20080518

From Plymouth

The Church Is A Living Edifice

Rev. Chuck Falconer

May 18, 2008

I Peter 2:5

 “What makes a great church” asks Presbyterian pastor Frederick H. Olert.
 “Not cushioned seats and subdued lights,
    But strong courageous leadership present and future.
  Not the sweet tones of a mighty organ,
    But personalities that reflect Christ.
  Not tall towers with enchanting chimes,
    But the lofty vision of its people.
  Not a big pressured budget,
    But big hearts of big people.
  Not the amount of money received,
    But the amount of service rendered.
  Not a large and prestigious membership,
    But Christo-centric and God-directed lives.
  Not what has been done in the past, 
    But what it is doing now and will do,” he replies.

In our lesson from I Peter this morning, the author sets before us some things about the nature and function of the Church we need to hear today.

I - One thing Peter says is that we have been chosen and called to be a part of the church which is a community of persons. Using a graphic image, he likens Christians to living stones, even as he has indicated that Christ is the foundation stone, rejected by humankind but valuable in God’s eyes and plan. The church is likened to a living edifice into which we are built. As individual Christians, our true place can only be found when we become part of the “spiritual temple” of God, when we take our place in the community of those who center faith and life on God as he is revealed in Jesus Christ. “Solitary religion” is ruled out as an impossibility. C. E. B. Cranfield has written: “The fee-lance Christian, who would be a Christian but is too superior to belong to the visible Church upon earth in one of its forms, is simply a contradiction in terms.”

A stone or brick by itself is useless. It only becomes useful when it is built into a building. So it is with the individual Christian. To realize our true destiny, we must not remain alone but must be built into the fabric and edifice of the Church. Being a Christian means being part of the fellowship of Christ’s followers.

We are also chosen and called to serve as “holy priests.” A priest is, for one thing, a person who brings an offering to God. Under the old covenant, the offerings that were brought were animal sacrifices. As Christians, under the new covenant of grace, we are called upon to continually bring “spiritual” sacrifices. The Apostle Paul puts it well in Romans 12 when he says: “Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to God’s service and pleasing to God. This is the true worship that you should offer.” Our work should be an offering to God. Everything we do should be done for God. Our worship should be an offering, not a requirement to be carried out each week, but a joy and a privilege. Our total selves should be an offering to God. What God desires most of us is the love of our hearts and the service of our lives given in loving obedience. This is the perfect sacrifice that we are called to make as Christ’s “holy priests.”

Another aspect of priesthood to which we are called is that of bringing others to God. In the ancient world, access to God was viewed as the privilege of the few, the professional priests. Through Jesus Christ, the new and living way, this access to God is open to everyone through faith. The Latin word for priest means “a bridge builder,” reminds William Barclay. The priest is one who builds a bridge for others to come to God. We as Christians have the privilege and responsibility to bring others to the Lord and Savior whom we have found and love. So Peter writes: “You are . . . chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into God’s own marvelous light.”

We are chosen and called to be a part of the redemptive community which is the Church and to be obedient and bridge-building servant-priests.

II - That’s the theory, the theology of the nature and function of the Church. But what are the practical implications of this for Plymouth Church?

For one thing, every congregation in the Western world can and should be growing. In Oregon, where less than 30% of the population claims any church affiliation, the potential is great. It is said that most American churches should be able to grow at least 5% per year, which for Plymouth Church means a net increase of about 5 new members per year. Of course, numerical growth is not the only gauge of growth - growth in the quality of spiritual life is important too. Ideally, quantity and quality will take place simultaneously.

Realizing that no one congregation can meet everyone’s needs, I think it is appropriate for us to ask ourselves, are there things that we are doing, or not doing, which may be keeping people from joining Plymouth Church? What persons may not feel comfortable, welcome, or at ease in this congregation because of our attitude, worship style, programing, or theology? Do single parents, the divorced, young marrieds, families with children, the shy and timid, or lower income people find their needs unmet here? The list could go on and on, but the point is the same; who is not returning because we are not meeting their needs? And should we be? And who is not coming in the first place because we are not inviting them?

Lyle Schaller, noted church consultant, describes a number of ways congregations may unconsciously keep people from joining: not inviting persons to join who need a personal invitation; limiting the number of members due to the size of the buildings; emphasizing architecture rather than person-to-person evangelism; perpetuating the “small church” image where everyone needs to be part of one group; cutting back or reducing rather than expanding the number of relational groups; expecting the community to take the initiative in coming to church; emphasizing institutional maintenance rather than growth and outreach; accepting “no” or “not now” at face value when calling on persons who have visited church; and trying to minister to everyone with the end result being that no one’s needs are met.

What things are we doing or not doing to keep people from becoming part of Plymouth Church? We need to look at ourselves and decide what changes we need to make to meet peoples’s needs and welcome people to become a part of Christ’s church at Plymouth Church. More than this, we need to intentionally plan for growth. If Plymouth Church is to truly serve our Lord and Master, we must increase our capacity to assimilate new members. If Plymouth Church is to become the community of faith and the holy priesthood which Peter describes, we need to provide an adequate number of open groupings where persons can get to know one another personally, and support one another, and help one another grow in faith and life; face-to-face groups, where persons will feel included, and valued and in turn will reach out to share their living faith and include others. Such is true Christian community.

But one more thing needs to be said. Luke, in our Gospel lesson this morning, reminds us that there is a cost to everything, and that we need to calculate the cost ahead of time. Discipleship - following Christ - is costly. It may cost us time and energy, even money and friends. And growth as a church will also be costly. A crucial factor is attitude. We must not only want to grow, we must decide to grow. One church voted 4 to 1 to adopt a goal of doubling in size in seven years. At the same time they rejected 3 to 3 a key recommendation to change to two worship services in order to meet more needs. The second vote nullified the first. Attitude also involves enthusiasm about our faith, and our congregation’s life, program, and ministry. It also includes the recognition that God has given us a great deal of freedom and responsibility over what happens to us as a church.

Our capacity and desire to receive, welcome, and assimilate new members is the second most important price tag on growth. Do we really welcome people when they first come, inviting them to the fellowship time and including them in our conversations? Or do we just say “hi” and go on our way? Too often it is easier to join a church than to be accepted and assimilated into its fellowship. Closely related to this is the variety and number of groups in the church which must expand as a congregation grows. We must also define in precise terms who this congregation is seeking to reach, identify their needs, and determine how we will respond to those needs. Are we providing the programs that will, for instance, invite young families to want to join us and stay? Do we have a Christian education program for all ages? We cannot do everything, but what we do, we should try to do well. We must also be willing to accept change as a price of growth. Finally, the need for additional space is often seen as an immediate price of growth. “Rarely is that true,” says Lyle Schaller. Constructing new buildings, remodeling, or adding more space should be seen as a response to growth, not as a means of achieving growth.

Conclusion - If Plymouth Church is to grow, as it should, then you must not only reach out to Columbia County communities to “proclaim the wonderful acts of God” in Christ, but you must also welcome, accept, and assimilate new comers and new members. Jesus Christ is calling this church to be Christ’s community, his holy priests, here and now. Let us listen to Christ, respond to his call and be his faithful people!