It Doesn't Have to Be That Way ... So What Is Missing

What is missing in the institutional church? It has worship, Bible study, small groups of all shapes and sizes, mission projects, ministry teams, prayer, religious education for all ages, training opportunities, etc. What is missing in the midst of this corporate religious life?

The missing element is not some activity or program. The missing element is a primary focus that governs all of these activities - a purpose for which these activities exist - a clear, central core around which every aspect of church life revolves. Spiritual vitality and health flow out of this central core.

In my mind, that primary focus is spiritual formation - the transformation of heart and mind that happens as we walk in intentional relationship with God. This transformation is the Spirit's work (2 Corinthians 3:18), conforming us to the likeness of Christ, empowering us to love as Jesus loved. This transformation involves a process of learning the ways of God that Jesus taught (the Kingdom of God). It involves confrontation as God's ways challenge our inherent, self-focused ways of thinking and living. It involves struggle to turn loose of the old and embrace the new. It leads to change - in how we think, in how we view and relate to others, in how we view and use material possessions/wealth, in our lifestyles, in how we live - so that we live the ways of God in our daily relationships and routines. The common term for this process is spiritual growth. (See Acts 10:1-11:18 for an account of spiritual growth in Peter's life.)

The Apostle Paul's term for this process of transformation was salvation. In his letter to the churches of Rome (the New Testament book of Romans), Paul outlined his understanding of the gospel as the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). He outlined four dimensions of this process.

• Romans 1:18-3:20, our need for salvation because all (Gentile and Jew) have sinned. God loved us and reached out to us in our need. But God proved (God's) love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us, Romans 5:8. John Wesley referred to this reality as the prevenient grace of God. God loved us first, unconditionally - what we call grace - and acted on our behalf in Christ Jesus.
• Romans 3:21-4:25, we are reconciled with God as a gift of grace. Paul piles up metaphors to communicate this truth: justified, redemption, atonement, forgiveness. We embrace this gift by faith, that is, we respond to God's grace by opening our lives to God and a relationship with God. John Wesley referred to this stage as justifying grace.
• Romans 5:1-8:17, the Spirit uses the challenges of life to help us grow in the likeness of Jesus (character, Romans 5:3-5) so that we experience Christ's life (eternal life) as our own. We die to an old way of life and are raised to walk in this new way of living. We were once slaves to our old way of thinking and living but have been set free to this new life (Romans 6). The advantage you get is sanctification. The end is eternal life (Romans 6:22). God in Christ Jesus has broken to power of Sin that enslaves us (Romans 7:14-25). Through the work and power of the Spirit, we experience life and peace as we live in relationship with God as beloved children (Romans 8:1-17). John Wesley referred to this process as sanctifying grace.
• Romans 8:18-39, we live in the quiet confidence (hope) that before God is through with this transforming work in us, we will have been conformed to the image of God's Son (Romans 8:29). John Wesley spoke of this hope as perfecting grace. 

Salvation is God's work in our lives as we walk in intentional relationship with God. God's Spirit sets us free us from the power of sin and death, thereby, setting us free to experience God's kind of life as our own.

This focus on the relationship with God and God's transforming work is what is missing in most institutional expressions of church life. We assume the purpose is there because we are doing church activities, but unless the focus/purpose is intentional, it is overtaken by our ego-driven agendas.

Without this primary focus, worship is often about performance or following a set ("proper") order of service or listening to a good sermon. With this primary focus, worship focuses on God and the relationship with God. Its intent is to help us encounter God anew. Worship reminds us of who God is, of God's grace, of who we are as God's beloved children. Worship is designed to help us open our lives to God anew that we might experience God's grace and hear God's word for us. Worship guides our response to God and God's grace.

Without this primary focus, Bible study and religious education emphasize knowing biblical facts and learning the biblical stories. They teach us to find things in the Bible and how to quote scripture. But when we do Bible study with a focus on spiritual formation, study becomes a means of knowing God and encountering God. It is the path that leads to learning the ways of God that Jesus taught. It is about allowing Jesus' teachings to challenge and shape how we think and, thereby, how we live. What is missing in most Bible study is application: what is the implication in my life? What am I being called to do? Apart from these kinds of questions, Bible study becomes an intellectual exercise - a head trip - the pursuit of more biblical knowledge that leaves us unchanged.

Without this primary focus, small groups tend to become primarily a place of social connections. A focus on spiritual formation changes the group into a cluster of spiritual friends. We share our spiritual journey with them, including the struggles on that journey. These spiritual friends become a support system as my partners in what God is doing in my life. Prayer becomes central to our group's life together. They pray with me and for me and I with and for them. While the relationships involve a social dimension, the spiritual dimension is primary and what is prized. Thus, the group is intentional about fostering the spiritual dimension. Spiritual formation takes place in the context of spiritual friendships.

Mission projects and ministry teams are important ways we live out our faith. Their objective is to help someone, particularly someone in need. Without this primary focus on spiritual formation, however, our mission and ministry involvement can leave us unchanged. We perform tasks on another's behalf (or give money), but our efforts are often devoid of any meaningful relationship with the one we are helping. We touch a short term need that leaves the other's situation essentially unchanged. The social system that created the need is not recognized, much less addressed. We walk away feeling good about what we have done to help, yet blind to our place in and contribution to the system. Approaching mission and ministry from the perspective of spiritual formation puts us in a position to receive as well as give, to learn as well as help, to be changed as well as help change another's situation.

Without spiritual formation as a primary focus, prayer is often about the difficult situations our family and friends and church are facing. Prayer requests seek God's blessing on these family members and friends in the midst of their challenge. Prayer becomes a way to open and close a church gathering. A focus on spiritual formation gives prayer a prominent place in our lives and our life together. Prayer becomes a way of seeking God, God's guidance, God's direction. It is the path to discernment. Prayer opens us to God and to how God wants to use us. It allows God to help us see how we are a part of the problem as well as how we can be a part of the solution. Prayer is an indispensable aspect of the relationship with God and God's transforming work within us. 

When what is missing is restored - a primary focus on the relationship with God and God's transforming work in our lives - we give the Spirit freedom to move and work. Spiritual life and vitality return. Spiritual energy abounds. Lives are changed. The church and its members grow.