I put out a call for blog ideas Sunday night on Twitter and received an interesting idea from my dear friend Theresa Seeber (@theresaseeber)
Hmm, I think loving people who are difficult to love. Or the positives of the institution.
Two great ideas! I feel like I’ve written a lot about first idea but the second idea is something I don’t ever recall writing about.
It would easily write 10 things I dislike about the institutional church but that’s been done A LOT lately — especially within my circle of friends.
And while I can agree with most (if not all of these) posts, Charles Lee (@charlestlee) reminded me Monday morning —
“It’s easier to complain about what is not then it is to live out what should be.”
And that goes right alongside our recent interview with Pernell Goodyear (@pernellgoodyear) on the podcast (part 1, part 2) — in which he explains how he felt the need to either leave the institutional church or to stay and help bring about change (listen to the podcast to find out what he did :-)).
So rather than sit around and complain all day and night, I decided to step up to Theresa’s challenge:
Share what you love about the institutional church
And here’s my response ::
- She’s my mother – It’s how I was raised, where I first learned about God, where I first built my understanding of Christianity. It’s hard to speak of my faith without turning to the experiences I’ve had within the institutional church.
- Ample opportunities for friendship and relationships – From birth to my early college years my friends and relationships were all based around those who attended church with me. The week nights and weekend ends weren’t spent with folks from school, or other activities, they were all spent with those who attended church with me. The relationships I built then still remain some of my closest and dearest relationships to this day.
- When given the right direction, big things can get done on a large scale – Just this weekend I saw how Austin Stone Community Church filled a U-Haul trailer full of diapers, formula and more for Haitian orphans. And countless other examples exist like this week in and week out. While we can argue that Christians may not care about this or that, it’s still be shown over and over again that with the right direction, most Christians will gladly take up the call to to worthy service and giving.
- Ample opportunities to get plugged-in – Institutional churches tend to rely heavily on programs — which is a great way for outsiders to get plugged in. No matter what your interest or passion, you can often find a great group of people already gathering around that passion. Music, softball, technology, kids, after-school programs, mens ministry, womens ministry, homeless ministry, etc. etc.
- Numerous programs for every need – This of course various from church to church, but as I mentioned above, there are numerous activities and programs for each and every need — all of which have great benefits to those involved, like AWANA, Celebrate Recovery, Vacation Bible School, adoption care programs and more. No matter what you’re struggling with or needing help with, you can often find a program for it within the institutional church.
- Inspiring messages from pastors – @Xianity joked this weekend that an emergent pastor grew so tired of conversation that he decided to simply preach a sermon. The non-institutional church definitely avoids the idea of sermons and one person preaching to others, but I’ve heard some very rousing and inspiring messages from the institutional church — many that have inspired me to live out my walk in greater, deeper measures.
- Can be a non-threatening way to introduce people to Christianity (as opposed to expecting them to show up at a strangers home) – I know some will disagree with this and that’s fine. Some people will find walking into a sanctuary with 5,000 people far less threatening than walking into someone’s home with 10 people you don’t really know (and yes the opposite is true for others). It’s also a whole lot easier to come and “hide out” without the expectation of being asked to serve in an institutional church than a non-institutional church.
- Production/media is often of much higher quality – I always dig production and media and this is one thing that many institutional churches are starting to do more and more in even higher quality than before. Simply put, the resources are there to bring in a much bigger production (whether that’s a Friday Night Fifth Quarter, or Sunday morning worship service, or their online presence) than a smaller, non-institutional church may have.
- Generally a high regard and financial support of missions around the globe – Every institutional church I’ve been a part of has had a high regard for supporting mission work around the globe. The amount of support may have varied but there’s always been a reminder of the importance of mission work and giving to that work.
- Members caring for members – While as I mentioned above, it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle of a larger institutional church, it’s also easy to get plugged in and build lasting relationships. Through various tragedies and hurts that our family has experienced over the past 5-10 years, it’s always been those relationships that were a part of our churches that have made the biggest impact in our time of need.
