Ligament Lesson #5: A Memo to the Laity

This series began as musings on the circumstances in five churches where there were no apparent moral, theological, or social divisions, but all were going through a time of painful split in the body.  In every case, at the center of the pain was a pastor embroiled in controversy over leadership style, vision and decisions.  In my last post I wrote a Memo to Pastors, today I am going to bring this series to a close today with a memo to the Laity. 

To Faithful Members of the Body of Christ everywhere,

Greetings.

I began this series by asking the question, “whose church is it anyway?” And if you read along with me you know my response:

“It’s your church.  The church is about the people, not the pastors." 

Pastors are part of the church with very specific, but limited, God-ordained roles to play.  But neither THE church universal, or any church particular belongs to the pastor.  And no church member belongs to any pastor either.  It’s your church, because it’s Christ’s church.

My friends, I am writing today remind you who you are together.  In an earlier post I told you that the most important thing that I learned in seminary is that in the NT the “yous” are plural. They are “y’alls”. 

Y’all are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  You together are the place where God’s presence dwells on earth today.
Y’all are the body of Christ on earth.  You together are God’s activity working in the world to bring the Kingdom of God to earth today. 

I believe that once we Christians recover that important biblical truth, we’ll be on the way to healthier, happier congregations.  Once we remember that everything in the New Testament is about teaching us how to be together the body of Christ, the Temple of the Spirit, then we’ll never approach the church the same way. 

The church is not the place where each of us finds resources for our individual Christian journeys.  The church is not the place where each of us gets our needs met, finds our purpose, or gets “fed”, the church is not “a place” or about “each of us” at all.  The church is all of us.  The church is “all of us” in a local place being the tangible, physical, actual representation of the church that is “all of us” in all the world.  That church both local and universal is the body of Christ on earth today.   The Temple of the Holy Spirit on earth today. 

So here is my charge to y’all:  Be who you are.  Be who y’all are. 

It’s the job of us pastors to remind us who we are and to equip us to live out this shared identity together.   Indeed, this is primarily what our teaching, preaching and leading are all about. 

In his discussion of New Testament ethics, Richard Hays demonstrates that the community, not the individual, is the “primary addressee of God’s imperatives,” in order to form a Christian Community as “alternative order” witnessing to the life-changing presence of God. (See Richard B. Hays, The Moral Vision of the New Testament: Community, Cross, New Creation, 196.) 

This is good news to us, because recent studies have revealed that while Christian belief alone doesn’t lead to demonstrably different lifestyle choices than non-Christians, regular churchgoers do show a marked increase in charitable giving, environmental causes, civic duties, volunteerism and other socially desirable activities and a significantly lower levels of drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuity, and other social ills. (See Rodney Clapp, “On the Making of Kings and Christians: Worship and Christian Formation” in Todd E. Johnson, ed. The Conviction of Things Not Seen: Worship and Ministry in the 21st Century  113-114.)

In other words, if y’all will be who y’all are, the difference God makes in life will be revealed to the world. 

I guess in closing I want to remind all of us of this all too obvious truth.  Because part of being who y’all are is also acknowledging what we are not.  So here it is: We are not perfect, we are not even particularly good or spiritual all in all.  Mostly we are just messy, broken humans who are like porcupines in a winter storm. We keep huddling together to keep warm until we start poking each other. So, this church thing is hard work.  It takes both thick skin and deep commitment. 

But it was messy, broken humans like Peter, James and John that Jesus first called to be his disciples and become his body.  And today, it will be messy, broken humans that God will use to be his body in the world and reveal his presence in the world.

If y’all will be who y’all are.  (And that includes me, too.)

Comments

[Broken Messenger]

Wonderful post Tod, thank you.

Brad

[perfilip]

Hello Tod!

It's so interesting to read your thoughts on the church! You have a fascinating blog, and dare to touch upon many exciting issues. You ask important questions!

I have one question for you, though. You ask: "Whose church is it?" I'm just a student from Norway, while you've probably known and studied the Word of God for many years. But my impression from the Bible is that the Church is for God alone, and is not ours. We're His family, His house and Christ's bride. And he is jealos and zealos for his people. (He wants it for his own, and even tell us in detail how he wants it.)

I actually claim that one of our greatest problem (in the western church) is that we concider the church as only our own. We often forget to ask God how HE wants His house, and ask Christ how He wants His bride. We're only here to bring glory to him, and as we do, he fills all our needs, and we start living in the wonderful way you describe.

But if we start to live church as if it where for our own sake, we might continue on the path where our meanings and feelings become authorities in how the church should be. As we do, we get confused as we disagree on right and wrong for the church. The Bible should be our highest autority, and God should get His church exactly as He wishes. That's my prayer! Let's be passionate for the church.

Well, I just tried to share some thought on your question: Whose church is it?

You, very rightly, touch upon these things yourself also. And I loved what you said about the church not being "a place" where we get our personal needs "fed". The greatest way to live is to forget about ourselves, and focus on Him. Then he'll make us care for eachother.

Please share you thoughts on this. I'm greatful for good guidance :-)

Love
Per Filip Osland, Norway

[perfilip]

I apologize for all the spelling errors (I found some now as reading though my comment). But I'm not a native speaker :-) Thanx again for you're great blog!

[Tod]

Per Filip,

Thanks for "chiming in". In my earliest post in this series, I said that the church belongs to God, but since we all, together as Christians, are Christ's body, then it is also, ours, all together, to represent Christ on earth.

My point is that the church does not belong to any one of us--not even pastors--but to all of us who make up a congregation. Since the church is Christ's, the body of Christ must together live for Christ alone!

Thanks again, please keep reading. I read your blog a bit and share your love for Christ and coffee.

I am a "triple, non-fat, no foam latte" man myself.

All best,

Tod

[Don Ryan]

Tod-

What a wonderful post. Too often we forget that the church is not a building but is rather the body of Christ. We are members in particular who are each called to ministry, whether behind the pulpit or ministering to each other. The Kingdom of God is big enough to accommodate all who will enter in (and I'm so glad!). Great writing. Read it every day.

[Rev John Telfer Brown]

Great series Tod! I am so glad that he chose the disciples! :)

[Derek Simmons]

Tod:
In your note to us laymen you say that "studies have revealed that while Christian belief alone doesn’t lead to demonstrably different lifestyle choices than non-Christians, regular churchgoers do show a marked increase in charitable giving, environmental causes, civic duties, volunteerism and other socially desirable activities and a significantly lower levels of drug and alcohol abuse, promiscuity, and other social ills."
Is it a stretch to conclude from these "studies" that folks who talk to the sociologists who make these "studies" break down into two groups: those who say they believe and those who say they believe--and do?

Don't these "studies" make it clear that the former group is comprised of those who seek to mirror culture and the latter those who seek to mirror Christ, acting out their beliefs by, among other things attending church and living their lives obedient to Him in whom they believe?

The pastor has a role in building up the brothers and sisters who people this latter category. Does the pastor also have a role in filling the former group as well?

Your Brother in Christ,
Derek