Lesson 15: The Design of the Church

Joel likes to talk about the early years of his church. “We started meeting in a park, inviting everyone we saw. When it got cold, we met on an old bus. We didn’t have any bathrooms. Later, we met in a gymnasium for a while, then rented space in an old church building.”

Joel’s church was growing through those years. The people who committed to that church were not attracted by the building. They were attracted by the group of people.

In this lesson, when we talk about how to design the church, we are not talking about a building. Many great churches have stories about how they started in difficult circumstances.

Some churches say they cannot attract people because their building is not good enough. The truth is that they lack something else that is more important than a building.

Believers everywhere invite people to visit their churches. They hope that visitors will like the church and want to continue coming. They hope visitors will respond to the gospel.

► When you invite someone to church, what does that invitation mean? What are you offering?

We are not asking them to participate in religious exercises, as if that would meet a need or fulfill a duty. We don’t believe that practicing religious rituals is effective for a person without faith.

We don’t expect that they understand worship of God while they are unconverted.

We hope that they will like the friendliness of the people and want to be with them again.

We hope they will respond to the gospel.

Some churches try to make their program attractive to people with no spiritual interest. They hope that if people enjoy the program, they will continue to attend. The problem is that if the entertainment succeeds, it attracts a group of people without the right interests. The congregation becomes a mixed group that includes many people who are not interested in worship but enjoy the entertainment. The worship leaders and musicians become performers. Eventually, worship leaders are developed who are not interested in worship. The worship has become corrupted.

► Consider this question again. When you invite someone to church, what are you offering? What should you be offering?

Think about the great change that happens when a person is converted. He leaves his former religion, which may also separate him from family and friends. He repents of sin, which may mean leaving most of the things that he thought he could enjoy. He surrenders control of his life to God.

Because of the great change that happens at conversion, a person does not usually accept conversion without thinking about the community he will leave and the one he will enter. If a person is attracted by the witness of an individual believer he wants to see the community of faith that the believer represents. He wants to see how the faith is really lived out. He assumes that the message he is hearing has already created a community of faith that he will enter if he is converted. It’s as if he is asking, “Where is the group of people who believe this message and live by it? What would it be like for me to be in that group?”

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Jesus preached the gospel of the kingdom and spoke often about the kingdom of heaven. He told people that the kingdom of God had come to them (Luke 10:9). People who entered God’s kingdom accepted the rulership of God, lived by his laws, and shared life together. Their loyalty to God made them a community of faith.

Because people need to see the community of faith created by the gospel, evangelism cannot be done only by individuals persuading individuals. That means that the local church is necessary. The local church must be attractive as a community of faith.

► What would a person want to see before committing to a community of faith?

The church has a nature designed by God and a mission given by God. Every local church should be the best it can be by God’s standard. We should not turn the church into something different to attract people. We should not try to present the church as something different from what it is.

If a church fulfills the purpose God gave it, it will attract the right people and build a committed group.

[1] “Jesus had built into his disciples the structure of a church that would challenge and triumph over all the powers of death and Hell. It had started small like a grain of mustard seed, but it would grow in size and strength... “
- Robert Coleman, The Master’s Plan

(1) The members show that their relationship with God is real and satisfying. An unbeliever does not have a relationship with God. When he sees what life with God looks like, he will feel a need. Members show this by testifying to the joy of knowing God and by living a committed life. If a member is still living in sin when he is not at church, he shows that he is not satisfied with God.

(2) The church presents doctrines both as truth and as terms for the relationship with God. We teach doctrine because it is true, but not only because it is true. Doctrine is something we need to know because we want to live with God. Just like marriage is a relationship with promises, our relationship with God has promises of commitment. Doctrine explains how we live in the relationship.

(3) The church demonstrates the joy of worshipping God. The joy of worship is not the same as the enjoyment of entertainment. People who do not worship the true God do not feel the joy that comes from worshipping him. We are designed for worship; therefore, an unbeliever who sees joyful worship will feel his need.

(4) Church members show purpose for life with the perspective of eternity. Followers of Christ do not have to wonder if their life is significant. They have comfort and courage in the hard times of life. Unbelievers struggle to find a satisfying purpose for life, and they do not know how to face death and eternity.

