A Jackson Pollock Painting
I must apologize for the shotgun spread that is this blog post. By the time you are halfway through, you might wonder, “Where are you headed, bro?” With that said, allow me to tell you what is the frame that holds the Jackson Pollock painting together. I aim to answer the question that is the title of this blog post. What is a “Community Church?”
A Horse and Buggy
There was a time when the church you attended was because of proximity. Before the 1920s and the invention of the automobile, your church community lived in the neighborhood. The Johnsons lived next door to the Davis’. Their kids played together and were catechized in the same church on Sundays. If you did not live in town, you likely had a horse and buggy to reach your destination. But even the horse and buggy had limitations on how far you could go. The point is there was a time when there were geographical and technological limitations, which resulted in a genuine sense of a community church.
Trains, Planes, and Automobiles
The invention of the automobile was a game changer. Suddenly, the geographical limitations began to expand as new technology came online. As geographical limitations expanded, so did a person’s community, including their local church community. All of a sudden, the Johnsons became dear friends with the Allens. The Allens attended a Presbyterian church, but they were Baptist. The Johnsons invited them to their Baptist church. Because they had a car, they could take a 15-minute drive across town. Before the automobile, “going across town” seemed impossible. There would have been no desire to take the wife and kids to the new church that was an hour and a half walk. But times have changed. Not only are the Allens Baptist, but they are a particular kind of Baptist – if you catch my historical drift. They are unicorns in their part of the city, where reformed Baptist theology goes to die. Finding a church in their community that matches some of their primary theological beliefs is challenging. But now, a 15-minute car ride allows the Allens to raise and train their kids in a church that matches their convictions.
As time has gone by since the invention of the automobile, the ability to travel across town has only increased along with what we consider to be our “community.” A similar observation can be made for rural communities. There was a time when a town of 1000 people had three churches. There is a Catholic Church; if you grew up Catholic, that answer was easy. But Protestants run into a predicament. Let’s say you are a Methodist, and the liberal and conservative Lutheran churches make up the rest of the religious vibe. What do you do? However, the next town over, only a 25-minute drive, has a solid Methodist church. Your choice is easy. Because you own a Honda Pilot, you drive to the next town. Every Sunday morning, you thank God for the car that allows you to worship in a church community that matches your convictions.
I believe I can argue that in the 21st century, it is easier than ever to find a church in your “community” that preaches the gospel and teaches sound theology. The day of walking down the street to attend the closest church is over.
One Clarification and an Exception to the Rule
Do not get me wrong. If a solid Bible-believing church in your local community checks all the “right” boxes (see below), praise God for that gift. I love the fact that people who attend the church I am a part of are only 5 minutes away from where we gather on Sundays. I want to reach that demographic for Christ, including the assisted living home across the street. But let’s be honest. We are now willing to travel for what we want to be a part of, and sometimes, we must travel for what we desire to be a part of. With my clarification out of the way, allow me to offer an exception.
Major urban centers – which are densely populated – are, at times, an exception to the modern-day rule. On the one hand, I have seen people from the suburbs drive into the city to attend church. I witnessed this when I lived in the Twin Cities, where John Piper was pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis. In droves, families from the burbs descended upon downtown Minneapolis on Sunday like a pack of vultures on a dead squire. On the other hand, I have a friend who is a pastor of a church in South Philadelphia. Everyone walks to church becasue 5,000 people live within a few blocks, and parking is terrible. I praise God for Christ-centered and Bible-preaching churches in urban centers.
Perhaps a Reason why I am Cranky
Years ago, when I was a young buck and a cage stage Calvinist, I read Tim Keller’s book called Center Church. Keller made the case that churches must be planted in major urban cities, and his book was the blueprint. Also, during this time, Mark Driscoll was advocating for more churches to be planted in the largest cities of the United States. The case made by Driscoll is that major urban centers create culture, and everything is downstream from the major cities. Along with their emphasis on planting in the largest cities came a “parish” model of church planting. The goal is to set up shop in a local community and reach the surrounding neighborhoods for Christ.
