An Open Letter to the Institutional Church

Dear I.C.,

We had a great run, didn't we? For most of some 30 years, I was there with you most Sundays (yea, there was that time I was in Sweden for a few months I didn't show up). And you were good to me for most that time.

Through you, I met some great people. Ronnie who taught me about relationships. Bill, who lived service. Marie, dedicated to prayer. Dan, Chris, Dave, Mark, Steve, so many. And Bruce, who taught me to challenge my beliefs. Especially ones that are commonly accepted. Hmmm.

And through you, accomplished some good. What a run you and I had. Officer in Christian clubs, starting a college ministry, starting a benevolence ministry, even starting a men's ministry. Leader's team for a church plant. Planning about four retreats.

I know that inside your doors, many have come to know Christ, or at least met some people who knew him, or maybe some people who knew people who knew him. I came to love the word of God with you.

But along the way, I saw too often others who made you the focus, and too often I have made you the focus. We measured accomplishment in terms of the way institutions do, through "objective" numbers. And when I moved to Maryland, I saw how so many thought in terms of your maintenance and preservation, not in following Jesus. Four years later, I see this even more, with every "church" visited greeting me with the marketing survey (is this your first time? how did you found out about us?).

And discipleship within your walls -- it came as increasing and measuring knowledge. Knowing about God replaces knowing God. Thanks to God himself, that has been redirected in my own life by some so called "parachurch" organizations and the individuals I met due to them, but that learning to know God and to walk with him for so long made it even more distasteful to be in your walls.

At first, this just created anger within me. How could you masquerade as the bride of Christ? I thought of what a more appropriate form of church could be, discussed that with others. Anger probably wasn't the wrong emotion, but it led to the wrong conclusions. The answer isn't in your reform, but in how I viewed church.

Jesus said he would build his church. Luke records in Acts that God added daily to the church. The church is the body. Anyone who professes Jesus and becomes his disciple is in the church. One does not go to church anymore than one goes to themselves. The manifestation of the church in my presence is the other disciples around me that I interact with. No more, no less. No membership in a club or institution that calls itself "church" changes that, and no lack of membership means I'm not a part of the church.

Now, I know I used to blame you for limiting me. I was not a "professional" minister or the like, so you wouldn't let me do certain things. Yes that hurt. And seeking your "endorsement" and support of activities that God was leading me too and getting rejected hurt as well. But realizing that I share in the blame. You are caught in systems to maintain who you are, and I accepted that, and submitted to that. I thought I needed to get your support to build my numbers -- and yet concern of numbers is just another manifestation of your system, isn't it?

If Jesus is the head of the church, and if my mediator and high priest is Jesus, and if I am a part of a royal priesthood, then my acceptance and support should come from Him. Not you. So I forgive you, I.C., for expecting something from you that should come from God.

Well, where do we go from here, I.C.? Well, true church is community, of disciples who mutually support and edify one another. So from time to time, I may grace your doors in order to interact with other disciples as a part of that. Or I may not, finding my community elsewhere.

Anyway, I'll see you around.

Mark

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