Although I have yet to meet a Christian who will not agree that the church is the people of God we generally make three common mistakes when it comes to church as people:
1) We fail to recognize that to be the people of God is a communal identity.
Mostly we operate more as a collection of individuals. But being a Christian means a change of identity. We become a child of our Heavenly Father, which has a very definite set of implications. This part of identity we are often very good at talking about and working out. But we are called not to be individual persons of God. God is always in the Bible calling us to be a part of the people of God. We are called to belong to God’s people, family, church, community.
2) Our identity as church is solely based around the gathering.
Church is what happens when people Christians gather together and listen to the Word. This is too narrow a view on church. It is not our identity. Our primary identity is perhaps a worker, a father, a husband, a lawyer, etc, rather than as a member of God’s covenant people. What difference does this actually make? Ask yourself how you decide where you will live? Near to work, safe neighborhood for the kids, good job opportunities, near to a favorite leisure opportunity, people of a similar culture/economic strata? How significant in the decision is your role as a member of God’s covenant community? Or even more pointed of a particular local expression of the church? If your primary identity is church – then surely the first consideration ought to be – how would this move affect my local community; how can this move enhance my current ministry; to what ministry is God calling me now – where can I live in order to better facilitate this? It is out of our identity that we make these kind of life decisions. Our actions often betray our functional beliefs. For many of us church is an individual preference event that we attend (we can always find another if the event is no longer up to scratch) rather than a communal identity as the people of God on mission together.
3) Our structures do not support our theology – even if we agree that being the church is more than certain meetings, often our practice sends another message.
The reality is that many churches may have their values and theology correct but their structures in fact work against their theology. For many churches the people are kept so busy keeping the programs running and attending meetings that there is little time for community to be forged. There is no time for eating together, playing together and sharing life together outside of the formal programs of the church. So while there is some level of community formed it is often found to be lacking when life falls apart. When people are unable to be a part of the programs of the church – they suddenly find they have no community outside of the formal structures. And if it is true that people within the church cannot find time to have another Christian couple round for dinner. What of their unbelieving neighbors?
Dennis Owen
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