One of the great things about the Church (capital C), is that it is made up of many parts. The Church is the Body of Christ. Not all of the parts of the Church are the same. Just as the hand is completely different from the liver, church A can be completely different from church B… and that’s okay. I think some people misinterpret what the unity of the body of Christ means—it does not mean that every church needs to be exactly the same. The beauty of the unity of the body of Christ is that all these very different looking pieces work together in their different ways to reflect the depth and diversity of God and accomplish the multi-faceted will of God.
Two values that I want my church to prioritize are 1) the engaging of culture in order to know how to present the Gospel in relevant manner and 2) creativity/innovation. These are obviously not values that most people prioritize within a church but that’s okay. I will not try to argue that other people should prioritize these values. However, I believe there is a group of people somewhere who share the same values that I do with regards to faith and ministry and I want to partner with these people.
I think I’ve found that group here in New York City. The wife and I visited The Village Church this morning, a small Presbyterian (PCA) church that meets at a Seventh Day Adventist church building in Greenwich Village. I think they do a very good job of blending the traditional Presbyterian liturgy with culturally relevant expressions of art in a way that’s not too flashy or pretentious. <rant>The problem with a lot of churches that try to be “culturally relevant” is that they try too hard. Some even go as far as to describe themselves as “cool”. I think the smart thing to do is to let others decide whether you are really “cool” or not—describing yourself as “cool” is a major turnoff, especially to those people who think that your “coolness” is fake.</rant>
Another thing I like about the church is that it’s not overly dogmatic/doctrinaire regarding its Reformed theology. I actually agree with some (but probably not all) elements of Reformed theology but I dislike going to Presbyterian churches that seem to preach Calvin more than Christ.
Anyway, we’ve only attended this church twice so far and haven’t really gotten to know anyone yet. And I think I’m definitely more excited about this church than the wife so far, but I’m hoping it’ll grow on her. :)
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