We’ve spent a few days thinking about “church” with thoughts triggered by a piece by Kevin DeYoung of Christ Covenant Church (PCA) in Matthews, N.C., and associate professor of systematic theology at Reformed Theological Seminary (Charlotte). Here’s part of his close, including a few sentences I didn’t quote the other day:

Are you wondering what you can do to make a difference in the world? Go to church. Give to the church. Pray for your church. Correct the church when she errs and encourage those serving the church whenever you can. Things are probably not as bad as you think, and even if they are, the gospel is better still. The grass withers, the flowers fade, but the word of our God will stand forever (Isaiah 40:8). Invest your life where that word is taught and cherished. That’s the Jesus way. – Kevin DeYoung, The Bride of Christ and the Hope of the World: Why Christians Must Love the Church.

There are good sentiments there, and we should all be part of a good church. However, I believe even his description of where one should go to church narrows rather than broadens the scope of “church.” “Invest your life where that word is taught and cherished” presupposes a particular model of Sunday morning, one in which Bible-teaching predominates. There are other viewpoints:

• There are churches that cherish the word and teach the Bible, but teach it differently than this brother’s tradition.
• There are those who would say “Go where the Eucharist is honored and offered with passion.”
• Our charismatic friends want to “Go where you can worship God enthusiastically.”
• Maybe some churches are saying, “Go where you can be inspired and challenged to work for good in society.”
• Our black friends might say, “Go where you can feel the Spirit over a 2-3-hour service.”
• I’d like to see us go where we can be equipped to live life the other 6 days of the week. A place to learn how to be the “scattered church” effectively. I don’t care as much about Sunday morning format.

My point is that as soon as we zero in on the institutional church, we tend to magnify differences. I go back to yesterday’s challenge: love the church – the whole church – all the people who are following Jesus.

“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. (Mark 9.38 – 40, NIV)

Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. (Philippians 1.27, ESV)