We're rolling through a series of posts intended to help parents be the primary spiritual trainers of their children. The last three editions have encouraged you to think about your theology of family. We turn now to a theology of church. My premise is that you need to know what you believe about family and about church in order to determine how the two should work together in the disciple-making process, both generally and in relation to children.
We live in a time during which one can find many ideas about what church is and what it should do. Further, sometimes the Bible is very specific in prescribing things for the church and other times it provides only general descriptions. Some leaders believe churches today should align with the descriptions as well as the prescriptions, whereas others think church should follow the prescriptions and exercise freedom regarding the descriptions. Of course, there are churches that really do not adhere to either; rather they allow themselves to be guided by societal norms. Therefore, coming up with a theology of church may be a little more complex than sketching out your theology of family.
I will point you to some important passages and share some conclusions I have drawn. However, since these posts are supposed to be very short reads, I will not include much detail or spend time supporting my claims. Please spend time prayerfully studying these ideas on your own. Definitely read what experts have written and then draw your own conclusions.
As you begin to think about church, what it is, what it does, and what your role in it should be, please study the following passages. Note, this is just to get you started. You will want to study others as well as your thoughts develop more fully.
- Matthew 16:13-20
- Matthew 18:15-20
- Matthew 28:16-20
- Acts 1:8
- Acts 2:42-47
- 1 Corinthians 5:9-13
- 1 Corinthians 12:12-31
- Ephesians 4:11-16
- Ephesians 5:19-33
- 1 Timothy 3:1-13
- Titus 1:5-9
- Hebrews 10:25
- James 3:1
- 1 Peter 5:1-5
- Revelation 2 and 3
In my opinion, many, if not most, Christians today do not put enough thought into church. Many seem to think it is a place to go once a week. Further, many tend to choose a church like they would choose a country club, social organization, or theme park. Beloved, this ought not be. Develop your beliefs about church based on Scripture and then put those beliefs into practice. Do not go to church solely for what you can get out of it. Be an active participant in your church as part of your service to Christ. As Rick Warren has famously written, "It's not about you."
I know that you will want to work out your theology of church on your own. However, allow me to share a few of my conclusions. I hope they will help you. Even if you disagree with me on some points, at least maybe I can help you think through things and form your own conclusions. Here are some of mine:
- Jesus is the head of the church.
- Jesus loves the church as evidenced by the fact that He died for it.
- The church is important in God's mission to redeem the lost.
- God builds the church as He sees fit.
- The church is made up only of individuals who are born again.
- People who are born again are adopted by God and as such have solidarity with Him and with the rest of those whom He has adopted. This solidarity is with all the redeemed; however, it can only be lived out among a local body of believers. Therefore, church membership and active participation are vital for anyone who is in Christ.
- Churches should be led by a plurality of elders. Elders should be biblically qualified (which includes them being male.) Even though elders are important leaders, they should act as shepherds, not managers. While elders lead, churches should be governed congregationally.
- Churches should focus on five major activities: discipleship, fellowship, ministry, evangelism, and worship.
- Churches should be very careful who they allow to teach within the body.
Hope this helps. See you next time. Thanks for stopping by.
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