Barna’s answer defines his measures for local church performance. Local church is there for facilitating the seven spiritual passions of worship, faith based conversations, spiritual growth, servanthood, generosity both in time and money, friendship with fellow Christians and strengthening family spirituality. In summary, it ought to be the place for Christians to develop spiritual potential, apply that in service to others and be “the people who are ‘called out’ from society to be the full expression of Jesus Christ on earth.”

In other words, local church exists primarily for the benefit of Christians to help them be better Christians so they can better represent Jesus. Since this is not happening and in some cases it seems that local church is even hindering this goal, a revolution is happening in the way people view church. Instead of doing church, more and more Christians are BEING church where they live and work.  BEING Church does not require attendance at a local church.

In contrast to this view of the purpose for local church, Archbishop William Temple once said, “the church is only society that exists for the benefit of those who are not its members.” 

So why do we have local church?  Is it for the benefit of believers or non believers or both?

Barna finds that the word church is used in the context of the phrase “called out.”

Who was the first one in the Bible to be “called out”? It was Abraham.

Genesis 12:1-3 states,

“Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves."   

Why did God call Abraham? Not just so he would be blessed but so that he could be a blessing. The call of Abraham is a missionary calling. The call of the local church is a missionary calling. The local church is called out FROM the world FOR the sake of the world. Local church exists for the sake of mission, plain and simple.

Archbishop Temple is more correct than Barna. Although if you want to bless non members you need members who can do that and so the need for properly raising these members. But they are raised not so much that they can be better Christians in the sense of being better spiritually but so that they can be better missionaries, in the sense they can be a blessing to the world.

Basically, this is how it has worked out in my experience at New Life Church. Historically, New Life Church has had its problems pastoring its membership. But one area New Life has done very well is missions. It could be said that New Life church exists more for the benefit of its non members than it does for the benefit of its members.

Since its inception, New Life has had a missionary calling as a church. It’s founding vision statement was “In 10 years time, a church of 1000 with a facility fully paid for and sending out 100 missionaries fully supported.” Out of the ten purposes enshrined in its 1992 constitution, eight involved missionary service in some form.  Consider this:

The purpose of New Life shall be:

(a)      To covenant together to live by Biblical teaching concerning the Lordship of Jesus Christ.

(b)      To maintain worship, nurture, community and mission as recorded in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 2:42-47.

(c) To be active in the presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by all means and methods deemed appropriate culturally and socially, in co-operation with existing churches and mission organizations.

(d) To present an opportunity for Christian service to alleviate and relieve the suffering of people world-wide who are afflicted with poverty, disease and hunger.

(e) To promote the establishment of missionary projects such as orphanages, social and religious institutions, training centres, rehabilitation programs and community development.

(f)      To provide an opportunity for people to invest monetarily in the cause of world missions.

(g) To encourage enlistment into the missionary service of New Life Vineyard Fellowship volunteers from every vocation, either as assistants to the Gospel missionaries or as "goodwill ambassadors" preparing the way for the Gospel ministry.

(h)      To train and equip the membership of New Life for the attainment of the above objectives.

(i)  To establish training courses for the equipping an nurturing of our members.

(ii)To hold training seminars and conferences to further motivate Christians into missions.

(i) To build an organization available to the "Body of Christ" and offer a service elastic enough to include men and women of all ages and abilities who are interested in promoting the Gospel message worldwide.

j)        To administer the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's supper, both in their purity and scriptural order.

New Life has delivered on this vision for mission. One of the first things that people notice when they walk into the sanctuary at New Life is that it is ringed by flags. Each flag represents a country to which a member of the church has traveled for a missionary purpose. Behind each flag there is a story of someone who cared for orphans, constructed shelters for refugees, rescued women from prostitution, proclaimed the gospel, planted a new church, and established economic enterprises to provide jobs.

One of those flags is from Zambia. My family and I spent two years there with Youth With A Mission. (YWAM). We were commissioned by New Life and the church supported us financially while we were there. As a result, of our trip to Zambia a micro credit organization was created called The Christian Enterprise Trust of Zambia (CETZAM). CETZAM continues today to create jobs and provide help for Zambian small businesses. A 2004 news report estimated that CETZAM has created over 120,000 jobs in the past ten years in South Central Africa. For a recent report read DFID | Case Studies | Zambian businesswomen take credit for growth.

Since its early years our church has staffed a position of missions pastor. Twenty Five percent of the annual giving of the church has been spent consistently every year on missions activity.

So despite its failings as a local church, New Life has this to its credit, it has had a tremendous impact on thousands of people who are not its members. Our church exists for mission. It is a mission shaped church, first and last. That is what New Life Church Kelowna is there for.   

This is, I believe, why the local church exists. Not for the sake of buildings or programs, which Barna rightly finds is a problem. Not even for the sake of making better Christians, for which Barna thinks it ought to be doing a better job. But for the sake of being there for a hurting world that desperately needs to see the tangible evidence of God’s love.

So if there is to be a revolution, let it be a revolution for the sake of world. If local church is to diminish, as Barna predicts, let it diminish in serving itself but not in serving others.

I believe that if the local church understands its missionary purpose, reconfigures itself around its missionary calling, it will not diminish for it will be serving God’s purposes and it will be said of it as it was of the early church. “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”  (Acts 2:47)

Tags: barna, revolution, mission, church