What is it that makes a church a "church"?
One heresy has erupted in almost every generation of Christians since Christ Himself: to mistake the method for the mission. In our daily walk with God, we can only do what we know. We begin from the place we first met Him. In many cases the first few steps on the path of righteousness are all too obvious. They may also be painful enough to consume us for quite some time. Rare is the new believer with sufficient self-awareness to accept major changes easily and quickly. Discarding what seems a proven method for handling life's difficulties is the hardest thing.
When Peter went fishing in John 21:3, it's easy to discern he was not abandoning his calling as a disciple of Jesus. Just when he thought he was beginning to understand what Jesus was about, Peter's Master is arrested, tried and executed. Then He resurrects. Everything Peter thought he knew seemed wrong. Going fishing that day, most likely using one of the boats in his family's fleet on Galilee, was no more than a means to sanity. Peter went back to the one part of his world that seemed to make sense still, the one thing about which he felt certain. His choice was obviously comforting enough that the rest of the disciples joined him. At that point they weren't yet equipped to handle their immense load of questions any other way. At least fishing wasn't harmful, and might benefit someone else. Fishing was a mental and emotional refuge from the storm of confusion that must be resolved before this new calling could begin.
Our instinct as humans is to seek control over the variables of life. In our finer moments we realize full control would be exceedingly boring, nearly as bad as the terror of having no control at all. Yet most of us, when asked, could provide a quick list of things we don't want to see changed. We Christians already understand that faith means surrendering control to God, and that we spend the rest of our lives discovering ways we have not yet yielded to His Lordship. This is challenging enough on a personal level. Combine humans together and we add one major hindrance to this "upward calling." Humans in congregation are at their worst, their most hide-bound and unyielding of control.
That we are, of all God's creatures, the most adaptable to environmental variations only reinforces this trait. Having once obtained a group identity, we engage all our best abilities to protect that identity, to enhance it. The only way to destroy an existing group identity is to give each of the members a new identity, attaching them to other groups. Allowing the group identity to shift serves merely to bring about a partial turnover in membership. Associate similar groups together under an expanded identity and you normalize the turnover within each group. At the same time you lock in a greater resistance to change. The sum total of abilities within such groups are channeled to adapting primarily for the maintenance of the group identity. The group becomes the end, and the mission exchanged for the means.
Yet, there are no Lone Rangers in the faith. Serving Christ is of necessity a group activity. We were created for fellowship with God, and we find Him in the fellowship of His people. For someone to spontaneously turn to Christ is so exceedingly rare we scarcely believe it possible. The whole substance of salvation is a two-edged sword; we change within ourselves precisely so that we encourage change in others. We are the voice of God on this earth, His hands and feet. The primary manifestation of spiritual rebirth is how we interact with our fellow humans. The miracle of life anew is that we can and do love those for whom there is no fleshly reason to even notice. The very essence of our identity as followers of Jesus is that we congregate.
This tension between the stasis of human polity and the bubbling life of constant change is the hallmark of Church History. Periods of history are divided between moments when the dire necessity for change overcame the institutional resistance to departure from a steady course. We hold in our hands the legacy of these dramatic changes, and rejoice over the blessings they've brought us. In the next instant, we resolve to fight the next change, if only to preserve previous changes. This comes in part because we've seen too many of our congregations die when they changed too much. Too eager for the next new idea is to admit no identity at all, including that of a Servant of Christ. Painless change is meaningless change. Change is not an end, for we make alterations to become more of what God had in mind. The Holy Spirit often reminds us sharply we are not there yet. By extension we must have no doubt the group can never justly claim to have arrived at perfection, for it ever contains imperfect members. While change within the individual is painful enough, how do we change the group? How do we change the Church and still be the Church?
