So many times, the UnpluggedChurch.Com website gets slack for being a bit too critical of the institutional church. We receive rebuttals and testimonials that talk about how so many people have been helped and ushered into a more productive and spiritual existence through the church they belong to. I wanted to take a few moments to talk about some of the reasons why "going to church" works for many people. I hope that this will provide some food for thought for those that strongly believe in the institutions. I also hope that it validates the fact that we have indeed considered these things in taking our own position, and that we are fully aware of the "good things" about church.

Good Thing #1: It Brings People Together

Church provides a forum for people to come together around a common faith and explore what that means in a way that is specific to the culture of the leadership of that group. That is a mouthful, so let me explain what I mean.

Churches are usually formed by a person or group of people that have a common view of what it means to be a Christian - theologically, socially, morally, and physically. That group begins spreading what it considers to be the "Good News" with the aim of bringing people to an understanding of God and compelling them into regular attendance to their own church. The church grows through the execution of a basic formula:

Attendance =

(Results of Evangelism + Member Proselytization + Active Marketing)

- (Loss of Loyalty + Geographical Relocations + Dissatisfied Members)

The goal of church growth is to get people together and build a momentum of growth at a faster rate than that of people leaving because of any number of reasons. But, in order to do so, your church must both attract new people and keep the current members happy - so happy that visitors will want to become members. Your success as a ministry relies on how successful you are at doing both things simultaneously. This is referred to in the church culture as "member assimilation".

Now, with all that being said, we finally get to the part where people are brought together. The secret behind building a large community of faith is that you must have a stated, singular, and rather ambitious cause or purpose. This purpose is championed by the core leadership and provided to you through fundraising campaigns, sermon series, thematic worship and praise, and church bulletins. The church must have a purpose beyond just getting people together in one place. So, people are brought together with the purpose of bringing more people in to fulfill a "vision from God."

But, where is the true payoff? That is quite simple. By bringing people in, you:

1. Gain treasures in heaven for your evangelism of the unsaved
   
2. Develop a large base of people to minister to and be ministered to
   
3. Have the Word of God spoon fed to you on a weekly/semiweekly basis
   
4. "Get your praise on" to hymns or contemporary praise and worship
   
5. Have a great excuse to get dressed up in your Sunday Best once a week
   
6. Get to participate in the blessings of God by giving what he has already blessed you with in order to expand the Kingdom (the building, carpet, Sunday school supplies, and the pastoral salary)

You also gain the wonderful title of a "sheep" with the specific purpose of serving the "vision of the house" and serving the "man of God". All of this is done so that you can be together in the name of Christ and bring endless multitudes into the same experience as you.

Good Thing #2: It Helps You Grow

Human beings grow through the processing of information into practical steps that can be used to alter behavior, expand their capabilities, or provide them with an advantage over their situations. The institutional church provides a forum for gathering each church's approved Biblical perspectives and feeding them to the "sheep" through the direction and administration of a "shepherd" (not to be confused with THE "Shepherd", Jesus). Although the Pastor is not thoroughly examined nor appointed by the sheep, he begins teach them his Jedi ways through countless verbal editorials we call "sermons". These editorials are said to be "God speaking to His people" through the vocal chords of this shepherd, who hears the voice of God so accurately, that he can never run out of things to say. He stands as both the orator and the judge of truth in the congregation.

In addition, auxiliary educational programs are created to promote the leadership's brand of Christianity. Bible study programs follow carefully approved outlines. Children are gladly surrendered to Sunday school teachers to be indoctrinated in the church's theological viewpoint. People are brought into an understanding of what it means to be a believer, and how to defend each point if they are ever questioned. In the most successful cases, a believer becomes such an expert in this philosophy that he can aspire to teach and even share a subtitle as a co-pastor or associate pastor. He never quite attains the level of the "senior" shepherd, but he exists as a sort of "Mini Me" with limited authority to essentially execute on the decisions of the "big cheese".

Finally, volunteer opportunities exist to encourage members to make a difference in their communities. There are monthly homeless feedings, youth group car washes, and even the handing out of free water at intersections. All of these activities are engineered to simultaneously grow the people and the organization at once. Indeed the best way to help people grow is to give them a way to serve the organization. What other motivation could there possibly be to help anyone outside of the four walls?

Good Thing #3: It's What Jesus Would Do

The most important thing about the institutional church is the claim that it is what Jesus required of us. Although the current church model exists nowhere in scripture, we hear Sunday after Sunday about how God has commissioned this institution to do His work on the earth. We buy into the idea that if Jesus was here, he would gladly give his authority over to our modern day Celebrities of Christendom, and demand that the people of God pay for their lavish lifestyles as they climb the ladder to ministry success.

Truly, he would look the other way as our leaders ask for forgiveness for their own immorality, and then just keep moving as if nothing ever happened. I would dare to wonder what he would say about how aggressively we pursue and fight against the things that endanger our own lifestyles, yet ignore the pain and suffering of the countless other people that count it a miracle to be alive each day.

Did Jesus appoint a leader among His disciples to take His place? Did He ask them to continue the crusades and tent meetings he had started? Did he make them promise to start a subculture supported by big names and cheesy manufactured products? If I could, I would ask Him whether we should spend billions buying things with His name on them, or buy food for the hungry in His name. Would He want us to spend the money producing Christian television networks, or buying plane tickets to share time and blessings with our families?

If Jesus was here, would His church look like yours? Or, would He look around, shake His head, and take a few people with Him to actually execute His will?

Church Is Good!

Indeed, if you are looking for a place to belong, church is good. If you are looking for a place where you can be busy with "sacred" tasks, church is good. If you are looking for hope, church is good. If you are looking to meet people, church is good. But, so are many other venues that provide the exact same thing - clubs, street gangs, fraternities, and cults. Remember, your church is only about YOUR brand of Christianity. If most people are honest, it's more about lining up your brand of Christianity with what your church leadership believes. As long as you are on that track, church is good.

But, what if that just isn't enough? What if you disagree? What if your church's ideas are errant? What if your pastor's theology is bad? What if the tasks are insignificant? What do you do?

At a time in history when taking action is so critical, your church will most likely stay focused on its agendas. Your pastor will dictate the direction of the community, like an Indian chief. Your ideas will be reviewed by committees and weighed for relevance to the overall church mission. Your understanding of the Word will be scrutinized for anything that does not match what is being preached from the pulpit. As I write this, I sit and ask myself one obvious question that I cannot, for the life of me, find an answer to.

"What's so good about THAT?"

Perhaps you can provide the answer.