Not post-Christian, but post-church

“The church is not a building, it’s the ‘called out’ community of followers of Jesus Christ, and if you use the Greek word for ‘church’, that is, ‘ek-klisía’, you really can’t think of it any other way.”

This afternoon something I've been saying a lot lately (quoted above) struck me in a new way. The thought took an unexpected turn—what if the church is not only not a building, but also not an institution? Well, that has implications. One of them is what I've used as the title of this post. Can it be that we really are thinking about the present era in the wrong way? We've been lamenting today's world as ‘post-Christian.’ What if it’s nothing of the sort? Today's world could only be post-Christian if the rapture had taken place, and we had all departed ‘to meet the Lord in the air’ and ‘left behind’ those who really could be called the ‘post-Christians.’ But the rapture hasn’t happened yet. Instead, what we have is a lot of unhappy church professionals trying to figure out how to fill the empty places in the pews. Ghastly! That’s why I think we might be in what could be called a ‘post-church’ era, but only if we mean by ‘church’ what is really the institutionalised societies of Christians, some of whom are followers of Jesus, and some who are there for other reasons. I’m certain this is not an original thought, but it is for me. It does give one a lot more reason for optimism, however. Church ‘growth’ is not in our power, to evangelise the world is. All we have to do is live fully immersed in Christ, through studying and applying the Word of God, through real prayer, and through authentic fellowship with one another. In other words, do nothing for show.

The pastor of a Baptist congregation in Portland, Oregon has a blog which I have begun to follow and comment on. His latest blog is entitled “What A Sociologist Taught Me About Church.” Here's the link to it: http://www.johnjohnson.typepad.com/

After reading his latest post, I left a rather lengthy comment, which I've decided to post here in my blog, as a way of explaining a little more what I’m getting at, or what’s getting at me, about ‘church.’ Don‘t forget, this is a Greek Orthodox talking. Here’s what I wrote.

Deep down I really feel that "attending" church still smacks of the spirit of religion, even for born-again Christians who have a developed relationship with the Lord. I also feel that the historical institutionalisation of the church is what makes for its disunity.

In my "perfect Christian world" the followers of Jesus would simply "be church" wherever they happened to be. As such, they would meet locally in homes for fellowship EVERY DAY as far as possible. There would be fewer and smaller "worship buildings," and people would gather in them wherever they were for services. They would not necessarily depend on them for regular spiritual sustenance like "every Sunday 11 am to 1 pm" and so forth. There would be worship going on at least every Sunday but only ONE service per day on ANY day, and people would normally worship in the "church" closest to their homes. EVERYONE would be together for that ONE service. But it wouldn't be a big deal if some of the people didn't go every time, or even very much, as long as their spiritual lives were being supported by Bible reading, prayer, and fellowship.

Neighborhoods would organize various circuits for charitable work and other community activities. In fact, what are now public buildings, such as park buildings, etc., would be able to function as recreational centers, both for recreation (fun activities together) and for re-creation (teaching, feeding, healing the community). It would be easier for non-believers to transition into the new birth in Christ, because there would be no institutional wall to get over. When the unsaved saw how we lived together in love with each other, AND WITH THEM, that would be a more powerful witness than even the best crusades we could ever launch as denominational churches or ministries.
The disunity we have in America especially is doomed to effect a petering out of church attendance amidst wild attempts to encourage it, which mostly fail. Meanwhile, some of the mega-churches will continue as they are, maybe growing, because what they provide is not really pure worship (which should be the main focus of a Christian "naós" or temple), but rather a stimulating, almost entertainment-style presentation of (usually, but not always) Biblical teaching.

By letting ourselves be too proud to coalesce with one another in simple discipleship to Christ, and worship together, teach one another, witness and minister to the unsaved, assist the needy, etc., as the Word of God plainly directs, we find ourselves opposing the very things we say we want to promote.

Let's forget about our traditions and teachings being so important, and stop being so defensive against each other. It's too late to indulge in that luxury.

The church is the people of God and the Bride of Christ. We all accept that. Let's stop worrying about building our "churches" and just seek opportunities to love each other in the simple truth of the gospel, and throw away anything that keeps us divided. If our lives are only "in Christ" we can respect one another's special and different gifts as parts of the same Body.

What are we waiting for? To really be non-denominational is NOT to create a new "magnet" congregation around an inspired preacher or Bible teacher, but to just "be church" where we are, and to acknowledge one another fully as heirs to the Kingdom, and seek that Kingdom first, really.

Then we will not only believe, but also see, that "all these other things will be added to us as well."

As a Greek Orthodox, I also want to introduce a link to a web site which I found particularly interesting. This may not be of interest to non-Orthodox, but if any of you care to see what is happening at (what I believe may be) the cutting edge of this ancient ‘church’, here it is:
http://www.stsymeon.org/archive/index.htm

Just check out the first topic or message at this site, entitled: Apostolic Priorities
The material on this web site is the death knell to ‘religious spirits’.

Jesus Christ did not come to inaugurate a new religion, but to bring us a restoration of our relationship to the Father. At its best, Christian ‘religion’ has preserved the Word of God and the saving message of the Gospel for every generation, though only those who really want it make use of it. That's the scary part. That saving relationship has been known to every generation. Now that we may be coming to the end of days, those who use ‘religion’ for their own ends should be frantic. But those who know and love the Lord, who ‘make His Word their home,’ have nothing to fear, and nothing to learn from, the ‘kósmos’ (the world). The Liberator, the Desire of the ages, is very near.

“Look, I am standing at the door, knocking. If one of you hears me calling and opens the door, I will come in to share his meal, side by side with him. Those who prove victorious I will allow to share my throne, just as I was victorious myself and took my place with my Father on his throne. If anyone has ears to hear, let him listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.”

— Revelation 3:20-22