Why Go to Church? Christ is Risen! (An Anabaptist Reconsiders) - Eric Janzen

A question I often hear these days is, “Why should we go to church?” While this question might stir some uncomfortable feelings in pastors, ministers, denominational leaders, and others, it is actually an excellent question. In a post-Christendom era, the very concept of church is coming up against some well-deserved challenges. An institutionalized system of doing faith, filled with programs, rigid schedules, and an inflexibility of form, faces increasing disinterest from people. Where a focus on control and domination of the society around it no longer apply or have veracity, some have joyfully exited the church, enjoying a new found freedom from an institution more interested in maintaining status quo and propping up political powers than actually sharing the Gospel and focussing on the teachings of Jesus. Some have left in anger and bitterness, let down by a version of faith that devalued them while it sought to serve the very powers that oppressed the faithful church goer. I confess I can empathise with these people. I have a deep distrust of the vestiges of Christendom who continue to preach nationalism and devotion to the State instead of the true Christian message of the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and his Kingdom.

I’ve visited with many people and had numerous conversations about this topic, and they usually reach the same conclusion: church isn’t authentic and it doesn’t seem to fulfill its purpose. This leaves leaders of churches with a conundrum: an identity crisis has been long emerging. If the purpose of church isn’t to convert and control the society it lives in, then what is it about? If the purpose of church isn’t to prop up political powers and endorse a particular value system then what is it about? If the purpose of church isn’t about displays of power for power’s sake, then what is it about? Many such questions bubble up to the surface in the wake of changes taking place in our world today. However, before we automatically think that these questions mean that traditional churches have become irrelevant we should note that there are many people who find both authenticity and purpose within most streams of the Church even if they recognize there are problems. I know quite a number of people who have found renewed spiritual life in the Eastern Orthodox Church…some to the point that this tradition was a much-needed refuge from evangelical streams. A woman I know who loves Jesus more than most people I encounter has been a devout Catholic her entire life. She continues to be so despite her rage at the recent revelations of wide spread abuse in that stream (her protest was to withhold her tithe, instead giving that money to help someone who lost everything to a tsunami in Indonesia). Indeed, across streams of Christian faith, from traditional to charismatic and everything in between, there are those who find both authenticity and purpose in their church experience despite the imperfections of their particular church. How can this be? Why do some march for the door feeling betrayed and empty while others find fulfillment and genuine spiritual life in church even though churches are struggling with these identity issues? I don’t have the whole answer to this rather complex question, but I do have a thought about it.

I recall sitting with a friend years ago having a visit at a coffee shop. He fancied himself an evangelist and would often strike up conversations with unsuspecting strangers. I had witnessed this happen many times, but this particular instance always stuck with me afterwards. My friend, who loves Jesus very much, believed at the time that apologetics of any kind were the way to ‘convince’ people that they should become Christians. He proceeded to quote all kinds of facts that science had found which pointed to God being real; therefore, this person should become a believer. They didn’t. They excused themselves politely and left the coffee shop. I remember thinking, “I don’t blame you.” I asked my friend why he thought that anyone should become a Christian based on such arguments. He told me it often worked. I resolved that day never to attempt such a thing. I didn’t become a Christian because of rational arguments or fancy words…and I wouldn’t expect anyone to. While it may sound nice and neat, it isn’t what will draw most people to becoming Christians. This same friend has an amazing testimony that has nothing to do with apologetics…a far better story to tell in my opinion in which he encountered a presence outside of himself…a presence which transformed his life in a profound revelation of divine love—and that presence was Jesus Christ.

I have another friend whose life was out of control in every way. Before he was of an age to experience adult life, he had experienced more than most adults would ever want to. To have known him as a young man would have meant thinking he was utterly lost and would probably die in his youth. Yet, he is one of the most devout, Kingdom minded men I know today, active on the front lines of social justice in a way most of us never will be, and he is there because he followed Jesus there. A more authentic Christian I can’t imagine. How did he become a believer? He had a remarkable encounter with Jesus, which left him unable to do anything but give his heart and life to God. For him, Jesus is alive and well, and worthy to be worshipped and followed.

