Dave Rahn

Sure, institutional churches have great programs, services and staff. But have they produced mature disciples and a mature Body of Christ? Isn’t this the nub of the matter? No doubt, they can point to other measures of “success” – numbers, inspirational sermons, “decisions” made for Christ, feel good “worship” with great “worship” bands, impressive buildings, etc. But despite it all, are they actually making mature disciples and functioning as the mature Body of Christ? On those key issues, studies and surveys by the Barna Group and the Pew Foundation vividly show that the traditional church in the West has been a dismal failure. Conversely, in many places outside the West, local communities of believers are actually succeeding at making disciples and functioning as the dynamic Body of Christ. How? By embracing a much simpler, relational, and participatory way of being the multi-gifted, multi-part, and multi-functional Body of Christ – through ministry one to another for the mutual building up of each other – just as the New Testament commands. Why hasn’t the West generally done the same, causing it to fall behind? Because the institutional church in the West has not been faithful to Biblical mandates but instead has organized itself around: ▪ One gifted man and his monopolizing, monologue “sermons” delivered each Sunday morning; ▪ During podium-controlled, staged meetings before rows upon rows of spectator “attendees;” ▪ With any other ministry likewise dominated by “professional” clergy; ▪ Organized into position-centric, institutional hierarchies; ▪ Requiring resource-sucking infrastructure, staff and buildings. The tide is slowly turning, however, and the days of “Churchianity” in the West finally seem to be starting to fade. Instead, God is birthing a renewed longing to actually be the church – the beautiful, multifaceted, multi-gifted, relational and participatory Body of Christ where we build each other up in the Lord through ministry one to another. Often, believers meet simply – without staff, cost or overhead – in homes and other places where life and relationships naturally occur. If it hasn’t happened with you yet, be open to the Lord burning out of you the old ways of thinking, based on post-Biblical human traditions and presumptions … So you can be part of what He’s doing when it begins in your own hometown too. Who knows? Maybe God is preparing you to also open your own life and home, like my wife and I have, to be a spark that helps make it happen in your own locale too.

I’m not trying to shock or upset anyone. Instead, I want to help you start considering church as the New Testament actually commands it, rather than church as you’ve come to presume it. So here’s an interesting fact: The New Testament has numerous imperatives about why, and how, we should gather as the church … But never once does it say it’s to “worship” God or have a “service.” In fact, our modern notion of going to church for a “worship service” is utterly absent from the New Testament. Nope, not, nada … Just ain’t there. Why? Because the New Testament – in multiple passages – explicitly commands us to gather together for a different reason … Which is to mutually edify, build up, and encourage one another as we minister to each other so we can grow together in our faith and become mature, functional believers. For example, the only reason the New Testament says we should sing God’s praises … Is to encourage each other. But instead of the New Testament’s horizontal imperatives about being the church, one for another … We have substituted post-Biblical notions that “church” primarily has a vertical focus … As though we should go to some building to find or invoke God’s presence rather than encourage one another with the Living God who now dwells in us. So instead of simple, participatory gatherings with unpretentious ministry one to another … We now have special buildings dedicated to “worship,” with special “worship services” performed by a special class of priestly intermediaries called “worship leaders” who usher us into God’s “presence” while insuring we give big weekly “collections” of “tithes,” immediately followed by another hired professional intermediary called a “senior pastor” who monopolizes our gatherings through monologue “sermons” from an elevated stage with an “altar” and spectator seating. NONE of that exists in the church as commanded in the New Testament … And, in fact, it prevents us from actually being the church like the New Testament says. Instead, true “worship” under the New Covenant is each of us individually living lives of reverence and sacrificial obedience to God – holy and acceptable before Him … 24/7. When we then gather together, we are commanded to mutually edify, build up, and encourage one another in that like, common faith. Nothing more … Nothing less. If that rattles your presumptions, then do as the Bereans … Who diligently searched Scripture to see what it really says. When you finally confirm these truths in His Word for yourself … I simply suggest that you ask God what He then wants you to do about it. Because real faith is about trust and obedience … Not our human traditions and comfort zones.