A while ago I asked a number of people for topics to write about. One of them asked me what I thought “the church should look like…” I have been procrastinating on posting about this for a long time. It’s not that I don’t have an opinion and ideas. I think, rather, it’s that I’m not quite sure how to begin articulating those ideas.
I’ve been thinking recently that it would be neat for me to try (this is Zach’s idea) to write a fiction story about a church that embodies the values and lifestyle’s that I think are so central to the teachings of Christ.
Needless to say I’m still not quite sure how I should go about this. But I guess I just need to start.
My first thought about what any given church should look like is that it should be representative of the community it is in. Far too many people commute to their church and thus the church, the community, and the homes of the members are all complete spread out and seperate entities.
If you want to know what I think your church should look like then go to this link. Type in the address of your church and look at the statistics that come up for the surrounding community.
When you look at the statistics you see, do you feel they are accurately represented in your church body? Why or why not?
The thought that comes to my mind as I read this is to wonder if this isn’t a development of our society in general that the communities that we are engaged in are not necessarily the communities we live in. So my question to you is, should churches seek to reflect the communities they are located in, or the communities that they are engaged with.
What I would say is that you are right about the fact that the communities we are engaged in our not necessarily, nor usually, the communities we are living in.
There does seem to be a not too difficult solution to that and that is to actually pick up and move to the community were you are engaged in.
Yes I am calling for some mass movement in the “Christian” community. But it can be done and I strongly believe it should be done.
Ariah,
I couldn’t agree more. I’m happy to say that I looked up my church’s address and my church looks like what the computer pulled up.
interesing ariah! i looked up my church..and pretty much it matches up…except for the fact we have no hispanics. there is an overwhelming number of hipsanics who live in my neighborhood and none of them go to my church.
actually, that was one of the major things I looked for when I went church hunting. it had to be within walking distance. and the two places I go to are!
I do like the idea of a congregation representing the people who live in the area, but isn’t the Church a whole lot more that a group of people coming together enjoying each other company? I wonder if it isn’t more important to be aware that the group of people that happen to be in the same room during the service is just a small part of the real Chruch that streches around the world and throughout history. The people that happen to be there are just a kind of representation of the real Church which isn’t local at all, but universal.