I have discovered that it is easy to recognize when something is not right, but it is much more difficult to ask ‘why’ something is not right. Asking ‘why’ can be difficult because it may lead us to discover things that may change the course of our entire lives, as well as challenge our pre-conceived ideas that we consider normal and comforting. This article is not only an attempt to address a very important and dangerous problem within institutional Christianity, but to ask ‘why’ this problem exists and keeps repeating itself. I would like to ask you to read this article with an open mind. If you feel led, contribute your disagreement in a constructive way and add to the discussion by sharing your thoughts. If you indeed love the church (people), then we really do have the same goal.
Often times the problem I’m going to share is perpetuated by the same people who would agree that the problem exists. I would like to address the very serious problem of ‘factions’ (mistakenly called ‘local churches’) and why they exist. Let me explain…
Have you ever drove down a street (especially in the Bible belt) and noticed all the different ‘churches’ on all the different street corners? I know that I have, and it has perplexed me most of my Christian life. A couple of years ago, we moved from Columbus, Ohio to the ‘Bible Belt.’ God used this experience to open my eyes to some disturbing things that exist almost everywhere in this country, but is more visible and severe in the ‘Bible Belt’ so to speak. There was one stretch of road in the area that we moved to that literally had a church building every tenth of a mile. Sometimes they were even side by side! Some were big, some were small, and some were medium sized. Many of these buildings also had some type of pithy advertisement outside (advertising a sermon topic or some famous worship leader / speaker coming) that seemed to plead to people driving by to come to their 1.5 hour meeting that Sunday.
The competition seemed very stiff to say the least as each institution was desperately trying to get more & more people to ‘attend’ their weekly meetings. Some of these institutions tried to appeal to a younger crowd, while some emphasized their more traditional meetings to appeal to an older crowd. This is right in keeping with the American consumer and shopping culture. When one institution’s weekly meetings weren’t good enough, people simply left and went down the road to something better. While most institutional Pastors would agree this is a huge problem, most are also blind to the fact that their own system and understanding of the church is actually what keeps perpetuating the very thing they say they stand against.
If you’re like me, you have probably wondered how things got like this. After all, aren’t we all supposed to be one family? I have often wondered how these groups justify being separate from one another when they are, in some cases, literally right next to each other. (I know of one specific cinema that has 3 separate ‘church’ services in 3 separate theaters in the same building at the same time! This is no joke.) Rarely do the people, who attend the Sunday church meetings at one facility, have any meaningful fellowship with people who attend the facility next to them. If someone is asked why they don’t connect with anyone at the ‘church’ facility down the street, you might hear an answer like this:
“I am pretty involved in (enter church name here), and they ‘go’ to a completely different church. Why should I be involved with someone else from a different church?”
Although this type of behavior and attitude is normal today, it doesn’t take a theologian with a PhD to see that there is absolutely no example of anything like this in the New Testament. Even the people that I have talked to who are not Christian seem to know that there is something wrong with this picture. How can something that is supposed to be ‘one’ be so divided in identity and practice?
As a result, some ‘churches’ have attempted to fix this problem by trying to ‘collaborate’ a bit more. Recently while visiting a particular city in the Bible belt, I visited a very well known ‘church’ and had a conversation with one of its staff members. When the subject came to other churches in the area, the conversation went something like this:
ME: “So, are there many churches in this area?”
CHURCH STAFF: “Oh yes, there are many.”
ME: “Would you say there is much interaction between the churches in this area?”
CHURCH STAFF: “Oh yes, our Pastor really has a heart to work with the other churches in the area.” (said with excitement and a big smile)
ME: “Oh yeah, how’s that?”
CHURCH STAFF: “Well, we actually have an entirely different church that we let use our very own building for their weekly services and staff offices.”
ME: “Wow. That’s unheard of and quite generous.” (Tongue in cheek)
CHURCH STAFF: “Yeah, our Pastor really has a heart for all the churches in this area.” (more excitement and smiles)
ME: “Can I ask you a question?”
CHURCH STAFF: “Yes, sure.”
ME: “Is it a different church that you let use your building, or the same church?”
