WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR IN A CHURCH?
Don Hawley
A few years ago a large congregation in Portland sent out a brochure headed, "Are You Shopping for a Church?" The idea was that if you were, then they had just what you were looking for. Nowadays many people do "shop around" for a congregation, and there are plenty to pick from. In fact, it can be very confusing. How should a Christian choose where to worship week by week? Where Mom and Dad always attended? Whatever is closest to home? The one with the most business associates? Anyplace not saddled with a building program?
For several years now, the criterion for success has been "church growth," or how high is the body count. Any group that numbers its adherents in the thousands is considered flourishing. The many professionally talented people up front guarantee a degree of entertainment; soloists perform while most members simply sit. Of course many are there for that very purpose. They have chosen to lose themselves in a large congregation where they can be served and hide out, avoiding participation and responsibility. There is a certain comfort in such an arrangement, providing you don't mind being asked if you are visiting after six years of faithful attendance. This "big is better" concept seems to make a multitude of people happy, but I think there is a better way.
May I suggest the most reasonable approach in selecting a congregation would be to turn to Scripture to see if God has given some guidelines? When Jesus introduced the new wine of the Christian era, worship moved from the synagogue to small home churches. Some would say, "Well, that was only until they could get their act together and establish big congregations with impressive buildings." I don't think so. Remember that a church is people, not a pile of brick. Let's see what the pattern of worship really was.
Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant . . . There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit . . . To each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good . . . You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 1 Cor. 12:1, 4, 7, 27.
The dispensation of the Holy Spirit began with Pentecost, and he showered spiritual gifts upon the new believers. These gifts were tremendously important, first for the congregation, and then for the ministry of the saints. The Spirit orchestrated gatherings where members shared songs, prayers, teachings, admonitions, and prophetic utterances. Spontaneous interaction of the worshipers allowed for the possibility that anyone present might participate as the Spirit directed.
Such spirited worship was possible because they met in small home groups. It's unlikely there were many millionaires among the early Christians; I imagine most lived in very modest dwellings. I doubt if many of the congregations numbered more than 50, and most were no doubt much smaller. That is why the Lord made it clear that if even two or three were gathered together, the body of Christ was in session. Again, some would say that we've come along way since then. We have, but I fear it has been in the wrong direction.
First of all, interaction with one another in those early groups was almost inevitable, as they probably sat in a circle facing each other. No more. Now we sit stiffly in long rows of pews bolted to the floor. What we see best is the back of the neck of the person in front of us. Few faces appear close enough to interact with. The action is limited to what transpires up front, where a few superstars hold forth. Many church members come and go month after month, with never an opportunity to participate personally.
In our modern setting, the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit are seldom seen. Today in most large decorous congregations it wouldn't be wise to stand up and mention the Holy Spirit had given you a message for the congregation. A deacon would likely show you to an exit. After all the program has been carefully planned in advance, and spontaneous offerings (except maybe the money kind) are in poor taste.
Whenever thousands, or even hundreds, of worshipers are assembled, worship as Paul understood it simply cannot take place. When the group gets much larger than 50, the timid retreat and only the bold hold forth. I want to state my case clearly; true worship, in the best and fullest sense, can take place only in a small assembly.
Does that mean there is no place for large gatherings? Not at all. There is another dynamic and important facet of worship that appears only when large numbers of saints blend together in actively praising God. It is thrilling to hear hundreds or thousands of voices united in singing before the throne. Such a blessing is not to be missed.
There is much to be said for conferences as well, where God gathers his people together to impart knowledge and a common vision. That is why he required all of his people to go up to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate the feasts. When we have the privilege of being greatly blessed at a conference, we are then to bring that same blessing back to the local congregation.
Gene Wilson points out:
"The newest paradigm to emerge is the people based church. These meet in homes, with no plans to grow into a building or to hire a staff. Their goal is to multiply themselves, and their emphasis is on community, accountability, and spiritual gifts."
He adds, "People who belong to small groups remain in the church." This vision calls for a different type of church growth. An ideal limit of 50 members could be set. Then when attendance reaches 60, ten should spit off and start another small home church. Such a practice would permeate a community much more effectively that a megachurch.
But can the church of God really do evangelism this way? The single fastest growing group of Christians is the Pentecostals, having increased a hundred fold to 372 million in this century. Most of this phenomenal growth is the result of small congregations. Pastor Alberto Prokopchuk of the Neuvo Pueblo Baptist Church in Berisso, Argentina, says, "We realized that a church organized for 200 members could not grow, so we totally restructured. Now everyone takes part in the work, using the gifts the Holy Spirit has placed in the church."
True, there are some very large churches in Latin America. The Pentecostal Methodist Church in Santiago, Chile, boasts a membership of 50,000. But only a fraction of the congregation can squeeze into its auditorium at one time, so they have established 58 smaller bodies throughout the city.
In the United States many pastors have come to realize that large congregations are missing something. Their answer has been to have deliberately small home units meeting during the week, often called "cell groups." This is a step in the right direction, but the large assembly is seen as the true church, while the small groups are merely worthy appendages.
I would like to make a radical challenge. Why not recognize the small groups as the actual church, and have them meet in homes Saturday or Sunday morning? Then on a regular basis, perhaps biweekly or monthly, have several small congregations unite in worship for the special blessing that a large gathering offers. This larger praise service could be held in a rented facility. The huge sums spent on owning pretentious buildings could better be spent on actual ministry. We've been preaching to the choir long enough.
My proposal will sound strange or even heretical to tradition-bound souls, but it is more Biblical by far than what most are doing at the present time.