What would your perfect church look like? I’m really not talking about the building or its fixtures, but rather how it would function. If asked, could you sit down and design its organization, staffing, and budget? What qualities would your ideal pastor and other ministers have? Would you want a choir, and what would be your preferred type of worship, musical instruments, and audio visual selections? And of course, what topics would be a must for sermons as opposed to those that would be taboo? Would there be a Sunday morning Bible study time, or maybe just in home cell groups? Would you want a bus ministry to pick up children in your area? What about a sports program, grief or divorce recovery ministry, in-home visitation, and Sunday and Wednesday evening services?
You see, there are many things that can be considered when designing the perfect church. I saw an architectural magazine cover once with a picture of a home designed by a committee. I must say that it was the most awful hodgepodge of ideas I’ve ever seen. With churches, there is no such thing as “one size fits all.” Each church is by nature different than any other since it has evolved from the personalities of its members.
I remember going through a stage in my walk of faith that I hope to never to revisit again. It was a time when I had begun to feel that I was important and that my church needed me. I had allowed myself to become “overly involved” which resulted in feeling “overly important.” I began to spend a lot of time in meetings only to return home and get calls from others that had also been at the meeting to discuss what happened at the meeting. So what was the result, and what good things were accomplished for the kingdom of God? Very little!
We are living in a time when I believe that Jesus may be walking toward the launching pad in heaven to come to get his bride. There should be a sense of urgency in our lives to gather as many into the fold as possible before it’s too late. I can’t imagine that He’s going to say “Well done” to those who have obsessed with the busy work of their churches while ignoring the hell-bound.
When Jesus was twelve, he was separated from his parents and found three days later discussing the scriptures with teachers in the temple. When asked why he had given them such a scare, he said, “Don’t you know that I must be about my Father’s business?” We should always be evaluating what we are doing to make sure that it’s our Father’s business and not just our own busyness.
Jesus once said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.” John 9:4