CHURCH STAFF: “Like I said, it is a completely different church. We like to work with other churches.” (Still smiling, but less enthusiastically)
ME: “I see. And you said that this is a completely different church that uses the same building?”
CHURCH STAFF: “Yes, that’s right.” (confused look)
ME: “Do you know why the church that meets on your property is not the same church, but a different church?”
CHURCH STAFF: “Well, because it is a completely different church.” (a more confused look)
ME: “Well I know that you said that it is a completely different church, but do you know what it is exactly that makes it a completely different church? After all, it is not location that keeps you guys separate because you guys are so close in proximity that you use the exact same building. So again, why are these two churches different churches?”
CHURCH STAFF: “Well…umm…(possibly thinking about this for the first time) because we have a completely different set of leaders, and different missional and doctrinal stances. They even have their own marketing materials as well.”
Bingo! That was the answer I was looking for, and I was also hoping this staff member would grasp the audacity of the situation. This is the reason that these church communities believed they were actually different ‘churches’. It all comes down to different communities of people being factioned around different sets of human leadership and different doctrinal stances. Again, it does not take a PhD in theology to see that this kind of example is foreign to New Testament thinking & teaching. Can you imagine one group of Christians in the city of Corinth saying they were a completely different church from another group of Christians in the city of Corinth? No way!
In the scriptures, you simply see the church of Corinth, Ephesus, Rome, Sardis, etc…There was only one church in these cities, and these churches were identified by which city they were located in, nothing else. Yes, there were many different local church communities that met in the same city (and no, they didn’t all meet together in one big group), but they all considered themselves a part of the same church. They didn’t organize around specific human leaders or doctrinal affiliations, and they didn’t have different church names that distinguished one group from another like we do today. There is no biblical evidence to support this practice. It was simply the church of Corinth for example. They all had Jesus in common, and He was the head of their specific local fellowships as well as the larger church across the city. Local church groups were simply identified by location. Church in Corinth was distinguished from the church in Ephesus because of location. Again, this had nothing to do with being factioned around a different set of leaders or doctrinal positions.
There was, however, a specific situation that arose with the church in the city of Corinth when the church tried to separate from each other and faction around 4 different leaders. One group wanted to be identified as followers of Paul, another as followers of Apollos, another as followers of Peter, and then there was the ‘super spiritual’ group that wanted to separate from the rest of the other groups and say they were following Christ. I’m sure these groups all had well sounding arguments as to why they thought they needed to be a separate faction from the others. I’m sure they liked these individual leaders and the teachings (doctrines) that each seemed to emphasize. That is why they wanted to organize a separate group around these specific people. This is no different than what happens today as we form separate ‘churches’ around human leaders. If Paul hadn’t stepped in, there would have been 4 different ‘churches’ in the city of Corinth. We would do well to consider Paul’s question to the Corinthian believers about this attempt to divide the body of Jesus into factions:
“Has Christ been divided?…” (1 Cor. 1:13)
The truth is Christ has not been divided, and His very own body here on the earth should reflect this glorious truth. Unfortunately, this is not practiced today. I know that this might sound harsh, but most of what we call ‘church’ planting today is nothing more than ‘faction’ planting. It is NOT church planting. Yes, the church (people) can be caught up in these ‘factions’, but what is really meant by ‘church’, is simply just another faction. How do I know this? Because I have done it!
I was trained and taught to be an institutional church planter according to the system that was passed down to my spiritual leaders. According to an institutional / factional understanding of the church, one of the first things that must be accomplished when thinking about a ‘church’ plant is the identification of a ‘point man’ or a human leader whom the faction will be built around. After all, who will lead this thing? Once the clergy figure is identified, then a faction of people can be built around them. Eventually there is a ‘mission’ or a doctrinal stance that they begin to rally around. Then they usually pick a name for themselves to distinguish themselves from the other ‘factions’ that are in their target area. Once they arrive at the city of their destination, they have simply added to the number of other ‘factions’ in the city that are calling themselves churches. This is a tragedy and it should not continue to be repeated because it has no Biblical precedent. This violates the basic premise of what the local church actually is.
