I remember a conversation I had about 8 years ago. I was talking to a creative leader who had a passion for tangibly bringing God’s love to lost and forgotten young adults in a particular urban community. I asked him to describe what he wanted to do. With much waving of the arms and vigorous expressions of the face, he proceeded to describe what he believed needed to happen in this particular community. “First,” he said, “I need to connect with these kids on a personal, non-judgmental basis. They’ve got to know they are loved. That’s what’s missing in their life. Once they are absolutely convinced that they are loved, then I need to help them understand why they are loved. They need to know Jesus. Once they meet Jesus, then I’m going to help them follow Him where ever He leads. I don’t know what you call that, but that’s what God has laid on my heart.”

After listening carefully to his ministry plan, I immediately responded, “What you’ve described is a church! You want to start a church!” Very emphatically he responded with a firm, “No way! One thing for sure. I don’t want to start a church.” At first, his response puzzled me. But after further probing I realized that this very creative, innovative and prophetic leader had a very unbiblical definition of church. When I used the word “church”, he envisioned a group of people sitting in rows, looking at the back of a bunch of heads listening to a guy in a suit preach, preferably using a lot of “thee’s” and “thou’s.” He was convinced that whatever it was God was calling him to do, it was not to start a church. Fortunately, after further discussion and prayer together, he discovered that what he described was more like a church than most churches. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the last time I had a conversation like that with a leader like that. It seems to me like there is a lot of confusion out there about exactly what a church is?

How does a “church” sound? That’s almost like asking “How does “music” sound?” All music has some common elements like rhythm, notes, pitch, key, tones, etc. But last I checked websites like Rhapsody have hundreds of “channels” of different kinds of music. XM and Sirius each have at least 100 different genre’s of music played 24/7. All this variety is wonderful. “Different strokes for different folks.” Thank God that he has given us freedom to develop different kinds of churches for different kinds of people. Do you wonder if I’m just making that up? Consider what the “ultimate” church planter Paul of Tarsus wrote to the Corinthian church. 19Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. 23I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. First Corinthians 9:19-23.

Those are pretty strong words…”make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.” What would it look like if every church sounded like that? What if we majored in serving Christ, by serving everyone so that we minimize the chance that anyone is left behind. As I travel around the country, I’m encountering leaders and churches that are weary of “church as usual.” It seems like God is calling His people back to the basics…loving God and loving people. Now that’s a tune that sounds good where ever it is played!