The Purpose of the Assembly
What is the purpose of the Church? What is the purpose of the church? Why did I just repeat myself? Well I didn't, technically. The repetition is purposeful. The uppercase "C" Church is representative of the body of Christ, that is, those who have professed faith in Jesus as Lord. This Church is the hand and feet of God who has been commanded by Christ to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19 ESV). The lowercase "c" church is the brick and mortar locations where the "Church" meets each week. Confused? Good, so am I. Kidding. However, in the interest of reducing this confusion, I'll hereon refer to the "church" as the assembly. I think that just makes better sense anyhow. Recently, I was involved in a conversation regarding the purpose of the assembly. I was left to ponder what the reason is for why the Church gather together every week. The Lord Himself knows that throughout the ages we (mankind) have come up with numerous reasons why we assemble. Some are good and bring glory to Him, others are not so good and likely do not bring Him glory. As my mind weaved its way through this subject, I began asking myself if it is even important. Does it matter to us why we gather? Does it matter to Him why we gather? Does it matter at all?
My short answer is a resounding YES! It most definitely matters! My long (and potentially drawn-out) answer is as follows:
At this point, allow me to shed some light on the specifics of what has unnerved me. Before I do, I wish to state that I respect the different ideas that were discussed in the conversation I refer to. Even more, I greatly respect those individuals who hold these views. I will even state that I respect the views of those who will read this blog entry. I just disagree. I hope I do not do a disservice to anyone as I relate my understanding. The jest of what was discussed was the importance of making our assembly attractive for those who are not believers in Jesus. That is, to make our assemblies more palatable to anyone who might walk-in-off-the-street (so-to-speak) to see what was happening. The idea (in my understanding at least) is to create an environment where no-one would be uncomfortable during the different traditions of the service. For example, the music that is played should be recognizable and agreeable and be more praise-centric than worshipful. We are to be careful not to have overly theological-sounding words in the songs. Also, the sermon should be one that is highly-relatable to those of faith and those of little or no faith. Yes, of course, it should be Gospel-focused yet not too over the top so as not to scare someone who is not yet of the faith. Does this all sound familiar? It sure does to me. Do you agree with this church model? Do you prefer it? Is the church you attend practicing this style?
In the 1990s a Pastor by the name of Bill Hybels began to structure his assembly in a similar fashion as to what I have described above. The idea was to make the church more inviting to the un-churched. Whether he intended to or not, Pastor Hybels started a much-maligned movement within the world-wide Christian community. This movement is known as the seeker-sensitive church model. I am not an expert on this period of church history (heck, I wasn't even a believer yet!) so I will not spend too much time on this. However, suffice it to say, Pastor Hybels has publicly stated that he was wrong to move in this direction. It didn't have the desired effect. It just didn't work.
In recalling a conversation with Pastor Greg Hawkins, he states...
Switching gears.
In 2009, I found Jesus. Well, actually I didn't have to look too hard. He was there...waiting. Patiently. Insistently. Persistently. Consistently. I simply had to call out to Him. I did. And He answered. Definitively. Now, I admit that I am a tad wet-behind-the-ears when it comes to leading the Church. At least when compared with someone like Bill Hybels. However, due in part to 14+ years of leadership in finance and banking, I have found that I am well-prepared to lead the assembly just-the-same. I suppose that this is also because I have not had the assembly experiences that most Pastors can affirm due to their being raised in the assembly. Is that a run-on sentence? Hmm..maybe? Anyhow, I'm thankful that I have not been jaded by some of the same experiences that I have heard about, yet I am saddened that I missed so much time with Jesus as my Lord. All in His timing I believe. My point is that I see the assembly in a much different way for these reasons. That's why I shared this little personal blurb. Blurp. Hmmm. Is that a word? Well, if not, it is now.
Switching gears again.
In the early Old Testament, the assembly was known as the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was the portable assembly where the nation of Israel would find God. In the later Old Testament, the Tabernacle came to be known as the Synagogue. This is where the settled Israelite nation would gather to learn from the written Word, be encouraged in their faith and share in their life experiences. In the New Testament, the synagogue became known as the churches. Yes, "churches", not church. This is akin to assembly, that is, the place where the Church gathers. Confused? I hope not. Stick with me as I wander the proverbial wilderness. There is a promised land coming, I assure you.
What is the purpose of the assembly? This is the question that I have been wrestling with. It keeps me up at night. It is a burden I carry throughout the day. Some may ask why it matters to me so much. My answer is that it should matter to us all. It's important. It's relevant. It's worth discussing. I believe that the sole and anointed purpose of the assembly is for those who have professed faith in Jesus to learn from the written Word, to be encouraged and built-up in their faith and to share experiences with other Christ-followers. In short, it is the place where the Churches faith is fed. Period. Full stop.
What exactly am I saying you ask? I am stating that the assembly is not meant to be a place where we build our social networks. It is not a place where leaders are formed and pathways set for the future. It is not a place where the Church gets to come and perform, be social influencers and promote their personal agendas. The weekly assembly IS about God and for God. Period. Full stop. My concern about the modern assembly is that what is being offered as "food" is nothing more than motivational gobbledygook. Man, I have always wanted to use that word in my writing. Wow...powerful. It's just so....academic. Yes, I will call it academic. Sorry, I switched gears without meaning to. Back to it...
At this point, I am feeling like I could go and repeat myself over and over (and over!). However, I get to that every Sunday when I preach. Just kidding! Or am I?