So, what am I saying? Am I saying that local churches should not be planted? No way! I am saying that local ‘factions’ should not be planted. A local faction is built around a human leader(s) that rally around a mission / vision for the city, or a set of doctrinal tenants. (This is not a good thing no matter how noble the specific mission may be). A true local church must be planted around something much greater and more profound. Many people can agree and recognize that there is a problem regarding the factional institutional ‘church’ culture that I have mentioned in this article, but until we’re ready to recognize and destroy the systems of thought that actually fuel these factions, (and until we’re ready to do something about it), we’ll just keep perpetuating and validating the problem. The first step toward understanding what a local church actually is, is understanding what it’s not. We need a repentance (change of mindset) regarding the very nature of church itself before we will have eyes to see the Bride of Christ as she truly is.
So, do you have a factional understanding of the church?
I’d like to ask you to ponder some questions that may be revealing…
1. What is the basis of the relationship between you and others in your local church community? Is the basis of the relationship the fact that you both attend the same weekly meeting on Sunday or have allegiance to the same human leader(s) (pastor) or institution? If you answered yes to these questions, then you may have a factional understanding of the church. The basis of your ‘church’ relationships must be based on something greater and more profound.
2. When a brother or sister in Christ moves away or stops attending your weekly 1.5 hour ‘church’ meeting, do you forget about them, stop communicating with them, or stop viewing them as important family members? If the answer is yes, then you may have a factional understanding of the church. Our communication with them must be based on something greater and more profound.
3. When a brother or sister (IN CHRIST) disagrees with you regarding matters of doctrine, does that keep you from perceiving Christ in them and from valuing them as fellow brothers and sisters? Does this offence make you angry and keep you from having fellowship with them? If the answer is yes, then you may have a factional understanding of the church. You must be able to perceive something greater and more profound in them.
4. Do you belong to a ‘church’ simply because you greatly respect or have allegiance to a particular human leader or institution / denomination? If the answer is yes, then you may have a factional understanding of the church. Your commitment to a local church community must be based on something greater and more profound.
5. Are you aware that in New Testament times, there were occasions in which local churches were planted by church planters who then left the local church on their own BEFORE elders were present and recognized? Sometimes it was years before church elders / leaders emerged and were recognized. Do you know how these churches functioned? If you do not know these things, it could be because you hold to a factional understanding of the church. The local church, as described in the New Testament, was governed and led by someone greater and more profound.
6. Do you know what specifically (not generally) should hold Biblical local church communities together? If the answer is no, it could be because you have a factional understanding of the church. (HINT: A local church community should never be held together by a membership document, commitment to a human leader / institution, or a commitment to a specific doctrinal stance since these things are Biblically foreign ideas)
I hope some of these questions have been helpful for you. Blessings to you as you embark on this journey of discovery.
For His glory in the church,
Jamal Jivanjee
(Note: This article generated a large volume of questions and objections that warranted a response in a separate article titled ‘A Defense Of The Indefensible- The Top 3 Objections Against My Last Article’ (click here to read this article)
Once again, you are SO right on with your post. I applaud you, join with you, and thank you for so eloquently describing what my own observations, evaluations, and sentiments have been. Bravo!
Here’s a quote of support: “There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and will be lost.” -Martha Graham
Michelle,
It is encouraging to know that the reality of the current system has not sat well with you either. I think many others feel this way as well. Sometimes people simply need to hear the discussion so they know they have permission to openly question what has been accepted for far too long. Part of this journey to discover and be built together with other believers into the house of God requires that we go through a ‘detox’ process which allows us to see, question, and unlearn the old system of religion that Christ has freed us from.
Blessings to you sister!
Let me add a hearty amen to that “detox” process, yo
This was always one of my ‘teaching moments’ posts I so cherish in you…the Holy Spirit bore witness to everything you shared back in Jan. and also now…but I think it’s neat…I think I even have this one saved—so many I go back and review from you and one other to refresh my perspectives when what I truly believe get’s tangled up in institutionalizm….Thanks for the repost…
As always, I appreciate your heart and comments Shay:)
I believe it can all be boiled down to one basic issue: EGO. Pastors and elders are all subject to the same weaknesses we all are! And we each have our old nature to crucify daily. Unfortunately, unless we consistently yield to the Spirit, our ego will get in the way every time (even if it’s momentary)! The work God does in His church is so fragile that ANY amount of “fleshly” interference can tear His work apart! However, God is eternal. The “flesh” is not. God’s purposes will be accomplished simply by reason of default.
