There's Nothing Wrong with Being the Church

So says Jan, even though some congregations have decided not to use the term to describe their fellowship.

There are a lot of things wrong with the modern-day church. It is perceived as an institution in a world that is hungry for spirituality and meaning. It has frequently failed, or missed the mark. It came late to the AIDs crisis. But it has been the only consistent agent of change throughout history. Even Bono acknowledges that the Church, organized and impassioned, is a force to be reckoned with. After September 11th, thousands of people across the country flooded into their local church, identified as such and still trusted. The church shows up in Katrina-devastated New Orleans, in the inner-city, in Africa, and wherever people are hurt, homeless or hungry. It is still the only real Hope for the World.

Her sentiments remind me of those of Bill Hybels, expressed in his book, Courageous Leadership:

“...the future of the world rests in the hands of local congregations like yours and mine.”

The Church is the Body of Christ in the world, a divinely instuted family that has its dysfunctionalities to be sure, but is still the indispensable means by which the Good News of Jesus Christ is brought to the world, in words and in deeds.