If we wait for change to be forced upon us, we risk tremendous setbacks in our mission. That mission can be summarized: The Church is the means for people to come closer to God. Those who don't know Him need to encounter Him in us. We who know Him need to know Him better. Whether they be within or without the Kingdom of God, the Church is bringing folks closer the their Maker. The chief purpose of human existence is to fellowship with God. Any objectives on the way to that purpose are judged by how well they serve the goal. When the mechanism of the day begins to hinder the mission, we are obliged to discard that mechanism. The organizational structure is not deserving of our love and devotion, the people are. The structure is not the people; the structure is a tool used by the people. We must learn to notice when the tool has worn to the point it is dangerous to use.
Knowing when to change the institution brings us back to relying on God for direction. Aware that we must not be tomorrow quite what we are today, we seek God's face daily for insight into what must be altered, and how. Usually it's fine tuning, seldom wholesale replacement. Yet human life is punctuated by moments of dramatic shift. Some issues simply cannot be settled without a sudden rupture. Faith anchors the soul, not our circumstances. Just as Our Father shapes and equips us for varied tasks within the Body, He pulls some out of the current structures to create new structures. Not another of the same kind, but sometimes he calls His servants to build a wholly different structure for the mission. Again, it's the same mission, but with a different means. It may be nothing more than an outreach to a field not served by the mainstream structures. The new work may also point the way to the future of the Church.
The image conjured in most of our minds by mention of the word "church" has been little changed since the Reformation. Never mind the silly problem of confusion over whether it means a building or the people within it; even the mere physical edifice is a symbol for what the word includes in its pool of meaning. Simply holding such property is a holdover from the Reformation. Is it really a requirement? Can we do church without a fixed location and building, without even planning to have one somewhere in the future? You've probably heard of churches resolved to rent or lease facilities. Yet, in order for it to be an ongoing identifiable congregation, the group can't move too often, or seekers will have difficulty finding them. Also, someone in the group is gathering and keeping records in a specific repository belonging to the group, because we can't imagine functioning without them. Only the smallest congregations escape this, if they wish. By reflex we consider anything less an ad hoc association undeserving of the term "church."
Can the Great Commission be carried out some other way? Must it always lead to that one shape we now associate with the word "church"? Today there are many saying we can meet the essential needs for fellowship and identity in Christ with something radically different. Perhaps we need not dump the idea of a single place for gathering, nor necessarily eschew every form of record keeping. Perhaps the greater need is what we do when we get together. What is really required to maintain the essence of what a church is and does when coming together for a regular meeting? When we settle that question, we will have gone a long way to settling the issues of what material manifestation accompanies the existence of a church. Still, as long as "church" means only one narrow definition, we need to consider having an unchurch.
Among Evangelicals around the world grows the realization that we are reaching ever fewer of the Lost around us. Whatever we did that worked so well in the past is no longer so effective. Since at least the 1960s we have seen publication of concepts and plans to revitalize the evangelism efforts of churches, trying to reclaim what was believed to exist up through the 1950s. Most of these programs have been aimed at adding to, or slightly modifying, the institutional behavior of traditional churches. Only the most radical have suggested rebuilding and redesigning from the ground up. Until recently, those radical propositions were largely ignored. Yesterday's radical notions are today's thoughtful considerations. Unchurch is but one more examination of starting from the ground up. In drawing this new image, we are best off cleaning the slate and starting afresh. In so doing, we also say what unchurch is not.
Unchurch would hardly appeal to most traditional church-goers; the trappings are missing or changed. There is no "Sunday Best" outfit. The pastor is not necessarily the center of attention. Hymnals might not be available, but at least Bibles should still be visible. There are no padded pews, plush carpet, chandeliers -- unless they came with the building. That's because unchurch doesn't necessarily invest in pricey real estate or highly specialized facilities. Any place out of the weather will do, unless the weather is nice. The gathering is less formal, the outline of the meeting is not obvious. There is most certainly praise, prayer, Bible reading, but the "sermon" is likely interactive. The speaker sits in a chair, and sometimes there are two or more of them. It's not oratory, but instruction. Sometimes there's a skit, a dramatic monologue, poetry -- who knows? Of necessity, such meetings are generally smaller. Unchurch is unlike the monster church with insufficient parking in the shadow of a spire high enough to warrant aircraft warning lights. It just doesn't feel the same.
