranean region, he succeeded through discipleship. He never installed pastors trained in Jerusalem but developed church leaders from within the congregation through discipleship. That model has greatly changed over time and has resulted in a degree of impotency in many pulpits. Seminary degrees don’t always equate with knowing Jesus personally.

Healthy churches love Christ and share the love of Christ with the less fortunate. Dedicated disciples serve orphans and widows, the homeless and destitute, the elderly and those in prison. When a church does these things, it produces fruit. And that is why Jesus warned the Jews, “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” (Matthew 21:43).

The true church is a community of believers that loves Christ, shares the love of Christ by welcoming those who are unloved or marginalized, and then disciples them and equips them to spread that love to others. Effective congregations want to share the love of Christ and bear fruit for God. They are not simply spectators that attend a service expecting to be entertained or enjoy a time of fellowship before returning to a lifestyle devoid of Jesus until next Sunday.

Jesus was the template by which we are called to imitate and replicate. He said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:28). We are called to give our lives to each other and to serve each other. And in Acts 20:28 Paul instructs the church elders, “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood.”

Rather than asking “What is the church?”, the appropriate question ought to be “Who is the church?” because the Bible uses that word to describe a group of people, not a gathering or event. Furthermore, no person is an island therefore believers are called to congregate and worship together. Hebrews 10:24-25 instructs, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”