The Church is not a Religious Club
June 22, 2010
I love seminary because it forces me to read a lot, and what I read has been preselected as the best content available. I just ran across this jewel:
“The Anglican leader and evangelist Michael Green cuts through church cant: ‘God’s church exists not for itself but for the benefit of those who are not yet members… [and] the church which lives for itself will be sure to die by itself.’ The church is not a religious club and it does not have a secular mission. Instead, it is a worshiping and sending community.”
The Jesus Creed by Scot McKnight, pg 232
This text simply hit home for me. If as a church we are only worried about serving our own needs, growing our own institution, and fulfilling our own non-Jesus centered missions, we will not attract anybody to Jesus and will eventually cease to exist. If, on the other hand, our mission is to live as missionaries in our own communities, telling people about Jesus and the work he is doing in our lives, people will be drawn to Jesus and His message of love and acceptance.
