In exploring the concept of Simple Community, I find the word church unhelpful since it is used so broadly in our culture. In Scripture, the word church always refers to a group of believers in a defined geography, whether that be a group that meets in someone home, all the groups meeting in specific region, or all Christians everywhere in the world. In America, we extend that definition to mean a legal entity organized for a religious purpose – a concept not in scripture. We also use the term in reference to organizations of Christians in a denomination – another concept not in scripture.
Instead, I prefer the terms Faith Organization and Faith Community, as these more accurately describe what I’m writing about. Faith Organizations and Faith Communities are not the same thing. Faith Organizations build buildings, hire pastors, organize events, give receipts for tax purposes, and sell worship songs, video series, books, and merch. Not that those things are in and of themselves bad. Faith Organizations can serve useful purposes. They provide a way for Christians to meet one another. They organize community outreaches and some actually do good in the world – care for the widows, orphans, those in prison, and the homeless. Many provide solid bible teaching and help people grow in their faith. Some are very good at providing a safe environment for people to learn about God for the first time.
However, this is distinct from the universal church, to which all Christians belong, and it is not synonymous with the local church, which can range in Biblical meaning from simply a few Christians meeting in a home to all the Christians in a specific geographical area. A Faith Organization – the institutional church as we see it here in the US – is not a Biblical construct. That is not to say it is sinful – just that it is not God-ordained. In fact, when you become dogmatic about Sundays and meeting attendance you sound closer to the religious leaders of Jesus day than Jesus himself. After all, when confronted with breaking the Jewish traditions around the Sabbath, Jesus said in Mark 2:27 that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. If Jesus was comfortable breaking with the religious tradition of his day, then rest assured is it OK for you to break with ours.
The accusation leveled against Christians who are no longer participating in a faith organization is that we are in violation of Hebrews 10:25, which talks about “not neglecting to meet together.” So let’s address that. We really need to start reading at verse 24: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another …” In this passage, the focus is Christians in community with other Christians encouraging each other to live a life characterized by love and good works. That does not require a building, a worship set, or a message delivered by someone on a stage. I’d suggest that those things probably work against what is described in that passage, since there is no “one another,” just the person on stage doing the stirring.
So what is a Faith Community? In short, it is a group of Christians united in their love for God and one another, committed to loving the world around them as the Father does, and growing in their faith through mutual accountability as they explore the unique calling and giftings God has placed on their lives. The purpose of Simple Community as a manifesto and these articles is to explore what that might look like in real life.
I hope you will join us on this journey.
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