It's a Church!

While I am doing my morning show on KSTA, I do a lot of reading, stay logged into facebook, keep an eye on the news and read the latest trends in Christianity on various blogs and Web sites.

One trend that is emerging, not so much in the ABA, but in Christianity in general, is the inception of the third-location church. Now, for those who are not familiar with this concept, here's how it works. A church planter or group of Christians move to town, and open up a business establishment (usually a coffee shop or restaurant), and operate that venture as a business. That church planter/team then holds informal services at that location at a certain time... many times under a different name. (For example, the coffee shop name might be Jacked Up Java, but the group that holds services there might be named, "The Upper Room." Get the picture?)

The result is not so much a church that opens a coffee shop, but a coffee shop that is owned and operated by a church. Plus, the church meets in the coffee shop. One added benefit is that many of these third-location churches hang posters and decor that promote the message of the Gospel, plus keep Christian literature on the tables for the customers to read while they wait on their order. At closing time, there is church service.

I'm not so much spooked by the methodology of this, though, I do wonder how much of this will actually bear fruit. My main concern is that this appears to me to be another step in the trend to de-emphasize the church as part of the Christian life.

In efforts to reach the post-modern culture, many are deformalizing the church body. Membership rolls are no longer being kept in some instances. New members are not required to covenant with the church, and many times are not asked to make any real committment to the church.

We don't want to run them off, and we don't think they'll come to church, so we decide to just not call our organization a church. We'll just give it a name.

There's research data that shows that the post-modern generation doesn't trust organized religion, so the trend is to stay as far away from the organized religion image as possible, even if it means removing the formal church structure and attempting discipleship based on a loose-nit network of relationships and call that a church... only don't put church in the name. I could go on.

All this is done under the banner of contextualization (which can be a good thing so long as it is done in accordance with scripture). However, the de-emphasis of the church is not a Biblical way to make disciples.

The church, as depicted in scripture, is a local visible body of scripturally baptized believers who have coventanted together (that means they have a formal agreement) to make disciples, baptize them, and teach the disciples. The church is the primary vehicle for the carrying out of the Great Commission and the education of God's people. In Ephesians 4, Paul named leaders in the churches who were there for the perfecting of the saints for the ministry of the Gospel. That means the church leadership existed to prepare the church members to spread the Gospel. It was, and should still be, a team effort.

The church, in its scriptural form, does to new converts what the Southlake Carroll football program does to junior high boys, turns them into superstars. Just as Southlake Carrol High School cranks out Division I Football Talent every year, so should churches be turning out Division I caliber evangelists every year.

Not only is the church the primary vehicle for discipleship and Great Commission work, it is also the primary vehicle for worshipping God. Is there a verse that says, "Thou shalt worship God at church?" No. Is the book of Acts full of examples of Christians gathering at church to worship God? Yes. Does the Bible teach AGAINST forsaking the assembling of ourselves together? Yes.

The church is also the primary vehicle for ministry. When a person comes forward with a need, many times it is the church that responds by meeting the need. It was churches that responded quickly to Hurricane Katrina, Rita and Ike. Churches all over the U.S. have disaster response ministries.

God's will is for people to be saved, baptized, then perfected in a local church. His desire is for churches to teach their members how to evangelize, how to disciple, and how to minister. The church is a vital part of God's Kingdom.

Yet, many want to de-emphasize this sacred institution because "the post-modern generation does not believe in organized religion." I'm sure glad the churches back in the book of Acts didn't feel that way.

You see, in America, the worst we have to fear is rejection... maybe someone will spit in our face, on a bad day we might even get punched. On extremely rare occasions, maybe shot. But mostly, we just fear rejection. So, we'll just de-emphasize church and invite folks to a "get-together."

The churches of the book of Acts faced imprisonment, discrimination, death, beatings, stonings, mob violence, and in later years, torture, humiliation and death. They didn't de-emphasize the institution of the church, and I'm glad they didn't. Chances are, had those churches tried to contextualize themselves with their Roman oppressors, we might not have the Gospel in America today, and I'd be some heathen doing God only knows what.

Scripture teaches the church is important. It spreads the Gospel, it perfects and edifies its members, and it is through those gathering that we gain encouragement from each other. Being a part of the church is a special part of the Christian walk. Don't let some liberal hack in an ivy-walled post-secondary institution, an over-zealous evangelism expert, or a defiant culture take that away from you.

Let's get back to the basics. Evangelism, discipleship, baptism, church membership, teaching and learning, and sending out. The Great Commission is simple. The Gospel is simple. Let's keep it that way.