The Church is Like A...

What is the church like? 

Or: what could the church become like? 

In an age where more churches are closing then being started, when attendance is declining and unbelief is rising, we ought to reconsider who we are becoming and what we are doing. 

Using the analogy of place, what could the church be like? In desiring Jesus's work of redemption and renewal of all things to burst forth in local churches, what kind of places should we be?

I've listed out seven metaphors of place that help me grasp the multi-faceted reality of a church as a place where people gather in the name of Jesus. These metaphors come from my readings from the New Testament about Jesus and from important places in our society, as well as realities of the church over the ages.

The Church is like a Business: the church is a place where people get organized with their time, their money, their interests and skills in order to better serve one another and their community. Jesus wants us to use our wealth as a blessing; organized generosity is better then chaotic help.

The Church is like a Community Center: the church is a place where helpful collaboration can occur that blesses the neighborhood. Jesus instructed his disciples to love their neighbor, their enemy, and one another.

The Church is like a Dining Table: the church is a place where people gather around a table to break bread and eat together. Jesus earned the reputation for being a glutton and a drunkard because of all the time he spent with sinners at a table.

The Church is like a Hospital: the church is a place where spiritually sick and physically ailing and existentially broken people gather together looking for hope and healing. Jesus said he came to heal the sick, and so a church ought to continue in that work.

The Church is like a Mission Post: the church is a place from where people are sent out into their local and global world as messengers of the Good News. Jesus commanded his disciples to go into the world where they live.

The Church is like a Sanctuary: the church is to be a place of prayer with other believers. Jesus wants to be an anchor for our soul, the one upon whom we cast all our cares.

The Church is like a School: the church is a place where you learn to love like Christ.  Jesus is the way, the truth and the life - he is the teacher and we are always his students.


Churches run into problems when they focus on only one of these metaphors, or make one more important then the others, or forget about how they are all interdependent.

Imagine what the church could be like if all seven of these metaphors were at work in our congregation?

What do these different metaphors mean for leadership in the church?
What kind of participation does it require from people who choose to be part of a church?
What challenges do churches face in light of these metaphors of place?
What opportunities can we see through these metaphors?