From Deconstruction To Reconstruction: The Church, Yesterday and Today!
Prince Harry, the second son of Prince Charles now King Charles III of Britain has been in the news over his decision to withdraw from his duties as a member of the British royal family. Prince Harry’s action of leaving Britain, and relocating to the United States marks a radical departure from tradition — leaving members of the British royal family and the British public rattled.
His action not only resulted in a strained relationship between him and senior members of the royal family — a major factor in denying the prince from wearing his military uniform during processions accompanying the pall of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II — in contrast to his brother, Prince William.
But notwithstanding the prince and his wife’s decision to leave Britain in pursuit of a commoner’s life in the U.S., Harry’s princely status remains intact. His place was reserved for him. His radical decision does not define his status. Prince Harry remains Prince Harry and will forever remain the prince of the British royal family. However, the burden of belonging to that family remains squarely on his shoulder.
No question, well-meaning Christians, are rattled by the novel concept of deconstructing either the church or the Christian faith — now becoming an attraction that is taking a number of long-time Christians out of the church in the U.S.
While we are not raising issues about an individual’s right to choose who to associate with and when to leave such associations for personal reasons, there is reason to be worried about what looks like a spirited move to rubbish the church as an institution within and around which the Christian faith is nurtured and sustained.
Prince Harry’s decision to step out of his royal duties is personal to him. Though neither the Queen nor King Charles was happy about it, Harry’s decision was respected. It absolutely would be out of place for the Prince to begin to attack and ridicule the monarchy as an institution.
The question begging for answers is what needs to be done as a remedy to fixing a broken system. We do not renounce our citizenship in the country of our birth because of failed leadership. What practical steps can be taken to correct errors in the body for Christ’s sake and the advancement of God’s kingdom?
No single entity or individual can claim to have all the answers. Calling people out of institutionalized churches to more liberal non-formal associations cannot do the job. It can only in the short run, serve the interests of a small class of the elite. Invariably, it will boil down to institutionalizing the groups all over again albeit in a different direction for them to attain the desired goal.
We intend in this article to revisit the meaning of the church and its relevance to today’s world. It is our view that for good reasons, Christians should seek ways of mending broken walls if there is a need for that in the church rather than pull down the walls through deconstruction.
It is no doubt worrisome that church attendance is in decline in our country and the consequences are very much with us. For example, a “world values” survey conducted by the Institute for Social Research shows that church attendance has been declining in 15 of 19 industrialized nations. The same report shows that church attendance is up in countries experiencing economic difficulties, and political uncertainty.
The pattern that is seen in the percentage of adults in church once a week in selected countries is this:
In Nigeria, 89 percent
In USA, 44 percent
In Ireland, 84 percent
In Switzerland, 16 percent
In the Philippines, 68 percent
In Sweeden, 4 percent
This pattern is explained by Ronald Inglehart, a Political Scientist, and Researcher, as reflecting the spirit of self-sufficiency in affluent societies, and peoples’ resort to seeking spiritual help in struggling communities.
“A lack of church attendance does not mean a lack of interest in life’s deeper issues. People in affluent nations still ask religious questions, but they look for the answers outside the church. (The attitude is ) “If I can make a good living by myself, I can find the answer to life’s big questions on my own,” says Inglehart.
So, “with fat wallets and anorexic souls, people plod on sad and lonely — if mildly curious about the churches they bypass Sunday after Sunday.” Mart DeHaan of Our Daily Bread Ministries concludes.
In his recent book, “The Church We Need”, Mart DeHaan underscores the significance of the church as a circle of friends with mutual interests serving as an effective personal support group exemplifying the positive interdependence that characterizes a healthy church.
The organic nature of the church in contrast to secular organizations cannot be overemphasized. Jesus is the builder of His church. He said to Peter, “…I will build my church and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matt.16: 18 KJV).
Jesus spells out the connection between Him and believers: “I am the vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in me, and I in him the same beareth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.” (John 15:5).”
He declared his mission statement at the onset of his ministry this way:
“The Spirit of the LORD is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…” (Luke 4: 8–19).
It is clear from this declaration what the mission and purpose of churches are.
Followers of Christ are called to carry out the mission of Christ. As the apostle, John says, “God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved” (Jn. 3:17).
This is the mission of the church and of those who know what it means to be broken, loved, and forgiven. It is the mission of every member of His church.
The Church is a body made up of different parts with different needs. We are called not only for our needs to be met but for us to work toward meeting the needs of others. The healthy church is open to all categories of people, including those with special needs.
In anticipation of meeting needs in the church, God endows believers with different giftings and multiple ministries in church. And because the church is a collection of imperfect humans saved by grace, there are bound to be errors -errors that should be corrected.