Listen, I do not have qualms with the parish model of church planting. But if you bring that model to the Des Moines Metro or rural Iowa, you can bring that model to the burn barrel. If you need to know what a burn barrel is, look it up.
I suppose the rock in my shoe is because the church planting models proposed by Keller and Driscoll are not for middle-sized cities and rural America. No one sat down to ask: would this model work outside of a major urban context? Long story longer, a community church in New York City will look a lot different than a community church in the Des Moines metro.
Story Time: The Community Church Myth
Early in pastoral ministry, I engaged a family who left a church they had attended for years. They left to attend a church in their neighborhood. They wanted to be a part of a church in their community. Initially, their reasons for worshiping in a church in their neighborhood made sense or were perhaps even noble. They lived in an urban context and wanted to be present in their community. What better place to make a difference than through a local church? Years later, I learned that their desire to attend church in their local community was a convenient excuse to leave their local church. They had issues with a few people on the pastor team – issues that the pastoral team did not know about – and refused to address their perceived problems. This family left the church they attended for years, went to the church in their community, and left that church within a year. It appears that the community church did not check enough boxes.
Let’s put the reason for leaving the first church aside. What is being revealed? Don’t hold your breath when attempting to find a solid church down the street from your home. Proximity might be at the bottom of your priority list.
A Warning Worth Considering
I also think there is a warning against prioritizing a church down the street. I am a theologically conservative particular Baptist, and I would be happy to attend most PCA churches when there is no reformed Baptist church in town. But the Catholic Church? I’ll pass. The PCUSA church? No thanks. They won’t have me. Or the ELCA church? They are squishier than my water weight. I would be committing parental malpractice by putting my family into those contexts. Instead, fire up the Honda and grab the family. It’s time to make our way to the next town over.
What is a Biblical Community?
Up to this point, I have only complained about the mischaracterization of a “community church.” So, what is a community church?
Yes, I do believe that geography matters. (As a side note, I do not think an online “church” is a church, but that is a story for another day.) Yes, you should not need to drive 2 hours to Omaha to attend a church that checks all your boxes. Further, you will need to lay down some preferences when choosing to be a member of a local church. The perfect church does not exist. Not the one I pastor and not yours. However, I do think there are some general guidelines for picking a church in your “community.” First, do the pastors at the church open the Word of God and then preach the Word of God (2 Timothy 4:2-5)? I know this sounds silly, but I have been to churches that tell compelling stories and show movie clips but do not explain and apply the Word of God. Second, when you check out a church, can you imagine yourself (and your family) spiritually growing in that church with other people (Acts 4:32-35)? Third, does the church foster a love of God and a love of others (Matthew 22:32-40)? It is essential to see these two commandments lived out in a church. Last but not least, does a local church check the boxes of primary doctrines? This last point is a bit tricky. Some churches do not know what they believe. Their statement of faith is just as shallow as the kiddy pool. Other churches elevate secondary or tertiary doctrines into a primary position. I am looking at you, dispensationalists, with all your charts and maps. Each person or family will have to determine what they believe are primary doctrines because it will be maddening to attend a church that preaches to you primary convictions that you disagree with. For starters, does the church preach the life, death, resurrection, ascension, and eternal and sovereign reign of Jesus Christ? Does the church teach about how the gospel impacts everyday life? Feel free to use these two questions as a rubric for diagnosing a church.
Bonus Points
While wrapping up my diatribe, I asked my wife and oldest child what they think should be a priority to describe a community church. In addition to what I have already laid out, they agreed they would never attend a mega-church. After hearing their response, a tear fell from my eye.
In Sum
Joining a community church is more than proximity. I am comfortable saying that my “community” is the Des Moines Metro. Yet, I understand that the word community means something different to a rural and urban church. Nonetheless, a healthy church community must be centered on God’s Word. It needs to be a place where truth is proclaimed and Christ-like love is demonstrated. A community church might be a two-minute walk down the street or a 30-minute drive down the road. Every church-goer will determine how to use their time, but the goal is to go to the right community church for the right reasons.
– Edmund Burke
