Christianity and Church

I blogged the other day that it is almost always the case that you canot be authentically Christian unless you are part of a Christian community. Why? The reason, I think, is that the gospel demands engagement in relationship. It has an individual element to it, but it is essentially a social religion.

That's not to say, of course, that "the church" as we know it always lives up to its calling. Bleached-out churches that suck out all emotion and enthusiasm are a tragedy. And power-abuse churches that control people's lives are a travesty. Yet retreating from church doesn't solve the problem, because it's also true that an individualistic and isolated faith rarely reveals the true nature of Christ. Edward Schillebeeckx wrote in The Church with a Human Face,  “The crucified but risen Jesus appears in the believing, assembled community of the church. That this sense of the risen, living Jesus has faded in many [churches] can be basically blamed on the fact that our churches are insufficiently ‘communities’ of God...”

Traditional church structures are a stumbling block for some. Among groups that identify with ideas like Post Evangelicalism, Emerging Church, Alt*worship, and so on are people who simply want to pursue a progressive model of church. But there are plenty more who have taken refuge in something that is not-quite-church, after conventional models of church have let them down, not just failing to provide relationship, but imposing unhealthy forms of relating.

So what do we with the call of the gospel to become part of the Church, if our experience of Church thus far is just too bad to overcome? The answer to this dilemma, I believe, is not to abandon the idea of church, but to rediscover what it means for church to be fully a community. This applies equally to denominational churches that have lost their way, and to new groups that are afraid of being too committed for fear of getting hurt again. The answer in both cases is not to withdraw, but to create community. And this will not come to anyone without cost and some degree of hurt along the way, because it's in the nature of creating community that it is both challenging and expensive to the individual. A community that doesn't challenge your ego and upset your equilibrium from time to time is probably not getting to grips with the faith.

Comments

[ash]

I was tempted to answer your question with 'why, you become an Anglican of course!' but that would be a bit naughty (even if it was my own solution).

I find this an interesting question. I had a discussion today in which I said I agreed Christians need fellowship and community with other Christians, but also questioned whether that means 'joining a church'.

But I also think the structure of the Church CAN be helpful. Just depends on the people involved.

[bob carlton]

what a glorious post, maggi

there is so much hope & pain in the confluence of church & community. what i wonder is how much we need to unpack the word church - it is so, with assembly, worship, hospitality and formation all bound up together with the word church

i find myself being animated by what Martin Luther King referred to as the beloved community (http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1603)

[mazz]

I so agree about the hope & pain spoken of by bob c. As a youngster I was never quite in the right place to be groovy, but met church in all kinds of places anyway - with tears as a dear friend couldn't share the communion with me, with laughter as others of us shared the Lord's supper using ribena and crackers in the middle of Dartmoor, with first love in a very traditional CofE parish church, with thousands at Taize, with gentleness on Iona...somehow so many expressions of church were and are relevant, both within and outside traditional church. Yet we still fight & lose sight of Jesus. God help us to keep our eyes open & on Him! Somewhere in all the mess we're making lives are still open to be touched and hope reborn.

[Stephen]

I liked Bob's mention of hospitality above. Seems that that tends to get lost in the pursuit of other things, or gets 'programmatized'. It's a multi-faceted thing - hospitality towards others in the community, toward others outside the community encountering it, and to the wider world.

Hard work, but it's worth it.

[Hamish Fraser]

You are (nearly) right - the people both in the progessive and the traditional Churches need to realise their churches are only clubs and that the true Church exists both inside and outside of those clubs boundaries amongst the people. When people finally make that distinction and are able embrace their clubs for what they are and take on the full responsibility of being the church as the people....
Persecution doesn't cause church growth - it's actually the removal of the fake church that causes growth.

[Steve K.]

Hi Maggi,

As someone who is currently testing the waters of a more organic/simple expression of church, the statement "the gospel demands engagement in relationship" really resonates. I do not want to settle for "not-quite-church," but rather want to wade deeply into relationship with other followers of Jesus in a local community (with a global perspective).

The only part I'm really struggling with in what you wrote is this idea of "creating community." I admit this is probably Joe Myers' influence ("The Search to Belong"), but I don't really believe we can "create" community. Community already exists on some level, so our work is better described as "nurturing" community or "fostering" community or even "developing" community (although that last one has other meanings and interpretations, as well).