I think you’re probably beginning to guess at my thought, but I’ll give you one more short account. When I was in my early twenties, I walked through a very dark time in which I questioned life, living, and purpose. At my lowest, a friend invited me to church. I had stopped going to church at this point, finding that it was inauthentic and offered nothing. I was empty in a way that is difficult to admit or even properly describe. I won’t recount the entire story, but through much internal protest and struggle, I found myself in church on a Sunday morning due to my friend’s invitation. I recall standing with my arms crossed, my heart safely balled up and behind high, thick walls, when something unexpected happened. The worship leader was singing and the lines of the song’s bridge section filled my ears in an unusual way. All sound fell away except for the words, “you know who I am, you made who I am, and you lovewho I am.” My eyes closed and I began to cry, which was a miracle in itself. In my memory, there was nothing but light around me, and a presence I couldn’t comprehend surrounded me and filled me. In a profound and new way, I knew that I was loved by God. There is a lot more to that story, but suffice to say that this encounter completely altered my life and set me on a journey with Jesus that has never stopped, despite some deep struggles and challenges since. I am a Christian because I met Jesus Christ and have continued to experience his presence throughout my life. With understanding came the ability to recognize how he had been with me from the earliest years of my life right up to the present day.

What has all this encounter and experience have to do with church? I would suggest that it is the reason for gathering in churches. If we strip away the trappings of religion, rituals and rites, systems, denominational differences on the many and varying issues that exist and step back to consider why we are coming together, we should end up with only one common answer: Jesus Christ is risen.

Christians in all streams of the church find themselves facing a question of faith, or rather what we believe in. Do we call ourselves Christians because we were told that’s what we are or do we call ourselves Christians because we believe that Jesus was God incarnate, lived, taught, acted on the cross on our behalf, and then rose again? Without entering into the wider theological considerations of what that all means, we need to decide if we believe in him. We are Christians first because we believe in something remarkable and if we believe he is risen, we ought to believe we can and do encounter and experience his presence in this life. This is what church should be. Church is a time when people who believe Jesus is alive gather together to experience his presence together.Out of that experience, we do something else together as well: we follow Jesus. A Christian is someone who takes the life and teaching of Jesus Christ as the way to live their life. For some this can be a very uncomfortable realization as they realize just how radical Jesus was and just how completely he calls his followers out of the world’s system of judgment, violence, and hatred. However, as we open ourselves to him and welcome his Spirit to come alive and rise up in our hearts, following Jesus becomes increasingly joyful as our intimacy is deepened with him and we experience how living his way transforms us.

I believe that we can experience and encounter the presence of Jesus wherever there is a genuine love and openness to him. I am fortunate in that I have been able to attend church in a variety of churches. I have learned to look for Jesus wherever I go and without fail I have found his presence in these places, some completely structured and some without hardly any structure at all. What I’ve realized is that the form doesn’t matter as much as the open heart. However, for some churches, changes are needed if they hope to be authentic gatherings of Christian communities. What is the purpose? A church’s central purpose for holding a service of any kind is to meet with Jesus Christ as a community. The form doesn’t matter as much as the heart of the reason we come together. That being said, as I mused on this thought, I came up with the following idea for what I would do if I ever helped to lead a church again (yeah, I’ve done that). It’s not perfect of course, but I think it is another way to illustrate what I’m trying to say.

Eric’s Imagined Church Service

Welcome.

Invitation to Jesus Christ to be Present.

We put Jesus at the center for our gathering immediately. He is the reason we are here together.

Time of gratitude and praise shared with one another.

This is a time for genuine thanks and praise, not a time to make everyone feel like they have to say something. Hearing what others are thankful for can help those struggling to be encouraged…the life of the community is interconnected in the Spirit as the apostle Paul teaches.

Time of Worship, which includes singing, listening, scripture reading etc…

Worship doesn’t need to be rigidly defined. Any community can and should discuss worship together, seeking to both deepen understanding and experience.