“It seems to me that we have made normative that for which there is no Scriptural warrant (emphasis on one man’s ministry), and we have omitted that for which there is ample Scriptural support (emphasis on one another) . . . we have exalted that for which there is no evidence, and neglected that for which there is abundant evidence.” -Jon Zens-
I was having a discussion about this type of subject the other day with a fellow. He asked me, “Where do you get your theology?” I told him, “For God and His word.” He asked, “You didn’t get ANY of it from books, sermons, or conferences?” I said No, because I believe that God still speaks through prophets. And as Jesus said “My sheep know my voice.” It’s very obvious why there are so many “churches”, because everyone thinks everyone else is wrong. But how can so many be wrong when we are led by the same Spirit? Well, we are not. Most, if not all in some way, would be offended and shocked if the opened their Bible and read it exactly as it is written, without any “interpretation” or bias. It is mind blowing and unbelievable the things we willfully overlook for the sake of our traditions and doctrines. I think this is in line with what you were saying Jamal. If we are all lead by the same Spirit, than I should be able to trade seats with any Christian in the world and that church will be saying, praying, doing the same as the church I am from. I don’t mean exactly, because there are many parts to one body, but there would be no disagreement. This is why there will be so many at the Judgement seat that say, “Lord, Lord.” And He says, “I never knew you.”
Jeremiah,
Thx for reading and commenting. This is a powerful line from your comment:
“It is mind blowing and unbelievable the things we willfully overlook for the sake of our traditions and doctrines”
What you have said here leads down a very deep rabit hole indeed:)
Thx again for sharing.
Excellent thoughts. I have had similar concerns. Why do we plant so many churches that essentially compete with exisiting local churches over a fixed population of believers? When we lived in Lansing there was a PCA church planter I knew who was planting a church even though there was already an OPC church in town. This all stems from seeing local churches as fiefdoms that live in an uneasy truce with one another.
I enjoyed your comments and identified with many of your points. I tend to not look at denomination, except for where it comes to the catholic system (not the people per se) as it has already shown itself as having perverted the word of God. When I look for a church to attend, I base it on a set of principles, the biggest of which is if “they” are following the word of God as it is written in the bible. That is why I have elected to leave my church and join the seventh day adventists. I have been watching their programs off and on for a while….EVERYTHING comes from the bible and it uses the bible to intrepet the bible. i.e. the bible interprets iteself. As much as I hate to identify myself with one denomination, I am hard pressed to find a “church” that actually practices the sabbath on the sabbath except for the 7th day adventists. If a religious system has perverted one portion of God’s message, what is to say that they won’t continue to do so in other areas as well. The bible says that in the last days many will be led by false prophets and false religion. This may also be another reason why so many new churches are popping up…people are trying to find something that makes them feel good instead of following the word of God. God never changes, he was-is and is to come.
Tina,
Hey sister, thx for reading and commenting. I appreciate you taking the time to do this. Here are a few questions that you may want to stew on:
1. What would it be like if everyday were a sabbath? (Hebrews 4:9-11)
2. Was the Old Testament sabbath a picture of Christ that was fulfilled in Christ?
3. Is Christ the embodiment of the sabbath? (rest)
4. Did the sabbath point to Christ, or did Christ point to the sabbath?
4. In light of Hebrews 4:9-11, what would it look like to “enter” this rest as a way of life?
I ask these questions not to debate the issue of the sabbath with you here publicly on this post, but to illustrate the point that if we focus on any ‘thing’ , ‘issue’, or ‘command’ apart from the very person of Jesus Christ, we can focus on the ‘thing’ but lose perspective of the bigger issue. Jesus Christ is the ‘bigger issue’. We can build institutions and denominations around ‘things’ and ‘pictures’ , but that always leads to just another denomination and institution. Sadly, that is what the Seventh Day Adventist denomination has done in my opinion. Christ’s church can only be built around Him, not a picture of Him.