Although I may not be investing my time/life/energy into a "traditional church structure" at present, I certainly don't see myself abandoning "the idea of church." Rather I see this as a time to, as you put it, "rediscover what it means for church to be fully a community." And I am preparing for my equilibrium to be upset!

Shalom,
Steve K.

[Rhymin Simon]

I agree Maggie that community and relationship are vital to Christianity. Just been reading Shane Claiborne's book, and was challenged by how far I dont take the concept...

[Alan Wilson]

Hi Maggi

I was really struck by the sense in your post that the gospel incarnates us in a relational community, and then we have the joyful puzzle of what kind of people we're going to be / how we're going to relate.

What you do isn't as significant as how you do it; and that's why a semi-engaged "Church-Lite" response will always be frustrating and barren, as against a personally engaged one, trad or progressive, or, a blend of both.

Thanks for getting the thoughts rolling on this one..

+Alan

[bob carlton]

one piggyback to steve k's comment

in my experience, conjuring community almost always is a bad thing. churches sometime seem to be magic trick shops, that offer programs that can conjure community

again, it may just be my experience, but churches are no more likely to foster community than hores stalls or beer halls

what is unique is the manner in which churches can nurture & resource communities

[Peter]

Some years ago our then vicar said:

"One day I'll find the perfect church. I won't join it because I'd spoil it"

[maggi]

Thanks all, really useful comments!

I agree that "community" is not the same thing at all as "church programme". And neither is it all touchy-feely spilling your guts relationship - it needs to have space for those who are genuinely in the community, but taking it up at different levels of engagement. I particularly like Joe Myers' analysis on this one. (I met Joe in Kentucky and he makes totally good sense to me)
So how to make Real community? Well, perhaps "created" is the wrong word there, perhaps it would be better to say that the opprtunities are created for community to develop? But we do have to do creative work aong the way - communities don't just develop all by themselves.

[Paul Walker]

Whilst I totally agree that there has to be a communal aspect to Christianity, it makes me wonder what is our 'good news' to those who are following a solitary path.

I know plenty of people - both 'real' and 'virtual' - who have become so disenfranchised from corporate Christianity, perhaps because of abuse BY the Church, that it seems unlikely that they'll ever really find a way of 'belonging' again.

I wonder what we can offer such people?

[Christy]

Paul -

As one of those people, I'll answer your question. If we were having coffee and you asked me that question, I'd tell you that your church probably can't offer me much these days, but you are welcome to be my friend, if you like - as long as you don't have a secret agenda to bring me back into the fold. I would hope that you wouldn't automatically assume that our relationship would be about what you could offer to me, as I'm not really looking for someone to save me.

Hopefully, after hearing my story, you would recognize that my path took me out of church, probably permanently, and for me, that has been a very good thing - even if I never go back. And hopefully, after hearing your story, I would recognize that your path involves being a part of a church, and that is a good thing.

It's not complicated - it just takes time and effort and the willingness to suspend judgment for a bit. Belonging is important - it just comes in many different forms.

[mamacrow]

'Belonging is important - it just comes in many different forms.'

Christy - I couldn't agree more.

[Paul Walker]

Thanks for the reply Christy

I'm interested to know - what does 'belonging' mean for you?

[Cal]

What if you don't join or form a community but are not completely isolated either.

eg
-just you and your partner
-just you and your family
-you have friends who are Christians (maybe or maybe not engaged with some form of church) and sometimes when you meet up for drinks/lunch/dinner/coffee you talk about your faith and discuss things but quite often you don't

and in one or all of the above you engage in individual prayer as well?

Is that enough to be authentically Christian? Or is that just family/friendship and we are called to more *organised* coming together as community?

[Dan Nygaard]

Discussion about what church has to offer hints at just how deeply we've sunken into consumer Christianity. This world had nothing to offer the pre-incarnate Jesus, yet He entered our world because He had something/everything to offer humanity. If Christianity is about being like Christ rather than being like the world, we need to loose our pre-occupation with ourselves and our analysis, and become servants rather than critics.