Churchless Christianity?

I first read about “Churchless Christianity” in one my textbooks for my church planting class last semester. Basically, this term refers to a contemporary religious phenomenon in India. This group is made up of Indian “followers of Jesus” who for various reasons have decided to forgo organized Christianity and remain within the religious and cultural confines of traditional Hinduism. Obviously this has sparked a lot of debate about whether or not these people are actually believers or not, and what can be done to promote a more culturally organic Christian gathering. This blog is not about that. I’m sorry if this peaked your interest, but you can learn more about this at http://www.ttpstudents.com/papers/ets/2005/Tennent/Tennent.html. (p.s. that is my sister’s missions professor)

If I am permitted, I would like to hijack this term and apply it to the modern American church. I am afraid that in the midst of our programs, pews, and preaching we have inadvertently created our own version of Churchless Christianity.

If you ask anyone you know the question: “What is church?” you will be sure to get a lot of interesting…and wrong answers. Even out of those claiming to follow Christ, it seems that very few understand what the structure and purpose of the New Testament church is intended to be. Many will tell you that the church is a place—the building down the road that still looks like 1956. Many will tell you that church is a thing you do—11am on Sunday mornings. Few will tell you that church is something you are—a redeemed family that lives, meets, and changes the world together.

Even a quick skim of the New Testament reveals just how vital fellowship and relationships are. The Church is by definition a family, a new society. Hebrews 10:24-25 gives us an example of believers meeting together: “And let us not consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

1 Corinthians 14:26-33 and countless other verses are further biblical examples of church meetings consisting of mutual edification, teaching, and encouragement. This idea is summed up in the Greek word koinonia or “fellowship, sharing in common, communion.” This word is used 20 times in the New Testament! Its first usage is Acts 2:42 at the birth of the church and the biblical authors use it throughout the text to describe Christian community and to teach on spiritual unity and love. It is obvious that Christianity is not an individualistic religion, but instead an intense, relational, at times messy, exercise in community. C. S. Lewis put it well when he said, “Christianity is not a lone ranger religion.”

Now with this biblical model in mind, think to the churches of America. As our culture becomes more and more lonely and anonymous…so do our churches. Most churches in my city are arranged around an hour long service a week. After singing a couple songs, we listen to a sermon, give our tithes, smile our perfect plastic smiles and then go home to our depressing, friendless individual lives. I realized I am stepping on some toes with this one here…but, is this really church? We have become experts in adapting these weeklong “worship services” to entertain and satisfy everyone who comes. I once heard someone saying that they enjoyed “church” because they could go in, sit down, enjoy the show, and then leave without having to really be involved with anyone! This anonymous approach to Christianity is leaving us with a crowd of people full of sermons and songs but no community or discipleship! I fear that millions across America are going to a church building and performing religious rituals every week without ever experiencing the true ekklesia radically proposed and envisioned in the New Testament.

Wait, wait—let me explain. We have already established how important the biblical idea of koinonia is to the New Testament church, but let me illustrate this. Our bible is replete with “One another” statements designed to teach on how to deal with the ever-complex issue of relationships. We are told to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11), live in harmony with one another (1 Peter 3:8), be kind and compassionate to another (Ephesians 4:32), offer hospitality and love to one another (1 Peter 4:9, 1 John 3:11). I have only skimmed the service on the amount of biblical advice for relationships. Here is the problem—with the American model of anonymous, consumer driven, large “churches” biblical community is completely avoided. German missiologist and church researcher Wolfgang Simson put in another way, “Most churches of today are simply too big to provide real fellowship. They have too often become ‘fellowships without fellowship.’” A couple weeks ago I was having a conversation about the eroding American church with my friend Carolina and I was hit with a profound thought. If this relational, “one another” koinonia is such a vital part to the church…can you really have church without it? Can we really reduce the divine institution of church down to an hour-long show every week?

With such a sub par new excuse for “church,” there comes some serious biblical and practical repercussions. The countless sections of the New Testament that deal with relationships, and especially all those “one-another” statements I mentioned before would be added to the list of Bible verses that are fun to read but have no real authority over our daily lives.

Brothers and Sisters, I’m afraid our Christianity is becoming increasingly “churchless.” As we continue to build our ornate buildings we have lost the true heart of the New Testament community. I am in now way suggesting that true ekklesia and koinonia is not experienced and relished in the traditional large church. I believe that men and women of God in all kinds of faith traditions are experiencing true biblical church…many not because of their church structures, but in spite of them.

I am disturbed about the increasingly anonymous and lonely nature of our churches. I am disturbed because I am in love with the idea of a redeemed community. I am disturbed because I love the New Testament church—the beautiful bride of Christ. Let us reclaim the true koinonia and join together to stamp out the virus of “Churchless Christianity.”