Come to think of it, unchurch might not even meet on Sunday morning; maybe not Sunday at all. It meets when and where everyone can be there. There may be no membership rolls, but everyone knows who belongs. Anyone is welcome -- really, anyone. They aren't allowed to sneak in unnoticed, either. While there are a few not actively engaged in much of anything, most attendees are encouraged to offer what gifts they bear. Each unchurch is specifically shaped by the collective character of the members. There's no pre-planned program with slots to fill; the program grows out of the abilities of those present. Unchurch is never very far away from the homes of its members. Sometimes it meets in those homes. When unchurch is among the homeless, maybe they meet in a bus that comes for their weekly gatherings. Unchurch is anywhere, and anywhen people needing church can't find one that reaches them.
Unchurch is founded on the concept that Christ calls us to serve, and to serve each other and with each other. Unchurch reaches those who would never consider attending a standard church. It eases the burdens of those who were badly used when they did go to a regular church. In reaching others, it does so by nature, not by some master plan. Unchurch will certainly organize to demonstrate the love of Jesus in the community. It first prays, then seeks to match need with gift. Unchurch also reaches by the word-of-mouth advertising of its members. There may not be an annual church budget with all the trimmings calling for a CPA. The shepherds may serve without pay, or simply accept what is given them. Accountability is simply remaining transparent from the outset. The whole business of giving is seen in a different light altogether. In the long run, it's a lot more work for everyone, and it's more likely to get done.
This is not the sort of thing one makes easily from an established traditional church. The entire congregation would have to adopt it with a will. If they could do that, we can be certain they weren't exactly a traditional church in the first place. They just looked like it. To reach a community armored against the traditional approach requires a vision that leaves behind all things not directly required by command from the Word of God. Most traditional churches have long since concluded such a question is answered in their traditions.
There is much we take from the Bible by way of modeling, as best we know, what seems to have been going on in the New Testament churches. The debate comes in defining the terms used repeatedly in Scripture. That there is still a debate, fired by earnest belief, indicates no one organization has anything more than an answer which has been usable so far. Rather than engage in renewed debate, let the existing organizations keep their answers. Those of us called to lead in reaching the unreached will seek fresh answers. What are the essentials?
A defining element of unchurch is maximum variation, maximum freedom to find with God's help the best way for the mission and the field. This requires much from the called leader to synthesize the broad teaching of the New Testament. This teaching is then applied to what those called have in their hands. What can you do already? Begin there, holding in your heart the preparation for branching into new talents God will show you. Do not see your calling in light of the common positions offered by traditional churches, or variations within the common strictures. You are called to lead doing what you do best, and that may be completely outside the standard church jobs. The basic function of shepherd or pastor requires that you be able to teach and provide spiritual direction. It does not require any particular uniform, schedule, prescribed duties, titles, etc. It requires faithfully applying your gifts to the needs of the your congregation, whatever that congregation may be. Your aim is to set them free in Christ, much as you yourself are free.
Some of those congregational needs are established by God. At least once in each week they need to worship together. Lifting up the name of Jesus as a community of faith is a basic necessity. This worship should take on some semblance of order relative to the cultural background of the members, because confusion accomplishes nothing good. Presumably in connection with that communal worship, they also need a uniquely Christian fellowship. We should experience afresh the miracle of loving and caring for people we would otherwise never meet. There should also be some form of Bible teaching during that same week. No two believers experience God in quite the same way, and we cannot truly know Him from just our own experience. He is best known by communion with others He has called. On occasion, that communion should be expressed in a Communion Service or The Lord's Supper. When and where appropriate, there should be baptism rituals. Finally, there should be some joint action on behalf of others with all their various human needs. This is taken as an offering to God. All these things are commanded.
Whether the shepherds are compensated for their leadership depends on the shepherds' needs. Shepherds can decline pay, but it remains their prerogative. It would be quite unseemly for the shepherds to demand a certain minimum acceptable salary. Shepherds must fit their lifestyle to their calling. Shepherding is not a professional career, but the calling of one's life. It is equally unseemly for the group to use pay as a weapon to subdue the shepherds. The assumptions of Scripture are that pure hearts can work it out to God's glory. How that support is collected and transferred to the shepherds is immaterial. There is also an assumption something will be collected for the needy, though it need not be currency. This holds even if the group itself is funded by external support. Every other expense is essentially a matter for the group to decide.
