Let's start by defining what we do not mean.
1. The Church is not the building
Many folks would assume that the church is the building. Many folks would be wrong.
A body without blood ceases to be a body. It is a corpse.
2. The Church is not the people
There are those who think that church is whenever their buddies get together and pray a bit. They may have a point, for Christ is present, but they are also missing out on a lot: eg. the Eucharist.
3. The Church is not the institution
It is foolishness to conflate God's redeeming work in the world with human power structures. Such confusion causes people to claim that their denomination, and their denomination only, is the true church. The Holy Spirit is not beholden to any organizational chart or doctrinal point. The wind blows where it will.
So there we have it. The church is not those things.
However, we should also define what we mean by church.
1. Sometimes the church is the building
Or put better, churches are places. A building isn't necessary, but a place is. People live in place and place shapes our spirituality. In that same vein, art and architecture shape our spirituality. Having a beautiful building in which to worship God means something. It means that we associate God with beauty. It meant something when God told the Israelites to worship him in a tent. It meant God can be worshipped anywhere. Place matters.
2. Sometimes the church is the people.
In prayer, in the ministry of their daily work done well, in the love of their neighbors, in their care for the poor, the people in the pews act as the body of Christ in the world. This is where the rubber meets the road. It is one thing to love all of humanity, abstractly and safely. It is another thing entirely to love the person next to you.
3. Sometimes the church is the institution
If there are no sacraments, if there is no process for ordaining leaders, if there is no tradition, no carryover between generations, no capacity to meet the needs of the community, then you may not be involved in the church. It is mostly likely a dysfunctional bible study. Organization brings stability, and stability keeps people safe. God likes that sort of thing. It gives him something to work with: eg. the ordinary means of grace.
So the church is not these things, but the church is definitely these things. The church is a mysterious intersection between the people, the place, and the institution that is somehow more than the sum of its parts. It's a mystery, and you can bet the Holy Spirit has got something to do with it.
Now some rational types may be complaining at this point, ''C'mon, I can't throw a rock without hitting another so-called 'mystery' in Christianity." The rational types can chew on those rocks for all the good it will do them. Reality is mystery. Truth rests on paradox. And the beauty in that reality is that it releases us from determinism. Logic won't let us see all the way to the end of where this whole cosmic endeavor is going. Love maybe, but not logic.
1. The Church is not the building
Many folks would assume that the church is the building. Many folks would be wrong.
A body without blood ceases to be a body. It is a corpse.
2. The Church is not the people
There are those who think that church is whenever their buddies get together and pray a bit. They may have a point, for Christ is present, but they are also missing out on a lot: eg. the Eucharist.
3. The Church is not the institution
It is foolishness to conflate God's redeeming work in the world with human power structures. Such confusion causes people to claim that their denomination, and their denomination only, is the true church. The Holy Spirit is not beholden to any organizational chart or doctrinal point. The wind blows where it will.
So there we have it. The church is not those things.
However, we should also define what we mean by church.
1. Sometimes the church is the building
Or put better, churches are places. A building isn't necessary, but a place is. People live in place and place shapes our spirituality. In that same vein, art and architecture shape our spirituality. Having a beautiful building in which to worship God means something. It means that we associate God with beauty. It meant something when God told the Israelites to worship him in a tent. It meant God can be worshipped anywhere. Place matters.
2. Sometimes the church is the people.
In prayer, in the ministry of their daily work done well, in the love of their neighbors, in their care for the poor, the people in the pews act as the body of Christ in the world. This is where the rubber meets the road. It is one thing to love all of humanity, abstractly and safely. It is another thing entirely to love the person next to you.
3. Sometimes the church is the institution
If there are no sacraments, if there is no process for ordaining leaders, if there is no tradition, no carryover between generations, no capacity to meet the needs of the community, then you may not be involved in the church. It is mostly likely a dysfunctional bible study. Organization brings stability, and stability keeps people safe. God likes that sort of thing. It gives him something to work with: eg. the ordinary means of grace.
So the church is not these things, but the church is definitely these things. The church is a mysterious intersection between the people, the place, and the institution that is somehow more than the sum of its parts. It's a mystery, and you can bet the Holy Spirit has got something to do with it.
Now some rational types may be complaining at this point, ''C'mon, I can't throw a rock without hitting another so-called 'mystery' in Christianity." The rational types can chew on those rocks for all the good it will do them. Reality is mystery. Truth rests on paradox. And the beauty in that reality is that it releases us from determinism. Logic won't let us see all the way to the end of where this whole cosmic endeavor is going. Love maybe, but not logic.
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