Time of Ministry based on what is heard and experienced during the worship time.

This is really an extension of the time of worship and would flow naturally from it. We give the necessary space to the Holy Spirit to do what he wants to do. This time would not be cut short and would end only when the gathering agreed that they sensed the Holy Spirit was finished for the time being.

Time of teaching.

Teaching would be based on two factors. One, the Gospels would be given priority. There would be a reading and short teaching based on Gospel passages supplemented by readings from other biblical passages pertinent to the teaching. Two, if a teacher feels led by Jesus to share on something specific they would of course be free to do so. This teaching would then be evaluated by the gathering in the following discussion time.

Time of Communal reflection.

An invitation would be given to the gathering to share their reflections on what has been taught/shared. What struck them? What do they feel, Jesus was highlighting? What would they add? And yes, even what did they disagree with? Questions would be encouraged. This would be a time for discussion and further teaching (a time of community discipleship so to speak).

Time of Ministry

A time of prayer and ministry for one another based on what has been heard during the teaching time and listening to what Jesus is saying. This could be a short time or a long time depending on what Holy Spirit is doing.

End with an unhurried time of fellowship, which would hopefully involve food more often than not.

 

Throughout the service would be the understanding that Jesus is at the head of it all. If he decides we will skip the teaching time because he wants to minister to people during the worship time for an extended period, then that is what would happen. If no ministry time was obvious during the worship time, it would not be forced and the teaching time would begin. The point is the structure is there to form a type of service, but the structure would always be submitted to what the Lord was doing.

I offer this as an idea only. There are probably holes and problems that would arise, but that’s okay. The whole idea revolves around people gathering together to encounter Jesus Christ…together, which in the end is the only real reason to go to church. As we continue forward in the long story of the Church, leaders who want to create vibrant communities of faith will have to consider their own view of Jesus and how they experience him. To be authentic Christian communities we must be ready to fulfill our main purpose: the message that Jesus isn’t an idea, he is a person who lives and can be experienced and encountered, and his message is that he knows us completely, he made us, and he loves us.

Comments

[Eric H Janzen]

Thank you for your comment, Jon. I think you make an excellent point and I don't think it is all that tiny either. Perhaps the invitation could be done in both ways. The community acknowledges the Presence of Jesus in their midst and thank him for his invitation to experience the reality of his Presence. The community would also invite Jesus to do what he wants to do in our midst for our time together. Or something like that.

cheers,
eric h janzen

[Jon]

This is excellent article. I do resonate with most of your reflections on the current condition of institutional churches. The suggested flow of church gathering is very good. It gives an open space for both the Holy Spirit to move and the church participants to really engage in mutual edification. I would like to suggest nevertheless a tiny point. How about, instead of inviting Jesus to be present in the gathering, we instead invite ourselves to be present in Him. Jesus is always present. It is Him who waits for us to be present in His presence.

[eric h janzen]

Gerald, I agree with you, but from a distinct vantage point as we both see the sacred beauty of Jesus in the Body because of what we have experienced and walked through. The issue we now face though are people who are so disillusioned with the Church, they aren't able to see that sacredness. Indeed, there are many now for whom the Gospel story and all that it contains is largely unknown. This is why I think the Church needs to place far more emphasis on both the story of Jesus and the reality of his resurrection...understanding and experience of Him will lead people to that reverence as they recognize Jesus' presence within his Church. I don't want to say it, but I will: the Church has not represented her Lord very well in far too many instances (and I would say that is true of all streams in one way or another). I love the Church despite her blemishes, but I also love the Church enough to say we need to be thinking about who we are and why we are. If Jesus is not the central answer, then we are in serious trouble both spiritually and practically speaking.

Eric H Janzen

[Gerald Janzen]

Eric, I would agree with what you say. I would add, however, that the Church is the body of Christ on earth. It, therefore, has an element of sacredness about it that ought to excite our reverence and respect regardless of our opinions.