It may be a case of factions, or it may be a case of plain old idolatry. Much of the church in America does not follow Jesus Christ. Before I get into hot water, I say that because the majority of the “churches” (by which I mean man-made institutions who nominally ‘follow Christ’) in America are conformed to The Church, not to Jesus Christ. And the majority of them aren’t aware that there’s a difference! They think the head of the church is whomever is at their home office or on the pulpit. We’re all branches. We’re not The Vine.
Some, just as in Laodicea, are not even aware that Jesus’s only involvement with their group is on a sign out front. Some, like a Unitarian church in my town, have removed the word Christ because they’re quite aware that they follow their group, not Christ; others are patently unaware that it is The Church, not Jesus Himself, that they worship, for when asked, “What do you believe about X,Y,Z…” they reply, “Well, our denomination teaches…” or “Our Apostle says…” or “Martin Luther/John Calvin/etc. wrote that…” Whatever happened to following Jesus first? The word “church” simply means “assembly.” So, a High School pep rally is a “church,” technically. What’s the difference between the two? It is the Person in whose name they gather; increasingly, that’s the man-made group itself, not Jesus.
Our culture comes up with words like “Christocentricity,” yet it is the doctrinal and theological positions that belie the word itself in many churches that claim to be “Christocentric.”
Or –here’s an idea– we could just say “Christ-centered.”
I am convinced that God is being provoked to jealousy by not just our denominationalism but our commitment and loyalty to our particular institutions OVER His Son. Or our loyalty to our country. We say, “God & country,” but we usually mean, “Our country & God.” I believe God is going to make us choose very, very soon.
Thx for your comments Mark. I appreciate your heart. I think you have hit on some important things here. There is much confusion between the institution (non-living system) and the church (living people who are in Christ). They are two different things. Christ and His church are one, however (Ephesians 5:31-32). Because people confuse the institution (non-living system) with the church (people in Christ), they cannot see that the church (people in Christ) are really the very body of Christ!
Jesus is a person with a Head and a Body. Because of the institution (factions), we have been blinded to the reality of the true body of Christ. Because we have not seen His body, nor understood what His body is, we have not truly seen His fullness. His body (church) is where Christ’s fullness is contained (Ephesians 1:22-23).
Good thoughts, but this topic is much more vast than can be thoroughly examined within a single blog post. Going up against the entire modern-day church planting culture takes some extensive research and fully-developed arguments. I would be interested to see some other sources that call for the same change. Simply saying that it “doesn’t take a PhD in Theology” doesn’t mean that everyone will drop the tenants they’ve adhered to for centuries and melt their church factions into one. Perhaps cite some sources from those who actually do have PhDs in Theology and your argument will be a bit more convincing. Again, it is not that I disagree with you, I just think you need to do a little more research.
David,
Thanks for reading the article and for your response. I am in complete agreement with you that a single blog post cannot fully examine this issue. Thankfully, this is not the only article written about this subject. This is certainly not a new subject at all, although most Christians have never heard the current religious system questioned.
Many others have researched this subject to great lengths. Let me encourage you to take some time to read more from others who have done some great research on this very subject. I will list 3 books that all Christians should read:
1. ‘Pagan Christianity’ by George Barna & Frank Viola
This is a well documented book that details historically how the institutional church system began and what it is rooted in. It is a very eye-opening book to say the least. This book can be purchased on Amazon. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Pagan-Christianity-Exploring-Church-Practices/dp/1596446315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319308076&sr=8-1
2. ‘Reimagining Church’ by Frank Viola
This book was written as a sequel to ‘Pagan Christianity’. ‘Reimagining Church’ takes a look at what the New Testament church really is outside of the institutional system. The title of the book speaks for itself. As a student of the church, it is certainly one of the best books that I have read about what the New Testament church really is. This book can be purchased on Amazon as well. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Reimagining-Church-Pursuing-Organic-Christianity/dp/1434768759/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319308446&sr=1-1
3. ‘A Church Every 1/2 Mile: What Makes American Christianity Tick’: by Jon Zens
Jon Zens is a scholar and maybe the most qualified to write about this subject. In this book, Zens explores how the institutional church system has become factionalized to the point that we now see a ‘church’ every 1/2 mile in many places. Jon brings experience and many years of research to the table regarding this subject. This book can also be purchased through Amazon. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Church-Building-Every-Mile-Christianity/dp/097652225X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319309167&sr=1-1
David, I hope you will be able to take the time to obtain and read these books. The implications to your understanding of church life and church planting could be radically shifted. Blessings to you.
