The Church: Organized for Non-Members

In reading Comeback Churches, I discovered a great quote. William Temple, the former Archbishop of Canterbury once said,

The Church is the only organization organized primarily for the benefit of its non-members.

In Luke 15, Jesus told three stories to illustrate the proper focus for His followers. With the first parable, he painted the picture of a shepherd who owned 100 sheep. One of the sheep could not be found. So, instead of just settling for a 99% retention rate, he dropped what he was doing, left the security of the fold and searched for the single lost sheep. When he found the lost sheep, he placed it on his shoulders and called everyone together to have a celebration in honor of the one that was found.

Jesus concluded the first parable by stating, "I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance (Luke 15:7, NKJV)."

Going on, Jesus told the story of a women who went to great length to find one lost coin. When she found the coin, she called all the neighbors together in order to celebrate the coins discovery. Similarly, Jesus stated that the "moral of the story" was "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents(v.10).”

Finally, in Luke 15, he shared the story of the lost son who squandered his inheritance, but later came to his senses and returned home to a warm welcome, resulting in a extensive banquet. However, a brother who stayed home and worked for the father did not attend the party. When asked why he was not joining in the fun, he expressed that he felt it was unfair to celebrate the return of his delinquent brother and to not do the same for him, since he had been faithfully serving the father for several years.

The conclusion of this story, recorded in verses 31-32, was spoken by the father who said, “‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’”

Back to the earlier quote, the church is designed for reaching people who do not have a relationship with God. As Stetzer stated, "When churches lovingly serve the communities around them, the unchurched very often are motivated to come to Christ."

My prayer is that FBC would continue to find unique and real ways to show our area we are a "Church for the Community."