Church - What is it?

The following is a post Chris Gonzalez made on his blog earlier this week.

So, this is a bit of a stretch. But I figured I would stay under this week’s iPhone theme:

I had a (lively) discussion with a student in our ministry this afternoon. He was asking me why I didn’t think it was cool to church hop and small group hop. Now, for those of you unfamiliar with the lingo, church hopping is when someone attends multiple churches. He was asking what the problem would be if he attended (regularly) 3 different small groups in our ministry – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday. I told him he needed to put down his shopping bags at the Jesus Fashion Park, hunker down in one group, and dive in to deeper community. His rationale was that he gets and gives different things to different groups. He said he felt it was valid to go to church for “what’s in it for me.”

He says, “Church is formost about my needs. I need community, fellowship, teaching, etc.” I say, “The church needs me. I join a church whose mission I believe in, and I come to give. I recieve as a by-product.”

So, I would love to hear some thoughts.
Is church for me first?
Can church hopping be legit?

If church is about meeting the needs of the immediate congregation, then would that not make those who attend for that purpose selfish? Would that then mean that the church is, in a basic way, wanting itself?

But how then do we define what/who the church is? Well, I think we can agree that the composition of the church goes beyond brick and mortar, and even location. So then the church is the people, more specifically the believers. The church is a community of believers that come together to praise God, give of themselves to bring glory to God. Now when I say “give of themselves”, I am not merely talking about money, but also time, spiritual gifts, skills….ultimately life. The church needs people who live for Christ, love like Christ, putting themselves last instead of first; people who will suffer for the cause of Christ. We are all called to suffer for Christ, no one is exempted.

Likewise, the local church (local community of believers) needs to live for Christ and have their focus be on outreach above that of their own comfort. What is at stake are people’s souls, not how good our butt feels. As a whole I feel that the Christian church here in America has lost sight of the finish line. We have come to put our own comfort, laziness, and likeability above that of God’s calling. We need to realize that if one of our brothers (another church) is suffering, then we need to be there to support it. Change is happening….

I have seen God moving in ministries like VI and have heard great things about what God is doing in other college age ministries surrounding ASU in relation to reaching out to the college community that thrives around ASU and MCC. Beyond the collegian community in VI’s backyard, VI has also been supporting trips to the Czech Republic and Turkey and Kenya, working to bring the truth of Christ’s love to the students there. I have also seen God working to bring about change in Grace Community Church through adopting a community in Kenya (the same one the VI sends people to) and supporting the church there.

So do you “use” church? Or are you part of a church whose mission is to see God known and glorified in the community?