Where would we be without the local church?

I don’t feel like writing paragraphs today, so I’ll just list the oft-heralded benefits of a local church, and offer a comment or two in response.

Benefit #1: Accountability
When I think of spiritual leaders disgraced for ‘doing’ their secretary or for embezzling money, I come to the not-so-startling realization that accountability is not an automatic outcome of belonging to a church. A casual observer might actually conclude that a serial philanderer or thief could find perfect cover in a local church.

One has to seek accountable relationships and then not lie to those people. Perhaps the church is conducive to that, perhaps it has the opposite result; lying and hiding to avoid judgment?

Benefit #2: Doctrinal/Theological Integrity
Let’s say that you and I are looking at a police-style lineup. There are two people in this lineup: Joe the Plumber and an Evangelical pastor. Which of these two is most likely to become fixated on some oddball doctrine, preach it in the local church, and later be forced to leave the church - taking a hundred or so people with him to start a non-denominational church?

The history of heretics through the ages seems to suggest that the local church is a breeding ground for theological rebellion and is not a ‘heresy-free’ zone as some like to think of it.

Benefit #3: Spiritual Instruction
Let’s say that I teach a new driver that a red traffic light indicates that the safest course of action is to stop. My student takes a written test and aces the traffic light question. A week later, my former student gets a ticket for running a red light. Did my student fail to learn, or did I fail to teach? Is there a difference?

The mainstay of nearly every church regardless of size is a program to teach children and youth. It’s a good thing that we don’t judge the effectiveness of these programs based on what the ‘graduates’ do, because many of them quit church as soon as the cage door is open.

Benefit #4: Community
I put this one last because local churches are conflicted about community. On one hand, we talk about the local church as ‘a place where everybody knows your name’, but then we talk about ‘not knowing everybody’ as the price we pay for church growth. Picture a group of ten or so people who have known each other for years, with a less cohesive cast of characters who quickly cycle in and out of the action, surrounded by a cloud of extras who are just part of the scenery, and you have the TV sitcom ‘Cheers’. You also have the typical local church.

While some see worship as a distinct benefit of being connected to a local church, I think what we call a ‘worship service’ is just another community activity. For most churches, the worship service is the main event and is the most visible aspect of the church’s ministry, but aside from the obligatory ‘greet and sit’ moment (some doll it up and call it ‘passing the peace’), the average person in the audience is so disengaged that they might as well be in the audience for a taping of the TV show ‘Ugly Betty’.

Do I therefore hate the local church? ‘Hate’ is far too strong a word. ‘Disappointment’ might capture my feeling better. I am willing to believe that local churches take on organizational characteristics out of the best intentions, but that over time the organization tends to supplant the mission it was created to serve.

Most people who are disappointed with the local church simply disappear quietly. I have resolved that if I ever disappear from the local church in general, those who care will at least know why.

“Where would I be without the local church? For now I don’t quite know the answer to that question, but I have taken the first step by acknowledging that the local church is not the only venue in which one can follow Christ. I guess if/when I answer that question definitively (or move out on faith), I’ll be ‘out the door.’