Hey Jamal,
Thanks for your thoughts and alerting me to your article. I have posted a response at my blog: http://leakyjar.wordpress.com/2011/10/22/are-church-plants-actually-factions-a-response-to-jamal-jivanjees-article/
In Christ,
Sam
Samuel,
Thanks for your response to my article. Here is my reply to your article that I posted on your blog site as well…
After reading your response, it is clear to me that you do not understand the position that I have taken. I do understand where you are coming from, however. If all we have ever known is the factional institutional religious system, it is hard to imagine the church outside of such a factional system. I can assure you, however, that the church that Jesus is building looks nothing like the ‘religious system’ that many call church today. I’d like to add a couple of things to your comment.
First, I take issue with your assessment that my critique is overly simplistic. As a stand alone blog, I could see where you may have a valid point, but my blog was simply meant to be an overview of the difference between churches and factions. Obviously, a single blog post is not adequate, however, to completely address this issue. Because many Western Christians have never heard the institutional religious system questioned, they assume the one questioning the system is naive, or hasn’t thought these issues through.
With all due respect, I think your view of ‘church unity’ is overly simplistic to the point that it is non-existent in real life. In my opinion, it is pointless to agree that in ‘theory’ there is only one church in a local area, but then deny that truth on the ground, so to speak. We do not see this in scripture at all. There are distinct reasons why the institutional church system in America is so factional. I also do not assume that the motivations of the hearts of those who may have started those institutions or denominations are wrong, rather I intend to examine the actual flaws in the religious institutional ‘system’ itself. I wrote an article detailing the two reasons why the Western institutional church is factional and unbiblical. I strongly encourage you to read it. Here is the link to that article: http://goo.gl/akCXo
Also, I must strongly disagree with your understanding of the ‘mission’ of the local church. While ‘making disciples’ may sound like the biblical ‘mission’ of the church, what most mean by that statement is actually foreign to the New Testament church. This ‘missional’ confusion is a major part of why the church remains so factionalized. Most institutional Christians are largely ignorant of what the true ‘Mission’ of the church really is. I wrote an article about this ‘missional’ confusion that will be helpful for you. Here is a link to that article: http://goo.gl/3psyk
Thankfully, there have been many others who have successfully and throughly questioned the factional religious system that many assume to be normal Christianity. I would strongly recommend that you become familiar with these resources as I am convinced that every Western Christian should read these books:
1. ‘Pagan Christianity’ by George Barna & Frank Viola
This is a well documented book that details historically how the institutional church system began and what it is rooted in. It is a very eye-opening book to say the least. This book can be purchased on Amazon. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Pagan-Christianity-Exploring-Church-Practices/dp/1596446315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1319308076&sr=8-1
2. ‘Reimagining Church’ by Frank Viola
This book was written as a sequel to ‘Pagan Christianity’. ‘Reimagining Church’ takes a look at what the New Testament church really is outside of the institutional system. The title of the book speaks for itself. As a student of the church, it is certainly one of the best books that I have read about what the New Testament church really is. This book can be purchased on Amazon as well. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Reimagining-Church-Pursuing-Organic-Christianity/dp/1434768759/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319308446&sr=1-1
3. ‘A Church Every 1/2 Mile: What Makes American Christianity Tick’: by Jon Zens
Jon Zens is a scholar and maybe the most qualified to write about this subject. In this book, Zens explores how the institutional church system has become factionalized to the point that we now see a ‘church’ every 1/2 mile in many places. Jon brings experience and many years of research to the table regarding this subject. This book can also be purchased through Amazon. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Church-Building-Every-Mile-Christianity/dp/097652225X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319309167&sr=1-1
I hope you will be able to take the time to obtain and read these books. The implications to your understanding of church life and church planting could be radically shifted. Unfortunately, you probably will not hear anything like this in seminary. Blessings to you on your journey for the truth.