- Potluck dinners are much bigger – I mean really, more people, more volunteer cooks – more food. It’s hard to beat a church potluck — and the bigger the better.
So that’s my list. Some will totally agree, others will totally disagree. Yet I love that as varied and different each church may be — it serves a purpose within the larger Body of Christ. I hope that I can continue to be more generous to those who may have found God in spaces much like my own — or far different from my own.
We have a lot to learn from each other. So let’s walk together, march together and stand up for the least of these.
“Let’s stop complaining about the church we’ve experienced and be the church we’ve dreamed of.” – Shane Claiborne
This may be a silly question. But what do you consider encounter? Institutional or non-institutional?
@samanthamcd – There are no silly questions! 🙂
I would say we're intentionally non-institutional.
I probably should have defined institutional church above but here's a decent definition I found – “A group of believers, who meet in a building, identify themselves with a name, have a leadership structure, offer programs, services, and support to its members (and hopefully their community).”
Typically institutions (church, government, education etc) are built around the idea of one primary leader and structures or mechanisms put in place to guide/direct the social order and behavior of a set of individuals.
I would see encounter as less rule driven and more geared towards grace and freedom found within the priest hood of believers.
There aren't membership requirements or rules to be met to be a part of encounter – it's centered around spaces of grace.
Wow, JD, you did it! I am so proud of you! LOL That was really great. I share your concerns about the institution not meeting the call of the gospel in many ways, but have to agree that in some ways it does.
Here is one thing I would add, that I have hijacked from my husband, David. The institutional church has offered a sanctuary for people who struggle with addiction and certain other problems to come and become part of a program that keeps them clean. I don't mean Celebrate Recovery or other recovery-specific programs either, I mean the whole deal. Something about the good-ole-boys' club feel of an institution is exactly what some people need to keep themselves out of trouble. Some people won't take the extra step beyond salvation to discipleship, but are willing to commit to keeping themselves out of trouble and connected to this body of believers with a set of high moral values. Does that make sense? For some that is all they want, and the institution is making them into better people. That is not to negate Jesus' role in their attendance, and I think often they end up going deeper into faith as a result, but they won't go to someone's house or small group. The institution is the ponly door they are willing to enter.
@theresaseeber – Good point. I'm glad there are numerous flavors of church for everyone. For some, the institution is exactly what they need – for others (like myself) I have trouble accepting rules and laws at time and find the non-institutional church so freeing!
As Brian McLaren addresses in A New Kind of Christian, (and others have addressed as well) there's a tendency to attack the “old ways of doing things” because we feel somehow “enlightened.” And rather than spending all our time knocking tradition, or the institution, or modernity, we need to move beyond that and dream new dreams for our churches of the future — and gladly welcome those who chose to join us — and gladly welcome those who don't.
The Gospel must be good for everyone. Those who believe and those who don't — and those who agree with me and those who don't.
Let us live a generous orthodoxy with them all!
Thanks again for the suggestion! Much love!
Beautifully stated! I don't do well with the laws and rules at all. I regularly break them but rarely get caught. LOL I would love to live outside the institution but you know the reasons I cannot at this time. In the meantime, I can dare to dream that I might be able to bring a bettering to the institution I do attend. 🙂 Peacefully.
most definitely! check out Thomas' interview with Pernell Goodyear on the podcast if you haven't already. May inspire you like it did me.
And then go and create spaces of grace all around you — wherever you may find yourself.
CCM artist Charlie Peacock said it best, “…cheer up Church, you’re worse off than you think…”
Regardless of how ugly, unfaithful, bruised, and battered she is. The Bride is still the Bride, and the Groom is coming for her one day. Her history may be rough, rockey and downright shameful, but the “…gates of Hell will not prevail against her…”
She is empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the voice, hands and feet of Jesus Christ right here on Earth. Who knows why, but He has left us with the responsibility of imitating the Kingdom of Heaven right here and now. So let’s stop bashing her and get to our God given mandate of restoration.