How we use words is often a direct reflection of the way we think. I have been challenged recently about how this applies to our use of the word “church”. How do you use it and what does it mean for you? When you hear “church” does your mind immediately go to a building (perhaps a typical stone village church building with a tower or spire, or maybe your own church building)? Or do you think of the gathered church, perhaps your Sunday morning meeting (I try not to use the word service, as I am not sure whether this means much to people outside the church!). But are either of these actually the church?
Church is not a building
In everyday parlance the word church is often used to describe a place of worship or a building, but I wonder whether this is helpful. If we associate “church” with a building, this often means that we limit our thinking about the church to a property or a location, that we confine our church activities and who we are as a church to that place. This is not helpful as it implies that the building is what defines us, rather than our faith-filled lifestyles. For non-Christians this can also be particularly unhelpful if the building is dated, unwelcoming, inaccessible, in poor repair and ugly!
The world often tries to limit the church to its building. I recall when I led a small fellowship in our village and we met in the room next to the coffee shop (which we used as a means of outreach), that the talk in the village pubs was that we were a cult because we did not meet in a church building. We must not allow ourselves or the world to limit our perspective of the church.
The Greek word for church in the New Testament is ekklesia, which means “assembly” or “congregation”, but it also carries the idea of being “called out” of “gathered together”. It refers to the people of God and not the building that they might meet in. We are very blessed in the UK to have buildings to meet in, but the building is a resource, not the focus.
This is partly why at Church Growth Trust we try to only use the word church to refer to a congregation rather than a building, so that we are focussing on the real church and not these wonderful resources.
“Going to church” does not make sense
I often hear the phrases, “I’m going to church” or “I was at church”. What does this mean? It may partly make sense as the people of God gathering for worship and fellowship; that is, we are going to be with the church. However, when people say this, they often mean something else, even if they do not realise it. They are limiting the church to a place, to an activity, to a specific gathering and a period of time. This is why so often when I ask someone how their church is doing, they reply by saying how many people attend the Sunday gatherings. They measure the success of the church by the size of the meetings, by the vibrancy of the sung worship and the quality of the preaching.
But church is not just a gathering for corporate worship, although that is part of what we do and are called to do as a church. Church is far more than that. We are church as we are going to a gathering. We are church when we meet in small groups to pray, study the bible or minister to each other in different ways. We are church when we share meals together in each other’s houses, when we meet fellow believers for a coffee, when we pray for each other in the check-out line. We are church when we are community, when we are loving each other in practical ways and sharing our lives.
Changing our vocabulary
Being careful about the words we use helps us to start thinking correctly. Are you going to church or meeting with the church? Are you attending a service or worshipping together with your fellow believers? Is it a church that you go to or are you part of the church? Some would say, “it’s only words”, but if the words we use reflect the way we think, then we need to change our words to align with how we should be thinking. You and I are the church and right thinking about the church will help us to be who God has called us to be with His Church and to play our part in the Body of Christ.
