We Are The Church?

My pastor made a comment a few weeks ago: If Christians curse the church, they curse themselves.

It's like a teenager complaining, "This family has major problems." Um, guy? You're part of the family. If the family has problems, then you must have problems as well. Curse the family and you curse yourself. Curse the church and you curse yourself.

It's become common place for me to speak with people that have problems with "the church." Some came to that place because of a bad experience so they haven't gone to a local church in several years. Some no longer attend a local church because of theological differences or a judgement against a particular leader. Some still attend a local church but readily decry the problems with the modern church.

I'm certainly not one to claim that the modern church is picture perfect, but I do have some thoughts on the matter.

1) It's one thing to offer criticism. It's another thing to offer possible solutions. It's still another thing to implement those solutions. Tearing down the church only harms ourselves. Offering theoretical solutions without being directly involved is dust in the wind. The thing that really counts is when Christians work together to accomplish something real and tangible.

Is there a problem with "the church?" Show me how you are working to solve that problem. If you are not attending a local church and are not actively contributing to that church, please don't ask me to accept a list of faults as if you're helping.

2) I often hear about the problems of "the church" as if the members are themselves unaware of the problems. I often hear about it as if these criticisms/observations/prophecies are shining light to dark places and speaking words that have not been heard. Why do we so easily believe that our revelation is somehow new?

So the church needs to be like the New testament church. So it needs to focus on relationships. So it needs to evangelize more effectively. So it needs to disciple young Christians. So it needs to help the wounded find healing. So it needs to care for the poor.

Yes, each and every one of these points is entirely true. And for every comment like this I can show you a church leader or a church member that already knows this and is already working on it. I can show you a Bible verse that addressed the issue thousands of years ago. Not to minimize the importance of the message we're giving, but I think it's funny that we so easily assume that we've come up with something new.

3) I often hear these kinds of comments boiled down to one big issue, one main concern that's at the root of the church's malaise. Lately, I've boiled it down to my own statement: If we're not getting people saved, we're not effective Christians.

And yet, God's call on His church isn't as short-sighted as we sometimes think. Everyone has a part to play, and there are numerous different roles to fill and different problems to solve. Some need to help the poor. Some need to disciple young Christians. Some need to teach and care for kids. Some need to lead worship. The view from each position is different and if we blame "the church" because we see an unmet need we only hurt the others that are fulfilling God's calling.

The Christian church has problems, sure. I challenge you about them, you challenge me about them and God and the world will challenge us both. I'm saying that we are not on the outside looking in, we are those we speak to. Hurt the church, in word or deed, in public or private, and we hurt ourselves.