Five Core Church Functions Keep Us Grounded
Mark Tidsworth, Team Leader
Where in the world do we focus our efforts when everything’s gone crazy?
That’s what many pastors, church staff, and lay leaders are asking. When volatile events come our way, it seems everything is turned upside down, requiring us to quickly determine what’s necessary and important. Leaders can lose their way without navigation systems which channel their energy. As we listen to and serve alongside church leaders, these five church functions continue presenting themselves here in this North American context. You might want to
Use them to guide your leadership toward focusing your energy
Use them to assess how you are doing at covering the bases
Use them to strategize about your next steps toward being church
Use them to keep yourselves centered and directed as a church when everything is swirling
Worship
Worshiping communities…it’s hard to get more primal that this. Is it possible to be a Christian church and not worship God? We would be hard pressed to find exceptions to this essential function of churches. Interestingly, some churches struggled with online worship, concerned that it may not be authentic or real. Our view is that whenever and however we gather to worship, God inhabits the praises of God’s people. Worship is clearly a core function of churches.
Disciple Development
Remember when we used to call this spiritual formation function of church “Christian education?” Then we realized the word education encouraged us to think in terms of knowledge transmission rather than life transformation. Our aim is to become mature, developed disciples of Jesus Christ. So, we use wording for this primal church function which reflects our aim. Nearly every church gives energy, attention, and resources toward giving their people experiences designed to shape them toward spiritual growth and maturity.
Disciple Care
This was one of the areas of swift and amazing innovation by churches during the Coronavirus Pandemic. Many quickly organized their community into smaller groups who could care for each other through phone calls, drive-by visits, and online small group gatherings. Clearly, God’s Church sees caring for one another, especially in times of crisis, as a primal church function. Again, we are shifting wording here, moving away from phrases like “pastoral care” and “member care,” opening the doors for more to provide the care to disciples in congregations.
Serving Neighbors
Though churches tend to first consider how they can care for the disciples who are part of their church, we often quickly turn toward our larger communities. Some volatile events present clear and actionable needs to which churches respond the best they can. Others, like the Coronavirus, require creative innovation since social distancing makes more typical ways of caring impossible. But whether during a volatile event or not, caring for neighbors near and far is essential to being church. This includes the witness aspect of who we are, sharing the good news in word and deed. Like the writer of I John says, loving God and loving people are two sides of the same coin (See I John 4).
Managing Assets
Way back in the day, we called this church function “administration.” Since churches employ people, own property, and receive donations, they are required to manage these resources. Just like other organizations, they must observe the same legal requirements as every community organization. Yet, churches see this differently. We view the management of our resources as a distinctly spiritual activity. We believe God gives us these resources, asking us to function as stewards of them, managing them faithfully and effectively. We want to use these resources toward partnering with God toward the kingdom coming to earth. Every church we know has some resources to manage, recognizing this as a primal function of being church.
So when everything comes loose and you are not sure what to do, return to these 5 church core functions and spend some time. Returning to these every staff meeting, lay leadership team meeting, and every time you lose your way will help you stay centered, grounded, and focused during these crazy days. May God help us live into the best expressions of church we can be right here and right now.