The Quest for Holiness of Heart and Life

In several weeks our house church will celebrate its second anniversary. It has been an interesting journey for me personally. My wife and I come from a denominational background that is quite different from the rest of the members. We gather in our common faith in Jesus Christ. Our experience of The Church, however, has been different and in our initial phase of development as a house church those varied experiences were topics of discussion and curiosity. Before long, however, "where we came from" became less and less important as "who we are" and who we want to become as disciples of Jesus rose to the fore. This has brought into focus for me something that I have long felt, namely that it may well be that "corporate Christianity" has run its course and has become more of an obstacle to real individual and world transformation than a help. I come from the perspective of graduating from two seminaries and many years in pastoral ministry. My view is from both the "inside" of the church and the "outside" of the church. From this vantage point this is what I see: The corporate church has become a self-serving entity whose primary function is self-preservation rather than aiding in salvation. Its vast resources, more often than not, are devoted to "keeping the wheels spinning". The church is becoming less relevant in people's lives. Not because they lack faith; not because the don't feel the need to gather with other people of faith; and not because they don't want to share their joy of the Lord with others. It is because the corporate church makes it increasingly difficult to do so. Too many self-important clergy have confused the call to serve with a call to BE served. The corporate church is fast becoming an exclusive club that most people don't want to join. Intra-congregational and inter-denominational disputes are painful, hurtful, and run counter to the message of the Gospel. Ultimately such disputes destroy the credibility of the church to speak for justice and transformation - both individually and socially. The "times they are a changin'". People of faith need to band together and and recapture the spirit of the New Testament. In the words of the late Martin Luther King, Jr., "Now is the time".