THE CHURCH.

The idea of the Church has been heavy on my heart for the past few days. Now I’m not so much talking about the Universal Church…the body of believers scattered around the world. Instead, I’ve been focusing in on the local church. Here’s why: Ever since being here, we’ve been told that it’s vital that we get involved in a local church. So, for the last 2 ½ months, we’ve all been a part of a student church about 25 minutes walk away. It’s a totally non-traditional environment, with a focus solely on the university students in the area. Chill environment. Very small body. No pastors…only a leadership team. However, they are a part of a larger network of churches that are popping up around the country. My question is this: Why is it so vital that we be involved in the local church? More specifically, how (if it is) is Transit different than the local church?

Transit, in definition, is a community of believers, living together, working together, studying together, praying together and resting together. The community centers on 6 key principles: Prayer, Creativity, Mission, Justice, Learning & Hospitality. If you look at the local church in Acts, you see that when they met, they prayed, read scripture, fellowshipped and shared. All of these, we as Transit are doing in everyday life. So, what is Church? Can a body of 7 believers living together in this way be called a local church? Usually, I might argue that the church should be a place of wisdom through elders and ages that span the years. But, a college church does not have this. Or what about a place of mobilization to the nations? Again, this church I now attend does not do this. One person told me that the church should be a place where new believers are able to connect to the body. This does not mean where unbelievers are taken to be converted—that’s our job in everyday life! So, if this is the case, should our decision in choosing a church be informed by this? If I’m put in contact with a 40-year-old man who decides to come to Christ, am I going to be able to bring him to my student church and expect him to connect there? Tough questions.

I believe these are some big things to ask. I think we’d all agree that the Church is huge on Christ’s heart. Our approach to the Church should affect that. In a world of post-modernity, where emergent churches are coming into existence in all sorts of shapes and sizes, we must chew on these questions. Would the Church be more in line if it was about raw community instead of an organized Sunday meeting? The Church must be about informing the rest of our lives and calling us ahead. It is less about seeking God’s hand and more about seeking God’s face.

Toss some feedback my way. Heading to Northern Ireland until Monday…