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We are happy the author found virtue in the various churches he attended. We understand the author's sentiments, and we generally agree. In an era where carefully choreographed, highly produced and professionally polished church services are highly visible and even revered, the ordinary church with ordinary people and ordinary preaching might seem preferable.
However, it's too easy these days to complain about mega churches with their laser lights and high tech wizardry, but the other side of the coin, the rudimentary church based in tradition and somber reflection is not automatically virtuous. A contemporary service is neither better nor inferior to the liturgy. An organ-led hymn is not better or worse than a full-on worship band.
Our criteria should not be established on how men organize or express a particular church. This mistake values flavor over substance, structure over the spiritual, and habit over purpose.
In our opinion, the gathering of the saints is for the primary purpose of giving God the glory due His name. If a church does not worship, that is, extoll the Lord in words, songs, and holiness, it is not a good church.
In our opinion, the gathering of the saints is for the primary purpose of giving God the glory due His name. If a church does not worship, that is, extoll the Lord in words, songs, and holiness, it is not a good church.
Further, a church shouldn't be defined by its Sunday services. Unfortunately, that is the way people tend to judge churches, which ultimately is a consumerist mentality. But a truly good church must include
- a passion for prayer
- a pursuit of holiness
- a vision for the lost
- ministry to the poor
It must be emphasized that the Bible doesn't tell us to find a good church. In fact, it almost seems like the churches mentioned in the Bible were uniformly troubled and dysfunctional. We would therefore suggest that finding a good church to attend should not necessarily be the goal. Perhaps what we should do is find a church we can help to be better.
I was on vacation this past Sunday and didn't have to be anywhere, so I got to visit another church. We ended up attending a remarkably ordinary church.
We got there late. I was one of those people I criticize when they show up late at my church. It humbled me and gave me a bit of understanding for those who sometimes struggle to be on time.
There was nobody to greet us. We went the wrong way and stumbled into a music practice for the next service. We were confused, but eventually someone found us and pointed us in the right direction. We ended up in a small chapel off to the side with fewer than 30 people present. The service was simple, with no singing, just a rich liturgy and a sermon that probably spoke a bit too much to progressive objections to the text.
There was lots to criticize about the service, yet as I settled in, there was also lots to appreciate. The sermon was textual and pointed to Christ. The liturgy was rich and grounded in the centuries-old Book of Common Prayer, which I love. The sermon reminded me of my desperate need for nourishment in the gospel. It was all remarkably ordinary and imperfect, yet exactly what I needed. I praise God for remarkably ordinary churches.
A few years ago, I visited a larger church while on vacation. There was nothing impressive about the service. It was the kind of service that could have happened almost anywhere. The singing was rich, yet unremarkable. The sermon was biblical and Christ-centred, yet humble. Everything about the service screamed, in the best possible sense, that they were a group of ordinary people doing ordinary things that pointed to a remarkable God.
I walked away encouraged by this church. It seems that for decades they had been doing the same ordinary thing over and over again, faithfully, and God had honoured that faithfulness with gospel growth.
I used to think we needed extraordinary churches. I don't anymore. I think we need churches that don't get tired of doing the same things week after week: gathering to sing, opening the word, praying together, hearing God's word, pointing to Christ, eating and drinking the bread and cup.
This isn't an excuse for mediocrity or a call to offer God anything but our best. It's simply an acknowledgement that the focus should never be on ourselves or our skill. We should be getting out of the way as much as possible so we can direct our attention to our remarkable God and his gospel.
It’s also a challenge for those of us who attend such churches. Sometimes we show up with unspoken demands that things impress us. Instead, we end up listening to imperfect preachers and average sermons, sometimes leaving disappointed. Stop focusing on what doesn't matter. Aim to be easily edified. Show up with the intention of glorifying God and being fed by everything available in that service.
Last Sunday, I attended an ordinary church, and it did my soul good. I'm pretty sure that's what we need most. Keep showing up. Keep doing the same ordinary things that point to our remarkable God and the best news imaginable.
It doesn't seem like much, but it's much more than we could ever think.
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