The Church Isn’t A Building

How many times have to be asked, “where do you go to church?” The question is a common one, but is fundamentally flawed of what exactly the “church” is.

Biblically, the church isn’t a building it’s a people. Scripture has several metaphors that are used for the church. Here are a few:

Romans 12:4-5 “For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don’t have the same function.”

1 Corinthians 12:12-13, “For as the body is one, and hath many members hath have, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” For in one Spirit we were baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given the one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.”

What these have in common is that we are not a place we go to, but rather a people we are. We do not go to the body. We either are a part of the body or we are not. Likewise, family is not something to go to, it’s something you are.

In the Bible there are no pleas to go to church. The plea is for non believers to become part of the church. In the first century, if you were a believer you were, inherently, a part of the church. If you weren’t a part of the church, no one called you a believer. In addition, being a part of the church meant you were deeply involved in and committed to the life and well-being of the church (the believers)

When we substitute seeing ourselves as the church and instead see the church as a building we go to, we lose a fundamental piece of what it means to actually be a follower of Jesus.

When we separate “church” out to something that we go to we can begin to see ourselves as part of the church, but rather the church is peripheral to me, and then there is the church, but the two are not one in the same.

This is not biblical and it leads down a path to consumerism where the church is supposed to serve me and my needs and preferences. Viewing the church in this way. Viewing the church in this way converts it from a people to a vending machine of religious goods and services for our personal benefit. We need to recommit ourselves to following God, not the church

The church isn’t a building, it’s a people that love God and love others. It’s a people that celebrate Jesus, and bless and serve those around them.

The church building serves as a sanctuary and a welcoming beacon where hurting people can find comfort, support, and connect with God. It is supposed to operate as a spiritual “hospital” and a resource for the community, providing a judgement free zone for healing and guidance.