| My Next Church
Kent C. Williamson
My next church will not look much like my current one at all, and most
likely, not like yours either. It will not look like the mega-church I
attended in the suburbs of Chicago, nor the "new" church I visited in
Southern California, nor the Presbyterian church I was married in back in
San Antonio, nor the Christian & Missionary Alliance Church I loved so
much on the Virginia coast, nor the little struggling Baptist Church I
joined in upstate Wisconsin, nor the home church a dear friend of mine
invited me to in his home state, nor the Bible Church that holds such a
dear place in my heart from my youth in El Paso.
No, I imagine it will not look like any of these at all. As a matter of
fact it may more closely resemble the non-organized, highly persecuted,
low-key, huge impact church in China I recently witnessed first hand than
any Main Street, Maple Street, side street, back street, high school
gymnasium, or strip mall church that exists today in America.
My next church probably will not have a building (nor a building fund, a
building program, or any building aspirations). This will save enormous
resources and of course will eliminate any potential arguments over carpet
color or pews versus theatre seating, but more so it will mark an enormous
shift in ideology. No longer will the church be so inwardly, self-centered
in it’s focus. No longer will the church be isolated from the community it
claims to serve. No longer will the church be seen as a refuge from the
woes and worries of the world… instead by the power of the Holy Spirit we
will face them head-on.
My next church will not be about Sundays and Wednesday nights. Imagine if
Christ had compartmentalized his life and ministry in the way the church
of today does. His example was a 24/7 one, which by the way, is what our
current post-modern culture begs for. The church has no set hours. If
ministry waits for the doors of the church to open, ministry opportunities
will be missed. There will be more living and breathing the Gospel and as
a result more impact on the communities in which we live.
My next church will not be about church membership. The goal will not be
for more people to walk our aisle, fill our pews, or join our club. The
focus will not be on more numbers or others joining us in our sanctuary
from the world. Instead it will be about people called by the Spirit of
God to join along side one another in action and deed, ministering to a
broken people in a critical time. Please do not confuse this with a
works-based faith. It is not, but as James points out, a faith without
works is dead. And I will add that a self-serving faith, one that is only
about our own “spiritual growth” (the trademark of the modern church), is
equally as dead.
My next church will not be about "worship services". It will not emphasize
corporate worship over life worship. It will not relegate worship to a few
minutes of singing jammed in-between announcements and a sermon. It will
not negate the power and beauty of corporate worship, but it will focus on
an individual’s life as worship. It will enable believers to more fully
understand that using our gifts and living our lives is just as much
worship as singing can be. Our vocations will become instruments on which
we play the hymns of my next church. Whether we are filling prescriptions,
fixing mufflers, home-schooling five children, preparing tax forms, or
making motion pictures, the attitudes of our hearts will be worshipful,
not a worship of ourselves and our talents, but a worship of God for the
talents He has given us and the work he performed through his Son on the
cross.
My next church will not be about more church programs. Actually it will be
the opposite. It will be about less church programs. And in doing less it
will do less better. It will not be about more programs for the youth and
children’s ministry. It will not be about more adult class options on
Sunday nights. It will not be about adding a second, third, contemporary,
or alternative service into the mix. The one thing my next church will be
intentional about is discipleship. Whether you are 6 or 60 you will be
challenged towards becoming a better disciple of Christ.
My next church will not have a denominational title. I’m confidant
outsiders will attempt to label it this or that, but in it’s mission and
purpose it will be about putting aside labels. It will be about looking at
the heart of the individual rather than his pre-given denominational
identifier. Will it be void of all doctrine? No, it will be doctrinely
sound in regards to the core message of the gospel. But it will discourage
argument for arguments sake over the finer points of theology that have
divided so many for so long.
My next church will meet in the community. It may gather at a coffee
house, a restaurant, or a neighbors yard today, and a playground, a
theatre, or a parking lot next time, but the focus will not be on meeting
to cloister ourselves from the world. Instead we will meet to spur one
another on toward action. And our main action will be, 'loving our
neighbor as ourselves.' In lieu of a building, our prayer closets will
become our sanctuaries where power will be given to us to enter and engage
the world according to God’s purposes.
My next church will actively engage the culture. It will not wait
patiently for seekers or the lost to wander through it’s doors. No,
instead it will prayerfully seek them. It will not abandon the arts, but
instead will actively pursue them, both in creating them and experiencing
them. It will attempt to live culturally relevant lives, not to be seen by
the world around us hip or in, but in an attempt to become all things to
all men so that more may come to know Him.
Finally and probably most importantly, my next church will be about the
great commission and the greatest commandments. It will actively pursue
making disciples (not merely converts) of all men. It will actively be
about loving our neighbor as ourselves. And it will actively attempt to
love the Lord our God with all our heart soul and strength. The message of
my next church will not change, but it’s methods will. And as a result of
these actions my next church will need to be more prepared for
persecution. Like our brothers and sisters in China, we will need to be
prepared for anything and everything that may come our way. But imagine
the impact of the church on our culture if the resources spent making
“church” happen were instead spent on reaching out to the community.
My next church is not for the faint of heart and it is definitely not for
the weak of faith either. It is not for those who sit comfortably in the
pews. It is not for those who are content with the way things are, but it
is ready for me… or more so, I’m ready for it.
Kent C. Williamson is an owner
of Paladin Pictures, Inc., a film and video production company dedicated
to the production, distribution and promotion of family-friendly, morally
strong entertainment and educational media. He lives with his wife and
five children along the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. |
