Anatomy of the Church

Modern church-seekers now embark upon a rigorous process of “church shopping” in an attempt to find the type of church that ministers to their specific needs. All the while, church-attendees are trending more in the direction of country club members: using monetary gifts as a vehicle for preferential treatment within the church. And church staff are increasingly caught between vision and paycheck: if they fight for what they believe God is directing them toward, they could lose their income and livelihood—an unfortunate reality!

Regardless of your opinion on this very real moral/ethical/spiritual dilemma facing many pastors and church staff today, the fact remains that these leaders are human too and struggle with doubt, uncertainty and fear just like everyone else. So what is a pastor or church leader to do when their call is to faithfully follow the vision that God is giving them for their local church?

Leading a group of people in any capacity is a noble task. Leading a group of people through a God-given vision to bring hope, joy and love to the world, well that’s downright praiseworthy! To fulfill this God-given vision, however, pastors and church leaders need one more thing—besides grace and constant guidance from God. They need the church to fulfill the vision God has designed for it. And by it, I mean them. And by them, I mean us.

what does it mean for us to be church members? Do you attend a church, or are you a member of a Christian organization? If yes, then you are the “them”; we are the “us”! And it is up to us to fulfill the vision God has given for the church—the body of Christ on earth. It’s up to us to be Christ-like (“Christian”) in how we perceive and engage the community we call the body of Christ on earth: the church. It’s up to us to honestly and objectively put the right risks/rewards in the right categories in order to live out the beautiful vision that God has for the church.

So, what does it mean to be a church member? First, I’m going to propose we define the word “member” as a noun meaning: “a piece [of something] actively engaged with its’ whole.”

I think this will help us more fully understand and appreciate that the church isn’t just another place, it is a manner of being. Ultimately when we become church members, we become part of the body of Christ on earth: we become a part of the anatomy of the church.