I have talked with many young people over the past two years who are confident that they are Christians and yet they don’t seem to have much care for the Church. They see the Church as being a nice addition to the Christian faith, but not necessary to the faith. This has become a point of real concern for me personally and I worry that we currently have a generation of students, both in college & in high school, that fail to see the distinct place of the Church in Biblical Christian faith.

Today there are many that fall into one of two traps in seeing the beauty and need of the Biblical Christian Church: 1) they are either completely individualistic (modern) or 2) they see any gathering that is somewhat “spiritual” as being Church. 

Let’s face it, we live in a post-enlightenment world. We live in a world that values “I” over “We” on so many levels. Especially in America, where we admire the rugged, “pick yourself up by your own bootstraps” person who is able to accomplish anything! Sadly, this mentality has reached even the church. We think as individuals, some have even noted that we share the gospel to meet this type of world. Mark Noll says, “Up to the early 1700s, British Protestants preached on God’s plan for the church. From the mid-1700s, however, evangelicals emphasized God’s plans for the individual.”* This is a dangerous step, and it has led to many people taking this way of thinking to its logical end: that if the Gospel is for ME, then why do I need THE CHURCH?

On the other hand there is a new way of seeing the church as any situation where there is “spiritual” conversation. They have such a weak view of church that they are able to create Internet churches where you enter and watch the Pastor preach then join online discussion boards…and this is their version of church.* Others go out to do leisure activities, but make sure to talk about spiritual matters…and this is their version of church.* Some go grab a bite to eat with another person and talk about spiritual issues…and this is their version of church. The idea that church is just a spiritual gathering would qualify a high-school or Christian college chapel service as now being church. In this vision of church there is no real difference between Christians and non-Christians, both are talking about spiritual matters. There is no talk of the work of Christ as being the foundation for the Church’s establishment. Finally, there would be no need for doctrines or discipline, so long as the conversation focuses on following the example of Jesus. Jesus is reduced to a type of person to follow and nothing more. Church is reduced to a type of gathering that may be healthy for the individual.

So what is the church? This has been the question that I’ve been trying to answer and come to some understanding. I feel like my views on the Church have grown over the past several years due to my own experiences as well as some studies on the subject. I recently read this definition of the local church and found it to be pretty solid, I’d love to hear your thoughts:

The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism & Communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the Great Commandment (to love the fellowship) and the Great Commission (to preach the Gospel) as missionaries to the world for God’s glory and their joy. -Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears, “Vintage Church”

*This has been a really good book & I think for anyone who really wants to learn more about the church this is a good introduction book. I have not read it completely, but a lot of the views shared in this post were really ignited by reading different portions of this book*