What is a Church?
When I say that I’m going “to Church”, am I talking about a place, a ceremony or a group of people? For lots of people, “Church” can mean a particular building, something that happens in that building or the group of people who go there.
Think Bigger
“The Church” is much bigger than any particular building, ceremony or group that gathers together. It refers to all Christians of all eras and places. That’s a big group of people!
Little “c” churches
Within the big picture of “The Church”, there are hundreds of thousands (or more) little “c” churches. These are local churches – groups of Christians in the same time and place who meet together to worship God and do all the things the Bible teaches us to do for and with each other. This includes things like learning together, working together, caring for each other, praying together and so on.
Taking my church for example; the Narembeen Church of Christ today is a different church to the Narembeen Church of Christ 10 years ago. It still meets in the same buildings (and many of the same homes), but it is a different church because the people have changed over that time – there are people in the church today who weren’t here 10 years ago; people who aren’t here who used to be; and even those who have been here 10 years and more are different people today than they were 10 years ago. What we do together reflects who we have been, who we are today and who God is creating us to be into the future.
Designed to be Different
Often within groups there is pressure to conform, but churches are designed to be different. Churches are meant to provide an environment for people to be transformed by God from within, not forced to conform to external pressures. The Bible says that God has made us all uniquely, and is continuing to shape those who allow Him to do so. As we come together with our diverse gifts, passions, experiences and so on we find that we are so much better off than if we were all the same. In fact, God even shapes churches by bring people into them and shaping those already there, so that together they can fulfill God’s specific purpose for that church. As each church is different, each church does different things well. We are not rivals, we can appreciate how God works in other churches and support one another in love. The goal is that through our partnership, God will increasingly receive the acclaim that He deserves and more and more people will come to discover real life through faith in Jesus Christ.
Mike Birch
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