In the first installment of "The Church" I concluded with the idea that the church is primarily for the believer. In many ways this concept is naturally understood, yet for an evangelical Christian, it is a little difficult to accept in its entirety. If the church's prime mission is to evangelize to the non-believer, then it has failed and may continue to fail. When scripture tells us to go into all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son, and the holy ghost, God was not necessarily telling the church but rather encouraging the people, and I think there is a stunning difference between the church and the people. The church has an institutional obligation and responsibility to the people whereas Christian people have a responsibility to God. This becomes an important distinction later.
It is the very nature of being evangelical that has given wings to Protestant denominations and resulted in a large number of churches throughout our country and particularly in the Southern region. The emphasis on evangelicalism, that is reaching out to share the gospel, encouraging a relationship with Christ, becoming a part of a community, seeking to bring people to salvation, and making a difference individually as well as collectively, has been an invaluable tool to shaping our society and specifically our churches. The very essence, however, of being evangelical, which in and of itself has its roots in scripture and provides core foundations for our essential tenants, also places an added responsibility to the practices of the local church.
Please don't misunderstand. I am not advocating an abolishment of evangelicalism by the churches, for to do so would be to attempt to alter radically the very nature of what it means to be a Baptist church. We learn, we worship, we reach out, we transform ourselves so we can be a part of transforming other people. We are to be a light to the world and work to guide and lead people to discover the truth through Biblical teaching. That is who we are. What I am asking, however, is should our evangelical nature find fruition in the daily practices of the church? Or, instead, should we consider church as a training ground for fellow Christians and a worship center for believers? If so, I believe, this would make the church a less complicated and perhaps more consistent institution.
Every morning, I pray and then exercise. I exercise for many reasons, most of which are selfish. I hope to look a little more fit, I hope to have a little more energy, I hope to be healthier and maybe live longer, and I hope to be a little more effective of a leader of other people. I also read voraciously, drink lots of water, and work diligently to improve myself in some way. It is hoped that my efforts at self-improvement make me a better witness and allow me to reach out to other people in a multitude of ways. If we look at our churches in the same way, the church should be about worshiping, training, and teaching its membership. Adding the complexity of making the church's main purpose to evangelize and to attract non-believers to its walls, adds a great deal of complexity and "stickiness" to its objectives.
So it seems to me that the church's main purpose is to reach out to believers and to teach those believers to in turn reach out to non-believers. If this is true and right, then it stands to reason that activities such as worship, Bible classes, and ministry should be driven primarily by the teachings of Christ. How to formulate the specific details of each leg of the church including worship becomes the central issue facing churches today, and not only is it a central issue, it is also a potentially divisive one. And that is why churches must get its house in order by concentrating on its current membership of believers in order to then accomplish its ultimate evangelical mission.
Unfortunately, this is not a simple endeavor for any church, and involves the seeking after Biblical truth as well as an awareness of people and their needs. We will address the myriad facets of human personality and how that relates to worship later. For now, I continue to posture that while a church must train its members for evangelism, its prime directive should be to provide Biblically based experiences for the believer.
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