08-31-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
August 31, 2024
You’ve probably heard it just as many times as I have. “The church is a business.” Those who know me might remember my answer. “No! The church is not a business. The church is the church, the body called forth by Jesus and empowered through the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel of love. With the said, the church can gain important insight from the business world, both what might be helpful and what is not helpful.” Yes, we have a structure like a business, and we have to follow state and federal laws like a business. We also have a budget, but we are not in the ‘business’ of making a profit. We have to work at that strange crossroads of faith, common sense, purposeful practices, and what it means to follow a God who invites us to live a life of self-giving love. Traditional measurements of success do not work, yet as a church, we still have to pay our electric bill, as I am pretty sure we won’t hit any marker of success in regard to worship attendance if we do not have AC in the sanctuary during the summer. Toward the end of 2 Corinthians 8, the Apostle Paul says, “Show them what you’re made of” (the Message). This is our witness—to make real the conviction that we carry the image of the One who is love for the purpose of sharing love. As I read the Book of Acts, I do not believe God thought that witness needed a business model. Instead, it needed a body—the Body of Christ, known as the church.

For whatever the task, Merciful God, I pray for your love poured into me to be the gift that is revealed through me. May it be so! Amen.