The rough and tumble of the last few years have revealed a message Christians cannot hear enough—“Love your church.”
The global upheaval from Covid, politics, scandals, and how to respond to race and justice sent tremors into the local church. Many people left churches, relationships, and ministry in the rearview mirror over disagreements from the last few years. Even a live-streamed worship service, while a blessing during the heat of the pandemic, will hobble the spiritual formation of people who opt for “church on tv” because they think it’s the same. Churches are beginning to unplug the live stream for the same reason—we need to love our church.
“Love your church” is the admonition and exhortation we need. This is why Tony Merida’s book, Love Your Church: 8 Great Things About Being a Church Member, is so popular, because deep down, Christians really do want to love their church, and sometimes, we need to be taught what that means and how to do it.
When someone tells you, “Man, I love my church!” what do they mean? Sometimes, it means they love the preaching, or the worship music, or the production quality, or the outreach their church does. They love parts of the church. These are all good things to love. But this new series of books from Acts 29 and The Good Book Company is on another wavelength.
In our post-Covid world, we must recapture the spiritual habit of gathering together.
When we say “Love your church,” we are talking about the people in the church, not the activities and ministries of the church. It’s far too easy to love the preaching of your church and not actually love the church. This is why the first three books from Jen Oshman, Barnabas Piper, and Tony Merida are so important. Their books on gathering with your church, welcoming one another into the church, and belonging to the church are exactly what we need.
“Distance makes the heart grow fonder.” Ok. That may be true in rom-coms, but the local church is different. We were made to be close to one another in space, time, and heart. Gathering with your church is how we continue to fight against the world, the flesh, and the devil. When everything around us trends towards individualism and living your own truth, we gather with the church as the body of Christ and declare Christ as the way, the truth, and the life. In our post-Covid world, we must recapture the spiritual habit of gathering together.
Gathering together to worship the Lord Jesus is one of the foundational ways we love the body of Christ. When you show up to sing to your crucified and risen Lord, you also bless other Christians who hear you sing a spiritual song. Gathering with other believers is a reminder that the practice of the Christian life is not just about having good doctrine in our brains and personal spiritual disciplines—it’s also about our brothers and sisters in Christ. Our Lord has called us to himself and to one another. Tony’s new book on gathering is insightful on the power of Christians gathering together.
There is a Starbucks near my house that I can’t stand. Whenever I walk up to the counter to place an order, I feel like I’m bothering the baristas. They are annoyed I’m interrupting their time together. I feel like I have to apologize for butting in on their jokes, and conversations, or their standing around and doing nothing. May that never be felt in our churches! While we live in a division-ready world, we are to welcome one another in Christ (Romans 15:7).
Gathering with other believers is a reminder that the practice of the Christian life is not just about having good doctrine in our brains and personal spiritual disciplines—it’s also about our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jen Oshman’s contribution to this series is stellar. You will read this volume and be moved by the welcoming nature and position of the church since our inception. There are a lot of institutions and groups in the world who like to pretend they are inclusive, but here’s the truth: In the history of the world, no one has been more welcoming, including, and loving to all people than the body of Christ. We love the church by welcoming one another with the heart of Jesus. Jen helps us recapture this essential attribute of the church.
Barnabas Piper’s book on what it looks like to belong to a church is vital. You can attend a worship service every Sunday and not actually belong to the church. You can serve on the hospitality team of your church and not actually belong to the church. Belonging is the sense of home. It's the warmth of love, the safety of confession, and the power of the gospel at work in the church and in your shared life together. While we inhabit an individualistic society, we belong to the body of Christ.
Church leaders must work towards two things that foster belonging among the members of a local church. First, smooth out as many hurdles to belonging as possible. Second, create a culture where the gospel's gravity is felt in a way that pulls Christians away from fear and the flesh while also pulling Christians towards one another. It can be done. Barnabas writes about his life-changing experience at Immanuel Nashville and what we can do in our churches to make them places of belonging.
It may feel odd that we need to remind one another to love the church. But if you think about it, it’s not crazy at all. The apostle John reminds us more than anyone else in the New Testament to love one another. So, we join with John and say, “Love your church. Love one another.” And this new series of books will show us exactly how we can.
J.A. Medders is the Director of Theology and Content for Send Network, a preacher, podcaster, and the author of multiple books including Humble Calvinism and The Soul-Winning Church. He is pursuing a Ph.D. in biblical spirituality from the Southern Baptist Theology Seminary. Jeff is a native of Houston, Texas, where he lives with his wife, Natalie, and two children. You can follow his writing and ministry at spiritualtheology.net.
