A Manifesto for Church

Jeff tagged me asking for my perspectives on what a church should look like. I am not going to tag anyone else on this one but if you want to opine about it at your place then visit Jeff's blog and get the rules for the post.. and let me know if you do. Here are some of my thoughts (in brief) about what an ideal church might look like:

• ekklesia: this is the Greek word that is most often (115 times) translated church in the New Testament. This word denotes a gathering of people called together for a common purpose.. it could be used for people called to a town hall meeting as well as to a church service. The idea here is that people are called to be together - the emphasis being on the word together. I think that it is sad that some feel that they do not need others in Christ's body. So, the first idea about an ideal church revolves around a sense of being called together. Believers all over the globe, in very diverse ways, are called together to walk out and work out the kingdom together.. it is a beautiful thing.
  


• koinonia: this Greek word appears twenty times in the New Testament and is translated fellowship twelve of those times. This word takes those people who are called together and gives them a blueprint for walking together. When I think about fellowship I think about people and hearts being knit together in love. I think of how Jesus said that people would know that we are His if we have love for each other. Real fellowship, at it's heart, is living out community in a way that is genuine and unique to that calling to which Christ has called that ekklesia.



• poimen: this Greek word is the one most often translated (17 out of 18 times) shepherd or shepherds. I like this definition of the word:
  

  The tasks of a Near Eastern shepherd were: - to watch for enemies trying to attack the sheep - to defend the sheep from attackers - to heal the wounded and sick sheep - to find and save lost or trapped sheep - to love them, sharing their lives and so earning their trust.

  That to me captures the heart of what it means to be a leader in an ekklesia. It also captures the heart of what it means to be a member as well. To be a part of a local church is to be a part of a group of people that shepherd each other, protect each other, speak healing words to each other and simply walk out life together developing love, growing trust and maturing friendship.

• mathetes: this is the Greek word that is translated disciple or pupil. I think that a healthy expression of church is one where everyone is discipled. Now this really sounds good to many until they understand that discipleship is not about a program. I think that a church that truly embraces discipleship understands that it is relational.. you disciple me and I disciple you.. it is not all about the pastor teaching me.. it is also about me teaching them as well.

I told you that this would be a brief manifesto.. if that is indeed the right verbiage for what I have written. To sum it up, any expression of church should involve: a deep sense of being called together; a sense of having hearts being knit together in love; a sense of security in the idea that we watch out for each other; and a place where we are each learning from each other.

I think that many might say that this kind of a church resembles a club or a clique because I didn't use words like outreach or evangelism. I suggest that these can be manipulative words that are used to squeeze people into preformed images and ideas of what the church should do. I counter by saying that church is not about what we do but who we are.. who we are called to be.. both individually corporately. I also submit to you that a healthy church attracts people who are hurt and wounded.. both passively and intentionally.