At RSM, we’re in the middle of a teaching series in our Wednesday night program (it’s called Oasis, and if you’re a Jr/Sr High student looking for a place to hang out on a Wednesday night at, say, 7pm, you should come check it out!) about the church. I never realized how much I really am passionate about this until we started into this a couple weeks ago. I get that it’s important to be “at church” but working myself through this study has made me realize how crucial it is to be a part of the church.
Anyone can just show up. That doesn’t take any commitment at all. When it comes to “going to church,” there’s a difference between just keeping a seat warm and really, truly being a part of the church. It comes down to a definition of a phrase that kind of drives me crazy: it’s a question of whether or not you’re “in fellowship” with the church or not.
To simply define that, being “in fellowship” just means that you have something in common with a group of people that you’re around. Obviously, at church, we share a desire to pursue a knowledge of God in some way. Some are looking for Him for the first time, some have found Him and they’re trying to find out more about what it means to follow, and some are following Him and they’re trying to learn how to do a better job. No matter where you fall, if you show up to church, it’s probably safe to say you’re searching for something.
Being in fellowship means you’re contributing to the community. That’s what church is, after all: a community. I almost don’t like the phrase “going to church” because it makes church sound like a building or a place. According to the Bible, which I consider to be a pretty reliable source of information, “church” is the people. You and I, when we get together, are “church.” And church is a community, a place where we get together to encourage each other, support each other, help each other out, protect each other, help each other grow. It’s a whole bunch of symbiotic relationships between Jesus and each other. (In case you missed 6th grade biology and you don’t know what symbiotic means, it means “give and take” in our context.)
In case you don’t care what I have to say on the topic of “consumers vs. contributors,” just skip this next part, but I’d recommend you read it to fully understand what I’m getting at here.
There are many people who are just consumers. They’re in it for what they can get out of it. If they feel that they don’t get much out of church, they stop showing up, or they complain, or they’re unsatisfied. Consumerism is a big problem in America, and it’s unfortunately invaded the church. Consumerism one of the greatest dangers we’re up against, and worst of all, it comes from the inside. When a church is made up of mostly consumers, the few contributors wind up stretched too thin, and burned out. Soon, the whole community (or dare I say “ecosystem”) of the church collapses and there’s nothing left but the tattered remnants of what was.
On the other hand, there are contributors who don’t just take; they give. They serve and volunteer, they bring to the table rather than just eat from it. They have an “others first” mentality. They understand that worship has absolutely nothing to do with what we get out of it; worship is for God’s enjoyment and pleasure. Contributors are concerned with the spiritual strength and wellbeing of others, and their attitudes show it.
Someone who understands that being a part of a community is about what’s best for the group is much more likely to be committed to the church. One way to think about it is in terms of human relationships. Are you dating the church? Do you have a casual, limited commitment? Are you keeping a distance so that if someone bothers you or goes wrong you can walk away with the least amount of hurt or detachment issues?
Or, are you married to the church? Are you in it for the long haul? Are you putting others first, and are you willing to follow through to benefit the community?
The best way to find out how committed you are is by giving yourself a simple test. Just ask yourself this question: when you get offended, hurt, disappointed, let down, or some other hard time comes your way in your “church life,” do you walk away or slowly disappear? Or, do you work harder to repair and rebuild from the damage and make positive growth come out of the trial?
I’m not going to really resolve this post, because I hope that you’ll walk away from reading this and ask yourself some hard questions about where you need to “up the ante” in your commitment to the church. Maybe you need to take a very first step to allow yourself to begin to dig in and attach yourself in worship or service. Maybe you’re already serving, but your attitude needs an adjustment. I don’t know where you are today, but I hope this got your gears cranking. I’ll definitely be writing more about this soon.
I welcome your thoughts, comments, and ideas…maybe you’ll spark a new idea for a post.
