We talk a lot about the church here at Elect Exiles but the church isn’t a building, it is an assembly. More specifically it is an assembly of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and gathers to worship the triune God. So if our church buildings do not constitute the church, do our buildings really matter?
If the local church is truly the body of Christ gathered, then I think our buildings matter because as the body of Christ gathered, we represent Christ himself. We gather for his glory and we gather to hear the preaching of his gospel. So what do our churches communicate about Christ? What do they communicate about the gospel?
Does your building communicate that your church is wealthy or poor? Does it communicate your church’s interest in the arts? Is it modern, medieval, or puritan in its architecture? Is it neatly divided into sections for the various age demographics of the church?
In view of that last question, I’ll give you an example of how church buildings often fail to adequately honor the gospel. I am going to go out on a limb and say that the vast majority of churches (at least medium to large-size churches) have wings of the church for the various age groups in the church. Sometimes moving from wing to wing, in the larger churches, feels like changing area codes. Furthermore when you traverse from the ‘senior adult area’ to the ‘youth area’ its almost as if you have traveled through time as well!
There is much more that could be said about this, but I just want to pose a couple questions. First, if Scripture sets forth parents as the primary disciplers of their children (Deut. 6:4-9; Eph. 6:4), then why do we send children and parents to opposite wings when they arrive at church? Secondly, if every member of the body is called to minister to every other member of the body (12:3-8; 1 Cor. 12:12-27), then why do we send people to whole other buildings when they arrive?
I know there are many well meaning churches with divvied up wings for differing age groups, but in this post I merely want to put the issue on the table. Is your church divided by age-group or united around every member building up every other member in the faith?
What does your building say about your church? What does it say about the gospel?
my church has a two story high portrait of the pastor outside.
good points. why do we extinguish the idea of community at the same place that we preach it?
That is incredible! A two story high portrait?
And good question. I think many churches have bought into the mega church mindset that we have to make church more convenient to reach more people.
But for the sake of making church more convenient churches often sacrifice meeting spiritual needs–such as the promotion of true spiritual community and family ministry. I think some churches’ practices in divvying up the church by age groups are (even if unconsciously so) devaluing the family.
I have a friend who thought my church must host hundreds or thousands of people because it was so big. Really we just do what you described, with a youth floor and a nursery wing, and Sunday school classes divided for every age infant through senior adult. I miss mixing. Her church has a philosophy of cross-generational ministry, but not a lot of older people attend.
So I know this is a weird question, but how do you get that older generation used to traditional, separate, formal church into the idea of ministry to and alongside new families, children, and teens?
When our church went through a redecorating debate a few years ago, the pastor insisted that our church needed to look nice so that visitors knew we cared about our building (and so would care about what we did and people who came). I think an expensive building gives the impression that you care about money and luxury and comfort. But there are some things I like in a church, like windows to see God’s creation, or decoration that reminds me of faith and the cross.
All that said, I like the idea of church at homes because that makes the statement that faith is a part of reality and family and hospitality. Church isn’t a program; it’s a network of relationships.
Where do we get the stereotypical cathedral or church and steeple chapel image of church? How did it originate and what did it mean?
To God be all glory,
Lisa of Longbourn
I noticed in Amarillo that many of the older churches, especially downtown, have very few members from the surrounding neighborhoods.
All white, middle to upper class.
Ouch.
I think that is an example of something many of our established congregations should be praying about, and working hard at preaching the gospel lovingly to the people who are right across the street or down the block from their building.
I will get back and post a few more comments later.
Drew, so are you going to put forward anything now that you put the issue on the table? :)
I think there are a couple of things to say about this in order to avoid unnecessary extremes. First, the church is full of people, therefore giving this issue to many variables. So, I doubt a blanket answer will do well.
Being a family teaching church faces issues more important than the use or non-use of long hallways and first and second floors. I talked to Todd about the things they are going to begin working on in order to help families honor the gospel at TBC. They are going to begin offering theology sessions, family session for couples, couples having their first kid, couples having their first teenager, etc. I think he really wants to break down some of the barriers between age groups and families.
So, obviously the issue is big. I guess that is why you laid it out there?! One of the things that I think your questions really help us realize is the ‘taking the place of’ that is going on in the contemporary church structure. Parents are sending their children to a youth ministry, but they are often not teaching their children at home like they should (Deut. 6:4-9). Youth ministries should never take the place of the family’s responsibility to pass on the knowledge of God to their children. The same goes for Sunday School, etc. If anything, those things should supplement and serve what parents are teaching their children at home. One good example: over and over again, my parents would teach me things at home they were learning in a way I could understand them when I was a kid.
Lisa, nice thoughts. One way or another, every church building says something about their people. What does it say about their wealth or poverty? If a lot of money is being put into the building, is there also a lot of money and effort going out into the local neighborhood, to missions and the telling of the gospel? A beautiful church does not necessarily communicate worldly coddling. However, if the opinion of outsiders toward the church is poor, the church should take a long look at whether they are honoring the gospel.
Gotta go.
Hey thanks for sharing your thoughts Kevin and Lisa. I am going to attempt to answer both of your questions in one fairly brief comment (I know what your thinking–how can Drew possibly be brief)!