The last thing unchurch will do is run like a business. Kingdom Economics are conspicuously absent in most traditional churches today. Naturally, if a church wants Caesar's blessing, it will have to operate by Caesar's rules. In some nations -- the U.S. is becoming a fair example -- this is less and less desirable, more of an encumbrance. Only the individual body can decide, and the question is seldom simple. Part of the consideration is that Kingdom Economics is about sacrifice. Just as grace cannot be purchased by anything humans can offer, the only real limit to sacrifice is what the giver believes is proper before the Lord. The group's only real asset is grace; losing everything in pursuit of righteousness is to be expected.
At the same time, waste of God's resources is a sin. The woman who poured perfume on Jesus' feet was extravagant, but not wasteful. Some things warrant any expense. To our shame, churches often think as did Judas, who fussed about the use of the woman's gift. The mission is the priority, and each opportunity to purchase requires prayer -- prayer at the time it appears, and even more prayer beforehand to have a heart ready to hear. We should never assume we already know what use God plans for His Kingdom resources. His resources are wasted when they don't serve His purpose.
Beyond this bare outline, there is really much room to maneuver. Our difficulty in building an unchurch is not the restrictions of the Word, but of our own minds. It's not that we should be open to just any crazy notion that comes along, but open to callings we've never considered. In each case, shepherds start where they are, remaining faithful to the opportunities God presents. In God's own time, the next mission will be revealed.
Will you be called to unchurch?
Another sleepy Sunday, safe within your walls
Outside a dying world in desperation calls.
But no one hears the cries or knows what they're about.
The doors are locked within... or is it from without?Looking through rose-colored, stained glass windows,
Never allowing the world to come in.
Seeing no evil and feeling no pain.
Making the light as it comes from within so dim... so dim!Bob Hartman, 1982 Dawn Treader Music
"Why can't we just hold the lost world accountable? We do as He commanded, and if they won't work with that, then they can't be saved." That seems to be the substance of all the objections to unchurch. I freely admit the debate concerns what is absolutely essential in Kingdom service. Perhaps the hardest line to cross is the day of worship. Anyone held by Sabbatarian convictions is likely to be the most unyielding on requiring folks to come to a traditional church meeting sooner or later. My only response is: Fine. Let me have those who can't make it. I won't ask for your help, support, or even your approval. Just pray for me and the weirdos to whom I'm called.
Unless you can point out a place where Jesus said, "Thou shalt observe the Sabbath in My Kingdom" or something from an Apostle saying, "Thou shalt worship Sundays" -- or words to that effect -- there's room for debate. The same goes for all the other rules I propose to break. If we adhere to those rules, there are some people who will never follow Jesus. The proportion of our world like that grows with each generation. Just because it's all the net result of Satan's work is no excuse to let them go.
I've met them. In the Army, on jobs I've held, places I've had to sit for awhile where other people sat and wanted to talk, I've met them. They want to serve Jesus, but can't find the path that leads through a traditional church. They are isolated; their spiritual growth is stunted, and their power is kept in check. They are denied their birthright. I used to condemn them for unwillingness to sacrifice. Then I found myself in their place for a time, and I never forgot that feeling. Although I didn't call it that at the time, the Lord gathered an unchurch around me. We served Him and found fellowship and strength together. Most churches I've served couldn't match it.
That's where I prosper, where I serve best. I'm not asking anybody to go with me except my wife, and she's ready. I'm raising the idea so that others may someday see it may well be the future of the Church. More of the world will become that sort of mission field.
Let's pray for a vision to reach the unreached. Here's my vision. What's yours?Want to read more along these lines? Try A New Reformation for a discussion of some possible directions of the teaching in an unchurch.
Ed Hurst
updated 10 August 2006
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