How will the Christian Church could overcome the challenges it faces today?
What is the ultimate goal of the church? Why does it exist?
Some people say that the whole point of church is to get other people to come to church, to increase our attendance numbers and to increase the collection in the offering plate. We certainly want people to come to worship, and the financial support extends our outreach, I’m not sure that these are the ultimate goal of the church.
Consider the Great Commandment: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” Jesus tells the church to go to the nations. It may simply seem like a matter of wrestling with words, but what might be different if took this viewpoint of our faith?
Let’s take a typical family. Parenting is different for every generation. Young people are dealing with issues that their parents never had to face, as well as some that their parents did face. They want to give their kids the best, and for their kids to be involved in a wide variety of experiences, perhaps ones that they never got to have. So they’re busier than ever. Running kids here and there. Working extra to provide for the family. And when traveling sports or camping takes up the entire weekend, worship goes by the wayside.
How does the church respond? Expect folks to feel guilty for not being in church? How do we reach out and offer resources that help families talk about faith in their homes? Is the sanctuary the only (best?) place that faith discussions can take place? Look again at Jesus’ ministry? On the hillside. Along the roadsides. In the boat (a personal favorite of my family’s). In the homes of his friends. In the homes of known sinners. And, occasionally, in the synagogue. So when Jesus tells us to “GO and make disciples of all nations”, where should we go? When we go, we just might discover that Jesus is already there, eager for us to work alongside him.
If the goal of having faith or following Jesus is to “make disciples of all nations,” then our focus can be helping everyone live into Jesus’s abundant life to the best of their ability. That means meeting folks where they are, and empowering them to live out their faith where they work, play, study, and serve. Because people see that “the church” is wherever they are, what we do on Tuesday afternoon is just as important as what we do on Sunday morning.
Sharing our faith, equipping the saints for the work of ministry, strengthening one another in our disciple walk, living out what we say we believe. In this way, we face, and help others face, the challenges of our current times. That is the ultimate goal of the church.