Christians, we like our walls! I mean we love, love, love our walls! We love the walls of our church buildings. We love our denominational walls, and our non-denominational walls. We love the church walls in our towns and cities. We love our regional walls, and we love our national walls. The church’s walls are time-honored! They were built by our ancestors who shed blood, sweat, and tears to erect them. We must not tarnish or dismantle the work of our parents and grandparents, by disrespecting the walls they built. We’ve inherited them and we must care for them. Right?
Right?
If viewed from above, the bride of Christ would look much like a world-wide business office, with semi-soundproof cubicles for all of its employees—cubicles that do not touch each other, or pass information through the walls. Each walled cubicle is its own entity. Each sports its own logo, its own unique governance, and its own rituals, traditions, and practices. In other words, viewed from above, each cubicle in the world-wide church, reflects a self-contained Christian culture.
Moreover, each congregation, within the culture’s cubicle, also has its own culture, and its own walls! Every congregation knows that other congregations exist. Every cubicle recognizes the fact that other employees work for the same business! But, we don’t like to interact much with ‘others,’ who are outside of our congregational walls. We definitely have an aversion to working with ‘others’ outside of our denominational, or non-denominational cubicles!
I wonder. Hmmm. When viewed from above, in let’s say, 2,189, 2,211, or 2,345, will our walls still exist?
Pastors, priests, elders, council members, Sunday school teachers, bible study leaders—four critical questions must be asked of our congregations at this time in the church’s history:
1. What purpose do our congregational, denominational, or non-denominational walls currently serve?
2. How do our walls benefit us and our communities?
3. Why do we defend our walls?
4. What spiritual price are we paying to maintain our walls?
Please ask the questions.
The bride of Christ eagerly awaits the answers. She is in need of making a proper wedding dress, and does not know what pattern to use.