Jamal-
Thanks for reaching out to me on Twitter. There were definitely things you said that I agreed with and things I did not. Here are some thoughts:
-I live in Northwest Ohio, and I feel like we have a lot of churches in my city. However, if every single person in my area wanted to go to church on a particular Sunday, only 1 in 5 could find a seat. I would imagine the numbers are a little better in the South, but I am certain there is still a gap. If there is a gap, we need more churches! Now, the problem with a lot of church plants is that they often draw disenchanted believers from other congregations. What needs to happen is that new church plants need to take on a missional model vs. an attractional model.
-I would be interested to hear your solution to what you see as the problem of factions in the church.While it is true that back in Biblical times, there was one church per city, but that was also because the average church had about 30-60 members. Today, we have churches that match that size, but also churches that number in the thousands. At some point, its not sustainable for everyone to be part of one church. Human beings tend to organize around commonality, and so it is only natural for groups that share a common ideology to form. Factions only become a problem when churches see themselves as in competition with each other.
-The problem in the church in Corinth was not differing theologies, but the elevation of individual leaders at the expense of the others. Not all denominations arose from this type of behavior, although I will concede the point that there is plenty of deification of church leaders today. I abhor rock star Christianity as much as I would assume that you do.
All in all, great post! Swing by my site some time. I would love to interact with you.
Blessings!
Eric,
Thx for reading this article, and for your reply. Let me clarify a couple of things.
1. There is a difference between church meetings, and completely separate churches. The church is more than a weekly meeting anyway. I am certainly not calling for one huge weekly meeting. In New Testament times, there were groups of people that met in homes throughout a city or region. While this is an entirely different subject, it should be noted that regular New Testament church meetings were nothing like we see today in the Western institutional church system. The concept of a select few people performing from a stage or one clerical figure standing behind a pulpit preaching to a passive audience would be a foreign concept to the churches that are described in the New Testament. In New Testament church gatherings, each member would be required to express Christ in the meetings.
2. Part of the problem that the evangelical church is having today is that despite all the talk about being ‘Missional’, there is much confusion about what the ‘Mission’ of God really is. It would go a long way to know what the real ‘Mission’ truly is. I wrote an article about that. I’d love for you to read it carefully. Here is the title & link:
Missional Confusion & The Amway Gospel…an assessment of a movement – http://goo.gl/3psyk
3. In order to fix the factional problems that we see today, we need to begin to get a glimpse of the church (people) outside of man’s institutional system that the people (church) are currently operating in. This is difficult for many of us to do because the institution has been the only lens, so to speak, that we have interacted with the church through. There is much more to church life than this however.
There is a great book that I’d like to tell you about called ‘Reimagining Church’ by Frank Viola. ‘Reimagining Church’ takes a look at what the New Testament church really is outside of the institutional system. It goes into great detail, and paints a beautiful picture of the Bride of Christ (church). The title of the book speaks for itself. As a student of the church, it is certainly one of the best books that I have read regarding what the New Testament church really is. This book can be purchased on Amazon. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Reimagining-Church-Pursuing-Organic-Christianity/dp/1434768759/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319308446&sr=1-1
3. Lastly, I would like to recommend a book by Jon Zens called ‘A Church Every 1/2 Mile: What Makes American Christianity Tick’
Jon Zens is a scholar and maybe the most qualified to write about this subject. In this book, Zens explores how the institutional church system has become factionalized to the point that we now see a ‘church’ every 1/2 mile in many places. Jon brings experience and many years of research to the table regarding this subject. This book can also be purchased through Amazon. Here is the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Church-Building-Every-Mile-Christianity/dp/097652225X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319309167&sr=1-1
Eric, thx again for reading and adding to the dialogue. I really do hope that you will be able to read these books and explore these things further. The implications could be quite profound. Blessings to you brother.
Hey, thanks for the comment and drawing my attention to your article. I appreciate the love that you have for the church and the time you took to convey that love. I agree that the factional mindset is a big problem within the church. However, I also believe that the emerging mindsets of “doing away with denominations” and “going back to the Acts church” deny the centuries of tradition and evolution of the church. The fact is, though denominations are man-made, they provide avenues for various people from all walks of life to come to faith. I believe in a God who CAN and DOES utilize our man-made systems to reveal Himself and His glory. More importantly, I believe in a God whose love for His Bride supersedes His willingness to allow these systems to persist if they are ultimately detrimental. Is the system perfect? By no means. Should we do away with it? I would be very careful to assume that thousands of years of Theological and Ecclesiological tradition have essentially failed the church. I hold people like you in high regard as I do the Apostles, the Church Fathers, and the great Evangelists and Theologians throughout history. Please, keep holding the established church accountable, keep praying for it, and keep envisioning ways in which we can achieve more unity within the body. I don’t think scrapping the system is the way to go, but rather working within that system seems to me to be the more biblical approach.
