The Big Thing

I've been thinking about the church lately. It seems that quite a bit is being done to make the church effective in planning, efficient in use of time and certainly friendly to diverse people groups. Since I've been around churches for a few years, I've come to notice that ideas to make churches "better" generally run in cycles. Folks get really excited about the latest ministry concepts for a year or two until they fade and are put on the shelf until something new comes along once again.

It seems to me that the church has endured a lot. We who are leaders try to make our mark through innovation, newer and more exciting plans, better resources. But in reality, many of these creative ideas simply absorb the energy of the real church (the people) and deflect it from the true purpose of the church.

In simplicity, the church exists because sin, people and the Kingom exist. The church is God's property. He designed it. It is to function as a great collector of people who feel that the Kingdom is important and that they would like to be a part of it. Sometimes the church gets in the way of that mission. People fight. Meetings about structure and plans take up so much time that nothing is left for touching people's lives or building authentic relationships. Resources are devoted to projects which are peripheral to the whole purpose of helping people to the Kingdom.

As a kid, in the long summer evenings, the lights of our house attracted significant numbers of the large moths which emerge in the Midwest. Moving through the gathering dusk, the light was like a magnet to those impressive insects.

Christ used the symbolism of light to discuss the opportunities available to each of His disciples. "Let your light shine," He said, "so those around you can see who you really are and discover the Father."

The church must become that window where the light from Heaven shines attractively through the lives of the people who are a part of it. If this happens, the church's purpose in the sight of God will have been fulfilled and those who might otherwise have missed it will see the light of the Kingdom.