What kind of church? - Food For Thought

The following short extracts are from an excellent website, Cross-Cultural Impact In the 21st Century. I've penned down some of my thoughts of it. Care to share yours?

Thought No.1 - Which one?
"The communal oriented church can be compared to a theater. The goal is to encourage people to come in and be a part of what is happening within the program of the organization. To facilitate this the atmosphere is comfortable and appealing, the programs presented are satisfying, and the hope is that people will want to come back and support the agenda. For a theater the agenda is that people enjoy the movie, for the church the agenda is that people should become committed participants.

The missional church is more like a computer company whose goal is to bring the product into the homes where people live. Their efforts are focused on making the product relevant and appealing to the needs of the person within their context. The aim of the missional church is to make the gospel relevant to people where they live, rather than seeking to create appealing programs that will draw people in."

This is not to say that the communal oriented church is bad and the missional church is good. (read the full article) However, it does matter what a church's primary orientation is because it'll likely produce disciples with similar worldviews and mindsets that the church propagates. "What you win them with is what you will win them to",my friend once quipped. Was it because of Christ or was it a good show? Is the person living a life that testifies God's love, and touching the lives of his friends and family? Or is he a person who has only friends in church, thus having little impact in society?

Thought No.2 - Maintenance or Transformation?
"In general, there is a tendency to plant churches that are safe backwaters; controlled environments that are easily measurable.

As a result people are taught to be content to scoop out fish rather than swimming in the rapids. When this happens, the maintenance of the community of believers becomes the aim of the church rather than the transformation of society."

Have Christians lost their mind? That is, have Christians lost their ability to think and make wise decisions for themselves? There is always the danger of "not thinking" and do whatever is the status quo. Sometimes, this actually make us weaker because we can get so used to scooping fishes that when an unexpected rapid comes our way, we crumple with a mighty thud. Churches that try to make their environment as safe and as controlled as possible (with an 'unconscious' fear that the outside world will eat their members up) will get a rude shock when the rapids come. The result can be very devastating because most have not learned to swim in the rapids. Some survived, some rescued, and many a times, many drown.

An engagement with the society with the aim of transforming it with good deeds, godly character, and the proclamation of the gospel will strengthen the church and the individual. And it does not stopped there. Lives are transformed, hope is found, grace abounds, healing flows and God becomes real in all facets of life.

Thought No.3 - Waiting for them or Going to them?
"We are good at sending missionaries, we are good at bringing people into our meetings, but there is often a lack of conviction that we are a people who have "been sent" by Jesus to make the gospel relevant to others where they live. When churches talk of “outreach” a primary goal is usually to bring them in and assimilate them into church life."

This has always been on my mind. While I think that it is good(and still relevant) to invite people to church, I feel many have missed the point. And what is the point? The point is We are a people called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be witnesses in our Jerusalem, Judea & Samaria and to the ends of the earth.

i.e. Living out our faith demonstrated in love in our one-to-one conversation with friends, family dinner time, gatherings & reunions, schools, workplaces, neighbourhood and contacts with different people groups. Inviting people to church is just one means of outreach. The greater need is for us to live out our faith in wherever God has placed us. That is really OUTreach.