I have been thinking a lot about how our churches can seek to be every member ministry churches. In other words how can our churches live out Romans 12 an 1 Corinthians 12 which indicate that every member of the body needs every other member of the body of Christ. I had been wanting to blog about it for a while and I was thinking about how many churches are age-segregated in just about everything that they do and it just hit me that even our buildings are set up for such age-segregation (i.e. when you have a wholly separate building for youth or children etc.) and it seemed a good avenue to write a breif blog on the issue of family ministry.
I think you are right Kevin, its an overreaction to the problem to totally eliminate any age-specific ministry from the church calendar. I agree that parents need to be taught and ministered to, though I think the primary way that everyone in the church should be fed is through the preaching of God’s Word. What I would say is that our churches need to make pointed, deliberate efforts to make ministry all inclusive. If almost everything we do at church is age-specific, we are not promoting a Romans 12/1 Corinthians 12 type of church where every member needs every other member!
I am also not advocating that we literally tear down walls in our church buildings or that we demolish the youth building across the street that is not connected to the main church building. I am, however saying that maybe we ought to rebel against the architecture of our church buildings so that we might gather as the body of Christ in a way that brings more glory to Him. We do this by championing the family and acknowledging the value of every member of the body.
There is much more to say here, but conceptually, as a future pastor, I simply want to move carefully but decisively toward a model of ministry that values the family and the contribution that every member has to give to every other member of the church!
Drew,
Ending age segregation is a good start.
I’m wondering how you plan, as a future pastor, to allow or encourage every member ministry. Will all of the chairs face forward (giving every member a wonderful view of the back of every member’s head), while your members listen to your weekly lecture?
Have you given any thought to the 1Cor 14 model?
Grace to you,
Next
-Next
I think every member ministry begins with discipleship. Plugging older members into the lives of other members. There is much more that could be said about that.
I was speaking of a 1 Cor. 12 model–where every member is needed to minister to every other member. I think what we have to start instilling in our people is that as a member of the church they are an absolutely necessary part of the body. So in other words I think every-member ministry begins with teaching that every member matters and the work of the church is the responsibility of every member. Once you have started teaching that, then you begin to pray that the Lord would bring workers and you shepherd them toward areas in the church that they can serve in.
I am not sure what you meant by a 1 Cor. 14 model–I have some thoughts about 1 Cor. 14 as well, but maybe I will save those for a post in the future. Just so you know, I have written several posts on spiritual gifts in which I address 1 Cor. 14.
Do you go to church? I agree that there can be problems with just coming to church and not interacting with anyone. I however, would not call what I will do on Sunday a “weekly lecture,” the church in Acts met together to recieve teaching, the breaking of bread and prayer (Acts 2:42). And Paul commanded Timothy to “preach the word in season and out” (2 Tim. 4:2). So I think a better word than lecture is “sermon” or “preaching” and I think it is clearly something that pastors are called to do weekly. And I think when it is done properly, it feeds and grows the body of Christ and encourages them to love one another.
I hope that answers your question. Thanks for stopping by.
Drew,
Thank you for your thoughtful response.
What I meant by the 1 Cor 14 model refers to is the description of what every member did when they gathered.
You are correct in that a pastor must equip the saints for the work of the ministry. I’m not so sure that said ministry is determined by the pastor.
I would need to ask you where you learned the concept of “going to church”. I can’t find such terminology in the Scripture, as the Church is never referred to as a thing that one “goes to”.
God rescued me by His Sovereign Grace 26 years ago. For 24 of those years, I was a member of a local congregation that met in a building. I’m assuming that is what you mean by “going to church”.
Drew, to answer your question as I understand it, I no longer go to a building to hear a sermon on Sundays.
I do assemble with the saints.
I would assume that you either have learned Biblical Greek, or have study materials available. Have you done a word study on the word preach? Do you think that when the 1st century church met, one elder gave a sermon while everyone else listened? If so, please let me know how you came to that conclusion.
If I have not yet offended you, I look forward to future dialog.
I wish you His peace.
Next
You haven’t offended me. I enjoy talking about these things, I think they are important or else I would not blog about them.
The word church in the NT is “ekklesia” and it literally means “an assembly.” Of course we know from reading the NT that this word was used in specific reference to “an assembly” of believers. Sometimes the word in the NT refers to the universal church (i.e. Christians from every tribe, tongue and nation) but more often it is used to speak of particular local assemblies of believers.
I think most people in evangelical churches today have a false understanding of what the church is. Therefore, for them, using a phrase “going to church” may not be helpful. However, being that the church is the body of Christ gathered, it would make sense to say one is “going to church” (i.e. going to where the body of Christ is gathered.” So if you do “assemble” with other believers you are part of a local body and thus are attending gatherings which we would probably both call the assembly “church.” I don’t want to play endless semantic games though. Your question made me think, I appreciate it.
I think the ministry to a large degree is determined by the pastors/elders. Unfortunately I don’t have time to go into a number of texts, but it seems that was the purpose for the appointment of elders in Acts, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, and 1 Peter 5. I will try to give some specific references when I have time. I hav also written about these things in several posts called “How Should Our Churches Be Led?”
You may be on to something with multiple people prophecying like you see in 1 Cor. 14. I am open to the idea and have often wondered why so few churches seek to do let every member speak in the assembly. I am curious how that works. Do you do that with the believers you gather with? I would love to hear your thoughts.
Anyway, I have a lot more to say on these issues. Later I will post a link to those articles on leadership in the local church, you can search for them on our site. Right now I have to study for and take a NT Greek final (so yes, you are right, I have taken Biblical Greek)!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts and asking questions.