Dear pastor,
Recently I was thinking about the purpose of church. I thought I might share my thoughts with you…
Here is why we have church:
- Gathering a group of people in the name of Jesus
- To worship the Lord (because He is worthy to be praised and He has the Words of eternal life, where else would we go?)
- To declare “Thus saith the Lord” – sharing His revealed words of truth
- To equip the saints for works of service
- To call them to prayer and fasting that God’s will may be done and kingdom come on earth as in heaven
- To encourage the weary, to bind up broken hearts, to set the captives free
- To confess our sins one to another and be healed
- To participate in the sacraments and means of grace God has given to us
- To pray for (and experience) the miracles of God
- To celebrate milestones of life and faith along the way
- To serve the poor, the forgotten, the hurting, the marginalized
- To rescue the perishing
Just reading that list excites me about church and makes me look forward to gathering yet again with the people of God. It motivates me and encourages me. It helps me to realize that what I am doing as a pastor really does matter.
Do you know what I noticed is missing from this list?
No concern about style of music, or size of building. No discussion of ages represented or how many people are gathered. No comparison of last year’s attendance with this year’s attendance or how another church’s ministries compare to the ministries of our church.
The comparison game and the world’s measuring tools are completely unnecessary to be reminded of the point of church and to ask whether or not our church is being faithful to its calling.
How does reading the bulleted points above encourage you?
Would you add anything to the purpose of church list?
Is there anything else that you are glad didn’t make the list?
Discover more from Pastor Michael Johnson
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
