The Purpose of Church

I suppose I have a skewed view on some things. Okay, some would say many things. My mom used to say I am out in left field (well, she included herself in that), but I think it's more like right field. You know, the place that no one hits to. Today's "some things" is about the Church.

¹¹ And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴ so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love (Eph 4:11-16).

This passage is the foundational one that forms my perspective of the purpose and function of the Church. I know, I know, it's not the normal one. The normal one is the idea that the Church exists to make converts. I don't see that here. I understand that evangelism is the command to Christians, but it seems to me that the purpose of church is "to equip the saints for the work of ministry." It is discipleship (Matt 28:19). (Notice that the Great Commission is not to make converts, but to make disciples.) It is fellowship (Heb 10:25). Indeed, Hebrews 10 says something similar to the Ephesians passage.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Heb 10:23-25).

Very similar. The goal here of gathering together is to assist each other in holding fast the confession of our hope, to stir one another to love and good works, to encourage one another. In other words, the goal is to build believers, to equip saints, to make each part work properly in the Body.

So why is it that churches seem to miss this? They seem to be fairly good at gathering congregants, but how about disciples? What makes a person part of a church rather than simply going to church?

Most churches are easy to visit. It's simple to come and go. Especially mega-churches. Who knows if you're there or not? Making people a part of the church is something different. There are, in my view, two primary things that make people part of a church. First, there is the connection of shared labor. Being fed is important -- vital. The primary purpose of Sunday morning service is the preaching of the Word. Milk is necessary at the beginning, but the author of Hebrews expects believers to move on to solid food (Heb 5:12-14). But believers are gifted by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:7) and expected to exercise that gifting in the Body. That's called "ministry." That's not just the job of the minister; it's the job of each believer, and it's the job of the church to give each member the place to function in that gift. The second factor is that of family. The highest hallmark of a Christian is love for one another (John 13:35). We are brothers and sisters in Christ. As such, there ought to be family ties between believers.

You know ... just like the first church:

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ 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).

(Oh, and note, by the way, who it was that "added to their number day by day." Are you sure that's the primary job of the church?)

Imagine that ... a church that 1) is devoted to the Word (the teaching of the Apostles' teaching, 2) fellowship, 3) meeting together constantly, 4) meeting each others' needs, and 5) worshiping together. That's not a church you're likely to leave easily. That's one I'd like to find.