What Kind of Church do You Want?

Written by

Christopher Mentzer

This very question was asked about 40 years ago when a preacher noticed that attendance in his congregation was sparse. Perhaps one or two faithfuls who were there every week but as for the rest, they’d show up maybe one or twice a month. His solution then was to go door to door and, with survey in hand, he asked people what they liked and didn’t like about church or what they wanted in a church service. Based on those results he created the church people wanted and thus the Church Growth Movement was established.

The problem with this question is, it allows people to determine how to worship God. Does anyone know where you find that in the bible? Has anyone considered that God might have an idea of how to worship him? Maybe the question should be: What Kind of Church does God Want?

In John 4, when Jesus was speaking to the woman at the well they were talking about the place of worship and Jesus said in verses 23 and 24, “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” God wants to be worshipped in spirit and truth. That’s pretty difficult if one is distracted by what the preacher is wearing or the use of a smoke machine or rock band performing. Are you really worshipping God or just entertaining yourself?

We see church buildings with cafes, daycares and even gift shops. Would Jesus approve of such structures? Let’s read Jn. 2: 13-16, “And the passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And he found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: and he made a scourge of cords, and cast all out of the temple, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the changers' money, and overthrew their tables; and to them that sold the doves he said, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house a house of merchandise.” Hmm..guess not.

So what then does God want? In Rom. 1: 16 the apostle Paul write, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The gospel is important and how does one hear it? Paul writes further, “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? even as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad tidings of good things! But they did not all hearken to the glad tidings. For Isaiah saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So belief `cometh' of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10: 14-17)

Here then is how God want to be worshipped: In spirit and Truth, by the gospel which saves us, and by hearing the gospel preached to us. There is no salvation in coffee, donuts, or other materialistic things.