To (abruptly?) summarize, I just believe that the Church needs to be led differently. I believe that stronger believers can be harvested, more powerful preachers can be called and God can be more passionately worshipped. I would love to hear your thoughts. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to offer ideas on what you find works in your assembly.
Thank for reading!
MadMan
My short answer is a resounding YES! It most definitely matters! My long (and potentially drawn-out) answer is as follows:
At this point, allow me to shed some light on the specifics of what has unnerved me. Before I do, I wish to state that I respect the different ideas that were discussed in the conversation I refer to. Even more, I greatly respect those individuals who hold these views. I will even state that I respect the views of those who will read this blog entry. I just disagree. I hope I do not do a disservice to anyone as I relate my understanding. The jest of what was discussed was the importance of making our assembly attractive for those who are not believers in Jesus. That is, to make our assemblies more palatable to anyone who might walk-in-off-the-street (so-to-speak) to see what was happening. The idea (in my understanding at least) is to create an environment where no-one would be uncomfortable during the different traditions of the service. For example, the music that is played should be recognizable and agreeable and be more praise-centric than worshipful. We are to be careful not to have overly theological-sounding words in the songs. Also, the sermon should be one that is highly-relatable to those of faith and those of little or no faith. Yes, of course, it should be Gospel-focused yet not too over the top so as not to scare someone who is not yet of the faith. Does this all sound familiar? It sure does to me. Do you agree with this church model? Do you prefer it? Is the church you attend practicing this style?
In the 1990s a Pastor by the name of Bill Hybels began to structure his assembly in a similar fashion as to what I have described above. The idea was to make the church more inviting to the un-churched. Whether he intended to or not, Pastor Hybels started a much-maligned movement within the world-wide Christian community. This movement is known as the seeker-sensitive church model. I am not an expert on this period of church history (heck, I wasn't even a believer yet!) so I will not spend too much time on this. However, suffice it to say, Pastor Hybels has publicly stated that he was wrong to move in this direction. It didn't have the desired effect. It just didn't work.
In recalling a conversation with Pastor Greg Hawkins, he states...
"Bill, we’ve made a mistake. What we should have done at about this point when people cross the line of faith, become Christians, we should have started telling people and teaching people that they have to take responsibility to become “self feeders.” We should have gotten people, taught them how to read their Bible between services." (You can read more here: Hybels/Hawkins Convo)When the individual who is considered a pioneer of this church model acknowledges a statement like this, the Church would be well advised to listen.
Switching gears.
In 2009, I found Jesus. Well, actually I didn't have to look too hard. He was there...waiting. Patiently. Insistently. Persistently. Consistently. I simply had to call out to Him. I did. And He answered. Definitively. Now, I admit that I am a tad wet-behind-the-ears when it comes to leading the Church. At least when compared with someone like Bill Hybels. However, due in part to 14+ years of leadership in finance and banking, I have found that I am well-prepared to lead the assembly just-the-same. I suppose that this is also because I have not had the assembly experiences that most Pastors can affirm due to their being raised in the assembly. Is that a run-on sentence? Hmm..maybe? Anyhow, I'm thankful that I have not been jaded by some of the same experiences that I have heard about, yet I am saddened that I missed so much time with Jesus as my Lord. All in His timing I believe. My point is that I see the assembly in a much different way for these reasons. That's why I shared this little personal blurb. Blurp. Hmmm. Is that a word? Well, if not, it is now.
Switching gears again.
In the early Old Testament, the assembly was known as the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle was the portable assembly where the nation of Israel would find God. In the later Old Testament, the Tabernacle came to be known as the Synagogue. This is where the settled Israelite nation would gather to learn from the written Word, be encouraged in their faith and share in their life experiences. In the New Testament, the synagogue became known as the churches. Yes, "churches", not church. This is akin to assembly, that is, the place where the Church gathers. Confused? I hope not. Stick with me as I wander the proverbial wilderness. There is a promised land coming, I assure you.
What is the purpose of the assembly? This is the question that I have been wrestling with. It keeps me up at night. It is a burden I carry throughout the day. Some may ask why it matters to me so much. My answer is that it should matter to us all. It's important. It's relevant. It's worth discussing. I believe that the sole and anointed purpose of the assembly is for those who have professed faith in Jesus to learn from the written Word, to be encouraged and built-up in their faith and to share experiences with other Christ-followers. In short, it is the place where the Churches faith is fed. Period. Full stop.
What exactly am I saying you ask? I am stating that the assembly is not meant to be a place where we build our social networks. It is not a place where leaders are formed and pathways set for the future. It is not a place where the Church gets to come and perform, be social influencers and promote their personal agendas. The weekly assembly IS about God and for God. Period. Full stop. My concern about the modern assembly is that what is being offered as "food" is nothing more than motivational gobbledygook. Man, I have always wanted to use that word in my writing. Wow...powerful. It's just so....academic. Yes, I will call it academic. Sorry, I switched gears without meaning to. Back to it...
At this point, I am feeling like I could go and repeat myself over and over (and over!). However, I get to that every Sunday when I preach. Just kidding! Or am I?
To (abruptly?) summarize, I just believe that the Church needs to be led differently. I believe that stronger believers can be harvested, more powerful preachers can be called and God can be more passionately worshipped. I would love to hear your thoughts. Agree? Disagree? Feel free to offer ideas on what you find works in your assembly.
Thank for reading!
MadMan
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