:: in.a.mirror.dimly ::

After participating in a variety of church meetings over the years, I wanted to share a little theory I’ve been working on based on some experiences, some ongoing thoughts, and some conversations. I don’t want this to devolve into whining or castigating everyone who doesn’t meet whatever my standard may be.

I’d like to offer these thoughts as four goals for every church, not as judgments of what we are or are not doing. These are things that are worth pursuing. I’d like to know what you think of this and whether it may help us sharpen our focus as we gather together.

I think if a church can do these four things, then it’s on track with the Kingdom of God and the general trajectory of scripture:

Worship

Worship is the one thing that we know churches should do. Sometimes our worship veers a little too much toward our own experiences of God, but it is important for Christians gathered together to worship God first and foremost. Jesus is the head of the church, and therefore we enter his presence with the praise and thanks that he is due. Worship can take place in music, spoken word, prayer, or other acts in community.

Fellowship

Whether fellowship with God and fellowship with one another, churches should be drawing near to God and in the process of meeting God they will find their unity with one another. Not every church that worships God authentically moves into fellowship with God, but it is often the aim of most churches to both worship and to meet with God when they gather.

Transformation

While it’s wonderful to have fellowship with God and one another, meeting God should push us toward the next step of allowing God to transform our lives, to free us from sin, and to empower us to live holy lives. Fellow believers have the important role of building one another up and making sure that we leave our gatherings with greater freedom and in deeper commitment to God.

Service

When we meet our God who transforms and empowers us, the next logical step is to join him in his work among others. This could include serving fellow believers, but should not be limited to that. The church that meets God and experiences his healing power needs to be willing to share it with others. If that’s not happening, then we need to ask why.

Final Thoughts

I think most churches try to do at least two or three of these things well, but all four are necessary for our communities to become outposts for God’s Kingdom. When we talk about why we gather together as Christian communities, I think these are the four categories that should drive our prayers, thoughts, and plans.

Each piece flows from the other. If we’re missing one piece of this, we aren’t fully embodying the Kingdom of God in our churches.

It’s hard to demonize someone after you share a meal together.

I’ve seen folks on the ideological right paint those on the left as freedom-hating regulators who want to squash freedom and ruin America. I’ve also seen folks on the ideological left stir up fear of right wing bigots who want to take over America and run it according to their narrow moral visions.

Each side is unable to countenance the views of the other, demonizing them as ridiculous, nuts, freedom-hating, bigoted, and non-sensible.

I used to be a pretty strident advocate for the right, but over time I met homosexuals, supporters of abortion, atheists, sundry Democrats, and a host of other sub-groups from the left.

On several occasions I shared meals with these people, and as my own views shifted and developed, I learned a bit  more about where they come from. I don’t agree with all that is on the right or left, but now that I know people on both sides, I feel like I can converse freely and understand where people are coming from. This helps me stand up for what I believe without demonizing or writing off those who disagree with my perspective.

When I think about the kind of community that Jesus wanted to create, it’s no mistake that that his final days on earth centered around a meal. Fellowship, prayer, theology, and worship can all be linked in many ways to this meal that Jesus instituted.

Sharing a meal with someone creates a certain degree of common ground. Once you’ve sat with someone for an hour or so, you probably know a little bit about this person’s family, background, and reasons for his/her beliefs.

Several of the courses I took at Biblical Theological Seminary took place over entire days, allowing us time to go out for lunch and dinner together. We didn’t always stick to theology during those meals, but we did manage to forge some pretty powerful bonds that continue to this day. In addition, I found a lot in common with the guys who came from very different theological or ideological backgrounds.

If we’d only debated in class, I would have certainly been inclined to write some of these folks off. However, our meals together forged a greater sense of community and common ground in Christ and in other areas as well. I was better prepared to hear them out and to learn a thing or two from them.

When most Christian theology takes place in classrooms and Sunday School rooms, as well as the contexts of Bible studies, I wonder if we’re missing the crucial component of a community-building meal. I know of many small groups who have adopted a meal-centered format, and have seen it work really well on many occasions.

We need to think a bit more about ways we can make our discussion forms more conducive to fellowship and community—letting our theology grow and develop in the context of meals. If the medium is the message, and Jesus used a meal to teach some of the most important aspects of salvation and theology, then we cannot ignore the ramifications for us today.