The Perfect Church

I got an email from someone I know today who has visited the church I pastor but is still looking for a local body to connect with.  Great guy, theologically thoughtful, concerned about the right things.  I asked in an email if he has found a local church yet, and he said he found three imperfect ones that if the good parts were combined (worship style, preaching, elders, passion) would become the "perfect church." 

I know what my friend is talking about.  So many times in my years as a Christian I have wished to find the right combination in a local community of believers, and every time I've been disappointed.  So I don't fault what he said; I've said the same before.  But it did strike me that we all might be looking for the wrong things in this elusive "perfect church."

I made this statement in reply to his ideal church cocktail...

The perfect church is the one that you truly lay 100% of your life and heart down to serve through.

The longer I thought about that sentence, the more I liked it.  I think it's that simple.  Sure, let's make sure they confess that the historic truths are really true, and that they know the mission we are on in the world, and all that.  But then just find the closest one and invest every ounce of yourself to living the mission in your neighborhood.

Maybe the "perfect church" is closer than we think.  It's the imperfect group of people down the street who gather to give and serve and worship and grow, and then work redemption all around them all week long.  And everytime an imperfect person joins up with them, they are even more perfect.

Comments

[Ryan]

This is good stuff Steve. I've been learning this over the last few years and it has made me love the people I worship with even more.

[Richard Wagner]

Steve, I like that sentence too. Good word! Thank you so much for sharing...

[Joe Thorn]

Good words man. You and I know a few who get this and live it.

[Steve McCoy]

I wish I knew it in practice as well as I know it in my head. Thanks for the encouragement guys.

[Jeff T]

Steve, I needed to read your post on the church. I am in my "blue" time of the month, and longing for greener pastures of that perfect church. I have been at my present church FIVE years, and I am wondering what if.
In fact there are times, I consider leaving the full-time pastoral ministry to only God knows what. Which might be to start a church, or to connect in a local church as a lay-leader. I don't agree with call Kennon Callahan has written but he said (close paraphrase). Your next best church is the one you are at now!

Also, I saw the title but haven't read the book. Josh Harris "Stop Dating the Church." Anyone read that one? I may have to go back and get it.

Jeff

[Rodney McCarty]

Right again Steve. I think it is that simple. Service alongside other imperfect folks.

Jeff T - Stop Dating the Church is not a bad read. Pretty quick - some good stuff. Get it from the library first then decide if you want a copy for yourself.

[Scot McKnight]

Steve,
Profound response.
Add this, too: as we don't get to choose our families, so we don't get to choose God's family. We are part of our local church, come good come bad, because we know God's people is the locus of God's work in this world.

[Steve McCoy]

Scot, great words. Thanks for adding that.

[Jeffrey]

Not to be the big storm cloud here, but this quest for "the perfect church" tends to refer to (at least in my experience) how we DO church, instead of how to BE church.

I'm not saying style(s) is/are irrelevant, but they should rarely (actually probably should say never, but I avoid "never" and "always" statements) be the measuring stick of what the "perfect church" would be. Just some thoughts--if needed, I'll gladly consent to the tar and feathers...

[Steve McCoy]

Jeffrey, I'm not sure your point. Just when I think I've understood it, another part of your short comment changes my mind. Do you agree with my post?

[Jeffrey]

Steve, do I agree...I don't know. Lol, big help huh? In one sense I agree that, "The perfect church is the one that you truly lay 100% of your life and heart down to serve through," but in another I'm not sure.

The Church (in the broadest sense) is already perfect--or at least viewed that way in God's sight (Hebrews 10:11-13). So I guess the question I would ask is do we accurately represent that reality in our fellowhips/local congregations/communities of faith/churches/whatever you wanna call em?

All I meant by my last comment was this: The "perfect church" discussion has been going on here in the buckle of the Bible belt, where people change churches as often as their underwear, for a long time. And I've noticed that it tends to focus more on the "perfect church" as it relates to my individual preferences. So all I was saying is instead of measuring the "perfection" of the church by teaching style, music, etc (like your friend mentioned in his email), perhaps we should allow our status of perfection to measure us as the people of God unified in local contexts to carry out the work of the Kingdom.

So in a way maybe I'm adding to your post--but who really knows? Lol...sorry for the confusion.

P.S.: Yall aren't heating up that tar yet are ya?

[JACK]

This is an interesting topic for me, Steve. Now, Catholics in present time do a certain amount of parish-hopping, but I must admit that I don't think I can relate entirely to this trend. I remember in law school being with all of the first year law students who were part of the Christian fellowship. A friend broke down in tears because she was hurting from the fact that she hadn't found a church yet in the Boston area that she felt she really belonged to. It was then that I realized that this was for her something far beyond the types of things that led me to hop around parishes and what I experienced in doing that. I don't know if this adds anything to the conversation, but it was clear to me that she and I had very different understandings of the nature of the church that was leading to these different reactions to having moved somewhere new and the need to find the perfect church.

[perriko]

My dad always said, "If you ever find the perfect church - don't join it. You'll spoil it."

perriko