What is a Church?

I often rail against the larger churches that give away free toasters when you join up. So, I have to ask myself, what is a church? If I had to create my own church, what would I do? How would it be structured? Would it reflect God, or me?

To take the long route, let's consider my Grandmother. She is in her 90s. She has a hard time doing anything because her back is deteriorating. However, she can still walk with a cane and is very spry mentally (though she can barely hear or see). The members of her Sunday school class bring her food and call her to keep her company, probably - and embarassingly - more than her own family does. If she hadn't gone to church all those years she would be in a much worse situation than she currently is. This is one important goal of a church, a strong bond created among friends who support one another when life gets tough. However, these bonds cannot be created in a room of hundreds, only in the close confidence of a couple.

What about attire? I've seen different churches take different stances. Since I live in a rural area, the Southern Baptist churches don't have a dress code, and jeans and a button up shirt are quite common, especially with the farmers. However, the Methodist church-goers often try to outdo each other strutting their new clothes in the same way peacocks' strut their feathers. I've often been insulted to think that God wants you to be prideful and outdress everyone else. I don't believe God cares as long as you look presentable and respectable. Jeans and a button-up should be fine for everyone. God's book of life is not a popularity contest.

What about beliefs? Many churches present as fact that if you do not believe what they do, then you will forever burn in Hell. I tend to view this as naive. A church should be a spot of religious thought, a gathering of varied peoples together to explore the Bible and their views on it. Obviously, there is a right answer; however, if it were that easy to get, we wouldn't have all these different denominations. The fact that we have all these different denominations means that religion is a hard problem and deserves many varied views, not the doctrine of one man. I believe the church should be a school, of sorts, with an Aristotle like instructor to ask questions and lead the students on a great journey into religion.

Rituals? I certainly don't have a problem with rituals as long as what they stand for is well understood. Our rituals of baptism and communion are not done just to dot is and cross ts. Instead, they are done to remind us of commitments and requirements that the Lord imposes on us. They are symbols of covenants and without the meaning, the symbol is pointless. We are judged by our actions, but you can still do the right thing for the wrong reason.

Most of all, the church should be about the community. It should represent God to the community. They should be engaged in constantly helping the homeless, downtrodden, and disadvantaged. They should help others learn to read, get a job, and go back to school. Internally, they should provide childcare to members and marriage counceling, and fellowship to each other. They should show the community what it means to be a Christian, what it means to help your fellow man. They should be a light on a hill, for all to see.