Danny,
Thx so much for reading and sharing your thoughts here. I appreciate your heart and addition to the conversation. This article generated a lot of questions and objections. I received so much ‘push-back’, so to speak, that I decided to respond to some of these good questions and objections that this article stirred up. Have you read that article yet? If not, here is the title and link:
A Defense Of The Indefensible- The top 3 objections against my last article. (Do you relate to one of these 3?) – http://goo.gl/ssk63
Hi Jamal
Thanks for connecting with me via twitter. I love the passion for the church which comes through so clearly in your blog post, and I am encouraged at your desire to see the church today become more recognizable in the light of the biblical church.
To this end I wonder if you have read Terry Virgo’s book: The Spirit Filled Church? I think you might find it interesting.
Blessings, and keep grappling with and writing about the church- it will be the central thread to history when we look back from eternity!
Rhys
Rhys,
Thx for reading the article and for the book suggestion. Yes, I am familiar with Terry Virgo’s book and his understanding of the church. I’m curious, have you read ‘Reimagining Church’ by Frank Viola?
Hi Jamal
When you say that you are familiar with Terry’s understanding of the church and the book, have you read the book? Just wondering what you mean by that?
No, I haven’t read Frank Viola’s book – is there a synopsis to it somewhere?
Regards
Rhys
Love it.
Jamal
Great post. It has been one of the great joys of our life here in Cheyenne to not plant a faction. I loved reading your questions of consideration and to think about how we have seen those played out in the community as we watched people find freedom from the institutional system. They were surprised when they moved away that they were still part of our community…we have people that regularly Skype into community gatherings from all over the country because they are still part of the church.
We have people react with surprise when they expressed a theological opinion that differed with mine or other people within the group and were not shunned but treated with love and compassion and still welcomed as part of the community. They had never seen this in the institutional system before.
People are getting excited by the idea that the community we are creating sees the entire city as their church and seeks to serve everyone not just those “in our tribe” it is so much fun and so liberating.
It gets scary at times without an institutional safety net but with Christ as the head of our community we rest in the assurance that we can do his will and He will provide the guidance we need.
As a pastor I have loved watching all members of the community (men, women, and children alike) participate in the relational calling of ministry within the church. As we move forward and worship, study, fellowship and serve as a community/family or bonds grow stronger and stronger and our people grow deeper and deeper.
My prayer is that people continue to read your blog not just with an open mind but with an earnest attempt at understanding what you are trying to say within the context of your message.
Love and Affection
Your Brother
Bond
Bond,
Thx so much for your comment! I greatly appreciate your heart:)
Thanks for sharing Jamal! I love the food for thought.
Its been said before yet its worth repeating. As we see the close of the Bible with John’s revelation around 90AD there is a significant period of rather quiet “church” history. This changed around the third century, and what comes into view is remarkably different from the early church.
Something crept into the mixture, something that had form, but lacked life. Man had moved into a position that he has zero ability to accomplish, man stepped into the position as priest/pastor/reverend. Man in his vaunted self image walked into the a position that he cannot ever have hope of fulfilling. Man has sought to replace the Headship of Christ with flesh, this has to be the top folly of all mans endeavors.
May we have the humility, the spiritual awareness to stop, and listen to what the Holy Spirit is striving to reveal. Jesus Christ is the Living head of the body, and is the only qualified Priest. His desire, His prayer is that in Him we find not only Life, we find unity, and the solution to the current mess we are in.
The call you hear here is not of division, (we already have that), the call here is to come together, and find that “in Him we move and have our being”. In doing so Christ will bring to our fellowships the unity He prayed for. The result of this will be earth shattering, may we hasten the day as we each yield ourselves to His perfect desire.