Space for the Anti-churchies

I have been reflecting recently on a passage from Mere Christianity where C.S. Lewis writes regarding the significance of church,

He works on us in all sorts of ways. But above all, he works on us through each other. Men are mirrors, or “carriers” of Christ to other men. Usually it is those who know Him that bring Him to others. That is why the church, the whole body of Christians showing Him to one another, is so important. It is so easy to think that the church has a lot of different objects – education, buildings, missions, holding services…the Church exists for no other purpose but to draw men to Christ. to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became man for no other purpose. It is even doubtful, you know, whether the whole universe was created for any other purpose.

I agree that Christian fellowship is important, but church is such a difficult place for me. As I pondered the passage I realized that I consider “churchyness” and “anti-churchyness” to be two poles of the Christian-personality trait spectrum.

On one side there are the “churchy” people who are mostly, but not always:

• Beautiful people who dress both modestly and well.
• Optimists who are highly involved in “good” causes.
• Extroverts who place a high value on social appearance.
• Givers who are not interested in sharing their needs or struggles.
• Believers in God’s love and in prayer.
• Faithful attenders of Sunday school, Sunday morning worship, Wednesday night bible study…

On the other side there are the “anti-churchy” people who are:

• Edgy in dress and appearance since they feel these are "shallow" preoccupations.
• Realists who are involved in different “good” causes.
• Less extroverted, more introspective, more depressed…
• Concerned about authenticity and truth… want to be loved for “who they really are.”
• Skeptical about whether God loves them or listens to their prayers.
• Absent from church, More willing to dialogue about their faith questions in less formal situations.

There are great people, who love Jesus, and are working to advance His kingdom on both sides of this spectrum (and everywhere in between.) I personally have a rather "anti-churchy" personality and have always felt more at home having spiritual conservations with my friends who aren't attending formal worship services than the die-hard "churchies" I know. Don't hear me wrong... I don't feel this way because the churchies aren't wonderful and loving people, but because I resonate with emotions, experiences, and questions of the "anti-churchies" I am more like them and so naturally feel more accepted there.

I am not one of those people who views attending a Sunday morning worship service as a the biblically mandated way of making a payment on my ticket to heaven. It wouldn't be too difficult for me to quit attending church services like I would quit attending any social gathering where I just didn't click, if it weren't for the way the Bible calls those who have put their faith [however shakey] in Christ to come together,

Ephesians 2:19-22:

That's plain enough, isn't it? You're no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You're no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He's using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he's using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.

My dream is to build bridges for my "anti-churchy" circle to worship with the "churchies." I want to be a part of a church where the each member is equipped to play a significant role in ministry, a place where Christ followers of all shapes, sizes, and personalities gather corporately as His body, reflecting His Image in their community...

Most Christians ["churchies" and "anti-churchies"] share this dream...

But if we are going to become this type of transformational community of hope, we have to be the ones to step into it... which is why--- though sometimes I get tired of shaking hands and giving hugs during service to people who don't know anything about my life--- I keep showing up Sunday morning.

I need to pray more about this one... I really do want to reach out more and to create space in church for those who have been following on the outside.