Do we love the Church or do we merely love the idea of the Church?
What happens when our concept of someone, our expectations, our projection of who they are does not match up with reality? What happens when we fail to live up to each other's expectations? I will surely fail you all at some point; I probably already have. And the Church will do the same.
Do we believe in the Church, or just the idea of Church?
I have to ask myself this question a lot. In part this is because my job as a campus pastor requires me to. As a leader I am helping guide a community of faith (in my case college students), and to effectively lead I must have an understanding of what this community is called to do and be. I have heard it said (cannot remember the source) a pastor must lead two churches, the church existing now, and the church this community is becoming. But the gap between these two churches can be frustrating.
So do I love college students, or do I merely love the idea of college students?
But this question about loving the Church is not just for vocational ministers, but for everyone in the Body of Christ. We all need to be asking ourselves this; to be a follower of Jesus means to be a part of the Church.
The idea of Church is neat and exciting; it is balanced, void of ego, and clean.
The reality of Church is exciting and messy, full of broken people and crying babies. We often think the chaos of life gets in the way of our faith, when in fact our faith is truly lived in the midst of, not despite, the messiness and unpredictability of life. If your problem with Church has to do with people no denomiation, para-church organization, or worship model will be able to solve your issue. We are not called to merely love and serve those who are easy to love and serve.
I have known people who love the concept of Church; who love to theorize about the fullness of Church and contemplate all which the Church is called to be. But I have also known people so fixated on these ideas and ideals that no real church has ever been enough, and they have not participated in a community of faith.
Church is more challenging in practice than in theory. You have to get your hands dirty to be a part of it. We have to engage with others in the fullness of our humanity, weakness, and sin. I have begun to see all those inconveniences which have bothered me, which were so disruptive to the sanctity of the moment, are in fact the reality of Church. Church is not a perfect worship service. Church is not a deeply contemplative moment. Church is living our lives and our faith together with others; where we are free to be open and honest, even if we disturb each other's peace at times. We love the idea of individual faith. Autonomy is so appealing. But we have not been created or called to walk this out alone. We need each other. I need you. And life lived with others is so much better.
It is hard to love the Church at times. I can get discouraged by students' lack of maturity or commitment. Because I am called to help encourage and support students in becoming who God has created them to be, I can get frustrated when students do not live up to their calling.
In spite of all this, our call is not to the idea of Church, but to the practice of Church. Faith lived out in community.
