There’s a lot of talk from pulpits nowadays about “community”. Phrases like, “Come to our Church and experience community”, or “You belong here; join our community” have become the norm; and even a strategic and intentional church growth strategy.
While I understand the sentiment and have even used this verbiage myself from time to time, I’m afraid we’ve done ourselves a disservice to an extent; and even lessened the beauty, exclusiveness, and importance of the church.
People have a natural desire to “belong”; to “be part of something”. In other words, people want community. Churches have used that desire to woo people. The problem is community can be found nearly anywhere! You can find community in Fishing Clubs, card games, Pickleball, Garden Clubs, etc.! Community is even a large reason Gangs exist!
While the need for community is genuine, and the practice of community can certainly be positive; placing the idea of community above all breeds a plethora of problems in the church.
When the church uses the invitation of “community” as a way to attract people; that’s exactly what it does… it attracts people. But what does it attract people to? This is where the adage, “What you win them with is what you win them to” becomes a reality. If you “win” people with the lure of community and grow a crowd with that, then you will most likely have a community and a crowd, and that’s it. Community and crowd alone does not a church make…
What makes a church? Family. Family makes a church. RC Sproul states it this way,
Paul gives great attention to ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church, in his letter to the Ephesians. In fact, we could say Ephesians answers this question: What is the church? In Ephesians 2:19–22, the chief metaphor Paul uses is that of a building—the household of God. Christians are part of the household in the sense that they have been adopted into the family of God, which is another image that Scripture uses to describe the church.
The Church is the Family of God; adopted into God’s family in and through Jesus, His person and work. The true church is much more than community. The true Church is a Family, God’s family. It’s a Family from every people group and nation, made alive in Christ, justified, forgiven, Given new natures, and unified. The true Church is built on the gospel. It begins with the gospel, functions on and in the gospel, and will persevere on and in the gospel. You can have community without the gospel, but you can’t have Church without the gospel. In other words, you can’t have God’s family without the gospel. So, the gospel is the difference maker…
Therein lies the massive difference in “community” and “Family”. Don’t hide the beauty of the gospel from people for the sake of being winsome and offering community. Offering a dying world community alone, instead of the gospel is akin to giving a placebo to the terminally ill…
Point people to Jesus; point them to the Family of God.
I’m so glad I’m a part of the Family of God,
I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood!
Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod,
For I’m part of the family,
The Family of God.
Treasuring Christ 