I have likely done Donald a mis-service by only sharing my favorite quotes from a long post he wrote here which is all good and worth reading in its entirety.
Nevertheless, here are a few of those 'sound bites' that stood out to me from "Why I Don't Go To Church Very Often:"
I’d say half of the most impactful people I know, who love Jesus and tear up at the mention of His name, who reach out to the poor and lonely and are fundamentally sound in their theology, who create institutions that feed hundreds of thousands, do not attend a traditional church service. Many of them even speak at churches, but they have no home church and don’t long for one. They aren’t wired to be intimate with God by attending a lecture and hearing singing (which there is NOTHING wrong with) they are wired to experience God by working with Him…
The point, though, is this: Jesus engages people inside and outside the church. It’s almost as though He sees the church as one, without walls, denominations or tribes. I’m starting to see the church that way, too…
Today, many churches look like night clubs complete with pastors being piped in on video. It’s quite brilliant and I’ve no problem with it, it’s just not my thing. I don’t like night clubs. And I don’t like lectures and I don’t emote to worship music. And I still love Jesus. It’s shocking, but it’s true. That said, let’s stop using the word “Biblical” as some sort of ace card when it comes to how church should be done…
I do think church can evolve beyond a lecture/worship/performance institution, but the current leadership is unlikely to make that happen. When and if the church evolves, it will evolve from outside the current leadership and that evolution will pose a threat to existing tribal values as well as financial systems that are sustained by the current model…
… I’d argue that by making the church smaller, less formal, less organized, less institutionalized and more like the chaos of a family structure, the church would be moving MORE toward the historical church in ACTS and less like a culture-formed institution by deconstructing itself. Though I hardly consider that a God-given decree.
Comments
2 responses to “Donald Miller on Not Going to Church Often”
Dear brother, a few passages of Scripture came to mind as I read your post:
“I’d say half of the most impactful people I know…have no home church and don’t long for one.”
1. How can a lover of Christ accomplish Heb 10:24-25 without having a “home church”?
2. How can a lover of Christ love the Head and not His body, i.e. the church Col 1:18
3. How can a lover of Christ not “long for” being with the people of God, i.e. the church? Paul gave us an example of a true believer in Phil 1:8
“The point, though, is this: Jesus engages people inside and outside the church. It’s almost as though He sees the church as one, without walls, denominations or tribes. I’m starting to see the church that way, too…”
1. Yes Jesus engages people inside and outside the church, but once those outside the church have been engaged they are brought into the church, they become “citizens”, “members”, “living stones” within “a holy temple”, “adopted into the family of God”, a family that gathers locally, i.e. the church, and these metaphors are used of a local church (not only the universal or invisible church) e.g. in Ephesus Eph 2:19-22 and other places in the NT.
“I’d argue that by making the church smaller, less formal, less organized, less institutionalized and more like the chaos of a family structure, the church would be moving MORE toward the historical church in ACTS”
1. The wonderful historical record of the birth and early years of the NT church in the Acts is not the final word the NT has to say on the church. There is much more to be learned from the letters written to the churches and to the leaders within the churches. Even the apostle Paul wasn’t happy with the chaotic behaviour and practices of the infant church. There was a strong call for organisation and order: 1 Cor 11:17-34; 14:26-40 “…all things should be done decently and in order.”
All of these passages of Scripture (and most of the NT) were written to local churches or to individuals in and/or leading local churches – local churches, where true lovers of Christ gathered!
It was said of the church in Acts that “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…And all who believed were together and had all things in common…And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Acts 2:42-47 – And this was the local church in Jerusalem.
Stan, healthy dialogue is always great, so thanks for taking the time to share. While I cannot speak for the author whom I quote in this post, I am happy to share a few thoughts of my own in response.
1. I personally do long to be connected to the Body of Christ yet don’t find the need to experience that, primarily, in traditional church services. The practices of said services, though wonderful in their exaltation of Jesus Christ and in providing an excellent program of worship and teaching for many believers, is actually not prescribed in Scripture in the way we find it practiced in most churches. today That does not make it wrong or bad to me, I simply ‘long’ to connect with the church in other types of settings that are equally, or even more, Biblical. “Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.” Colossians 4:15
2. The term “local church,” which is commonly used to relate to the type of brick and mortar congregations that we see today, is not found in Scripture. Not at all. Therefore, it is inaccurate to take Scriptures about ‘the church’ and then make a direct correlation to this term and concept. The New Testament often refers to the universal church which many Scriptures mentioned apply to: those that refer to being citizens, members, living stones, and being adopted into His family. Then, when the New Testament refers to tangible expressions of the church, there are only two categories: churches that met in homes, and the city-wide church (such as the church of Ephesus) which the epistles were mostly addressed to. Our contemporary concept of ‘local church’ does not fit into either of these two categories. The church gathering in the temple court yard (Acts 2) does, indeed, refer to the gathering of the city-wide church, something that was enjoyed when possible. But bear in mind that there was only one temple in all of Judea and none throughout the rest of the world where the Gospel reached. In many parts of the world, large city-wide gatherings were not possible or feasible, though there was clearly a city-wide network of house churches nonetheless. The point is that Scripture, as the guide, does not point to the particular type of church-attending and membership-joining that we have made to be today’s norm.
How wonderful it is, then, to see the church break out of its traditional wineskins in order to make room for expressions of ‘church’ that are more meaningful to some, richer to some, and more authentic to some without veering out of the bounds of sound Scriptural teaching.