Get Your Body Back: Thoughts About Church
Recently, a friend posted something on Facebook about what it would look like to have more body-focused worship, rather than worship-team-focused worship. I also recently heard a sermon that touched on what the body of Christ should look like. {Are you sensing a theme?} Several other things have also been happening in my life that have really made me think about what it means to be the body of Christ, and how the modern North American church might not have it exactly right.
In a normal North American church service, you can slip in and out without anyone noticing. Even if you know everyone there, you can still sit there without participating. So many different things can be happening, and you don’t even have to move from your spot. They have people specifically designated to do the moving. There are people to pass around the offering. There are people to “lead worship.” In many churches, you don’t even have to do anything to have Communion. You just sit there and passively participate in everything. There are only a select few who have to do any preparation or put any effort into the church service.
You can be involved outside of the actual church service, in other ministries. But generally speaking, a modern church service is consumer-based, not body-based. {I would like to make a note here that this is not entirely the church’s doing. Many churches do have opportunities for people to be more involved in the service, but many choose not to be involved. A body-focused church service would mean nothing if each individual was not also body-focused.} In focusing so much on individual spirituality, we’ve lost our sense of community, our sense of being the body. We experience God by ourselves, which is great. But even greater is experiencing God together.
I can recall a time at the church I attended during college when we were singing and worshipping. I suddenly felt the need to be connected with those around me. It felt wrong to worship God by myself, isolated in my own personal bubble. So, I held the hands of the people standing around me, and we worshipped together, not just next to each other. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of worship that I’ve ever had.
Let me share a passage of scripture with you.
Since I’m a pretty practical person, I can’t just leave this here. I want to know how this can work in the modern church. This idea is not new, so other people must have ideas about this. How can we make this work practically?
One way would be to start your own house church. I think that would be a very effective way of having a more body-focused church, since the group could structure it however they want. But for people (like me) who are already part of a church that they don’t want to leave, how does this work?
I’ve heard of churches having sharing time where people just pass around the microphone (during the church service!) and talk about what God is doing in their lives. Other people say that small groups are good for a body-focused church.
And what about you, readers? Do you think it’s necessary for the church to refocus on the body, or is it ok the way it is? What are some practical ways that you’ve seen the church build up the body? Do you have any ideas?
In a normal North American church service, you can slip in and out without anyone noticing. Even if you know everyone there, you can still sit there without participating. So many different things can be happening, and you don’t even have to move from your spot. They have people specifically designated to do the moving. There are people to pass around the offering. There are people to “lead worship.” In many churches, you don’t even have to do anything to have Communion. You just sit there and passively participate in everything. There are only a select few who have to do any preparation or put any effort into the church service.
You can be involved outside of the actual church service, in other ministries. But generally speaking, a modern church service is consumer-based, not body-based. {I would like to make a note here that this is not entirely the church’s doing. Many churches do have opportunities for people to be more involved in the service, but many choose not to be involved. A body-focused church service would mean nothing if each individual was not also body-focused.} In focusing so much on individual spirituality, we’ve lost our sense of community, our sense of being the body. We experience God by ourselves, which is great. But even greater is experiencing God together.
I can recall a time at the church I attended during college when we were singing and worshipping. I suddenly felt the need to be connected with those around me. It felt wrong to worship God by myself, isolated in my own personal bubble. So, I held the hands of the people standing around me, and we worshipped together, not just next to each other. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of worship that I’ve ever had.
Let me share a passage of scripture with you.
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.So, I’m just trying to picture what a New Testament church service looks like. From these few verses, it seems like a lot of people are participating. Everyone brings something to the table for the edification of the body, not just a select few. Everyone has to prepare and put effort into the service, not just sit back and relax. Everyone is involved. There is real, honest-to-goodness, messy, vulnerable, edifying community life.
Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
1 Corinthians 14: 26-33
Since I’m a pretty practical person, I can’t just leave this here. I want to know how this can work in the modern church. This idea is not new, so other people must have ideas about this. How can we make this work practically?
One way would be to start your own house church. I think that would be a very effective way of having a more body-focused church, since the group could structure it however they want. But for people (like me) who are already part of a church that they don’t want to leave, how does this work?
I’ve heard of churches having sharing time where people just pass around the microphone (during the church service!) and talk about what God is doing in their lives. Other people say that small groups are good for a body-focused church.
And what about you, readers? Do you think it’s necessary for the church to refocus on the body, or is it ok the way it is? What are some practical ways that you’ve seen the church build up the body? Do you have any ideas?
I'm liking this a lot Jane... I'm going to give this some talking to God thought and sharing your idea some around our church. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteJane, I love reading your thoughts. I completely agree with you that the church in America gets stuck when it comes to participating fully in the life of the body. I think it comes with the "all about me" mentality that pervades our culture as a whole. I believe that as the church begins to focus on the reality and relevancy of the Gospel itself, the body will naturally begin to serve one another. If we truly understand Christ's redemption of our souls and His daily grace in our lives, the output of our lives will begin to be more grace-filled, too. Over the past few years as the Lord has been working in my heart, I have become increasingly convinced that more of Christ is the best thing for the church.
ReplyDelete