Questions on Church?

Questions on Church?

Drinking: Cafe con Leche Grande
Listening To: Five For Fighting

I have been thinking a lot about the church (universal) lately(ok, for about the past 2 1/2 years it is the foremost thought in my free time). What are our strengths? What are our weaknesses? What draws people to Christ? What pushes them away? I have been thinking about things like unity and how Jesus said, "They will know you are Christians by your love for one another." I have been wondering if people outside looking in see Christians loving one another.

I have also been wondering why so many Christians my age just quit going to church. They often still believe in God and Jesus and even call themselves Christians, but something about current church experience leaves them wanting. I am not just letting them off the hook. I still think they have a certain responsibility to come together with others who claim to follow Jesus the Christ (Hebrews 10:25-Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.), but that is a discussion for another day.

What is it that so many are missing? Is it a sense of true community? With megachurches popping up all over the place like Starbucks or MacDonalds are people sick of just being counted for Sunday morning attendance and then forgotten the rest of the week? Is Sunday morning attendance the drive behind churches? If so, how does that effect what happens on Sunday? Is the church more than a place people go on Sunday? What is church? What is necessary to have a church? How much unnecessary baggage do we bring to the church? How often is the unnecessary baggage confused with the core values?

What drives us and motivates us? Do we meet out of guilt, out of a sense of duty, to be known in the community, out of joyful celebration, like a family coming together for a weekly meal? What do we bring with us throughout the week to the community that we live in? Are we the light and the salt? Do we shine light on the injustices suffered by the poor and the weak and the oppressed? Do we bring a unique and wonderful flavor to every place that we walk into? Do we bring a vision of hope for the future and healing and life? Do we inspire one another to Holy works? Do our works of generosity cause people to break down into tears and say "I don´t deserve this"? Do we more closely represent walking and living fulfillments of Isaiah or the Pharisees in the ancient tradition?