Believers are thus gifted with the Holy Spirit — the fruits of which are made manifest in our relationship with one another. Listed in 1 Corinth. 12, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are rooted in love (Chapter 13). In other words, our giftings are designed to function with love.
In his book, Mart DeHaan outlines “The Church We Need” and the category of vulnerable individuals the church is designed for. Here they go:
A Church for the Needy:
The world is full of broken people who have come to the end of themselves; they are in dire need of support and healing. Where man’s efforts fail, the window is open for God’s intervention through His Church. “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Heb.3: 12–13).
The church must be open to the poor and the downtrodden.
A Church for Interdependent People.
The church is where members see their needs for counseling and the support of other believers. Those “who would say I am not mature until I realize how much I need others.” It is a place where believers find a reason to accept their dependence on one another. (1 Cor. 12:31).
When we believe that 1) The Spirit has joined us together 2) We are members of the same body, 3) We need one another 4) When one suffers we all suffer and when one is honored, we all rejoice 5) Where no one feels that they can go it alone; that they are more important than the others or that they deserve more honor or attention than the others.
Where it is understood that God has given every member of His body a role that pleases Him (1 Cor.12:18). That God places rich and poor, pastor-teacher, choir member, prayer warrior, missionary, custodian, and youth-worker together for His purpose. And where every role is honorable regardless of the public attention it gets.
Paul goes on to say that there is a more important subject than who gets what. The major point of the body-life discussed in 1 Cor. 12 is made in chapter 13.
The gift of crowd-pleasing eloquence, the gifts of mountain-moving faith, mystery-solving knowledge, sacrificial giving feeding the poor — all amount to nothing without love (1 Cor. 13:1–3).
The gifts count only when we understand that what matters to God is whether we are caring for and helping one another. (v.3).
A Church of Imperfect People
To the perfectionists, nothing you do is ever quite right. Appreciation is rarely expressed. Criticism follows criticism. You can not relax because the job is never finished. Perfectionists don’t know how to live gracefully with their imperfections and those of others.
Some of us are far too critical, far too demanding of others who are in reality not worse than ourselves. (Matt.18:21–35).
Even the best churches are made up of imperfect people (1 John 1: 5–2:4). Our imperfect church relationship must be grounded in a shared belief in Christ’s perfection, a shared honesty about ourselves, a shared awareness of our sin, a shared need for confession and forgiveness, a shared desire for righteousness, a shared reliance on the Cross of Christ, and a shared need to be obedient.
A Church for Forgetful People
We live in a world where people of brilliance, education, and genius habitually forget basic common sense. Paul urged Titus to “REMIND” them (believers) to be subject to rulers and authorities — to obey, to be ready for every good work, and to speak evil of no one. To be peaceful, gentle, showing all humility to all men…” (Titus 3:1–5,8; Heb. 3:12–14).
The Church is in constant need of reminding what they have been taught.
A Church for Troubled People
It is not a church that is so efficient that those who are not meeting the ideal standards are kicked out. The church Christ is building is never meant to be a place serving only “ideal” believers — those who are disciplined and well-behaved (1 Th.5:9,11,14–15).
Jesus did not come to help good people. He was not a doctor who came to help the healthy. As shown above, Jesus came to save sinners, “to preach the gospel to the poor…to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed” (Luke 4: 18).
God’s plan for the church is to meet the needs of hurting people. (Matt.25:34–36,40).
A Church for Lost People
What are the characteristics of a lost person? Think of the lost child wandering helplessly in the woods, the life-raft survivors of a plane crash lost at sea, or the elderly’s Alzheimer’s patient who has walked away from home on a dark, cold, night.
The lost people are cut off from help and resources. They don’t know where they are. They don’t know how to find shelter, protection, or provision. Lost and disoriented people need help.
Lest no one is deceived, most people in our world are lost. Most people don’t know where they are, or why they are wandering through life. They don’t know where they have come from, and where they are going. Most people don’t know how to find God. They need to know that there is heaven and there is hell. They need you and me to show them the way.
Indeed, most are dying like the rich man Jesus described in Luke 16.
We learn from Luke 16 that: 1) The lost may not look like they are lost (v.19), 2) The lost may not feel they are lost (v.19) 3) The lost may look enviable 4) The lost will end up in torment 5) The lost will plead for mercy (v.24) 6) The lost will find no relief (vv.25–26) 7) The lost will not be able to warn others.
Finally, let’s be aware that our local assemblies are parts of a whole — the body of Christ. Concern for the parts is a concern for the whole — We are parts of the whole.