(5) The church shows the priority of relationships, instead of selfish goals. The church does not evangelize or care for its congregation for the purpose of building its organization. People of the world neglect relationships or use relationships for selfish goals.

(6) The message of the church satisfies deep spiritual needs. The unsaved person has a spiritual hunger that cannot be satisfied by anything the world offers. The preaching and teaching and counseling of the church should match the real needs of people.

(7) The church is a family of faith that loves and cares for its members. Other kinds of groups may help some needs of their members, but only followers of Christ can have true Christian fellowship.

► What are some specific ways a church can show these characteristics? What are some things a church should start doing to better show the right priorities?

The church should make sure that its programs and organization help fulfill its mission of evangelism and discipleship. Everything the church does should be consistent with that priority.

Welcoming Visitors

The church should be prepared to welcome visitors and help them feel comfortable. Some people are not familiar with church customs. When they visit a church, they do not know what to expect. They don’t know what will be expected from them. Within the first few minutes of their arrival in a church, they will either be glad they came or wish they had not come. The church should arrange for people to be prepared to welcome visitors.

The church should never exclude people because of poverty. The dress expected of people in church should not exclude the poor.

The church should be prepared to minister to children who come without parents. People should be appointed and trained to respond to children who come to church.

The visitor should be invited to attend a small group meeting or home meeting where he can learn and ask questions.

Reaching Outside

The first responsibility of the church is to take care of the committed members of the congregation. However, the church must always be reaching out to the people in the neighborhood. The church must have activities that make sure people outside the church are seeing the work of the church and hearing the gospel. Some of these activities may happen spontaneously. Leaders will need to organize other activities also. Members with abilities should be invited and trained for these activities.

The church should find ways to respond to needs in the neighborhood. The priority should always be to show the love of God and demonstrate biblical principles.

Small Group Ministry

When a person gets saved he should not be invited only to a worship service. He needs to be invited into a system of immediate discipleship. This may begin with personal visits with a pastor. He may be invited into a small group that meets weekly.

A healthy church usually has some kind of small groups where spiritual life is sustained. These groups may be house churches, Sunday school classes, or other kinds of groups. Spiritual accountability and life change usually happen in small groups. The leaders of the church should make sure that small groups exist that are accomplishing these purposes. If the existing structures in the church are not enabling spiritual life, changes are needed.

Visible Membership

People who want to commit to the church need to know specifically what commitment means. Some churches claim to have no membership structure, but every church has some way of knowing who its people are. Everyone needs to know who the people are who form the church.

Everyone should know what commitments are necessary for membership. The requirements and a description of the process for becoming a member should be printed.

A convert who is ready to commit to the church should be able to help the church immediately. That does not mean that he should be given a position or leadership responsibilities. It is important for him to know that he is part of the church.

Quick Response to New Converts

Discipleship starts at conversion. A new convert has several urgent needs. To continue the relationship with God that he has just begun, he needs to know how to pray and read the Bible. He also needs a new community of friends because he will lose many of his old friends. He needs guidance in many lifestyle issues.

The church must begin discipleship of a new convert immediately. Immediately does not mean the following Sunday. It means when he lifts his head from praying to be saved. Someone must take responsibility for daily contact with the convert for at least the first week. He should meet several other believers in the local church. He should have opportunities to discuss the changes that are happening to him and to ask questions.

The convert should be invited to join a small group where he can ask questions and get encouragement. If possible, he should be introduced to several others in the group during the days before the first meeting that he attends. Several members could give him a phone call ahead of time to make his acquaintance and welcome him to the group. This begins building his feeling of being in a community.

A new convert should join the group at its next meeting. The lessons should be covered in rotation so that a member can be added at any time. This way the new convert gains a support group immediately. Members graduate from the course individually when they finish all the lessons.

Care of Needs

The church must care about the financial needs of people of the congregation. Most needs should be met by people helping each other without administration by the church leaders. If most of the members do not feel responsibility to help others, they have not formed a mature church yet.

The church should have deacons that make sure needs are noticed. The church in the book of Acts appointed the first deacons for this purpose.

Care of needs is necessary for the mission of evangelism. People must be able to see that the church is a family of faith where members care about each other.

Imagine a church that does all the things described in this lesson. Write about an imaginary person who visits the church, is converted, and becomes a committed member of the church. Describe how it all happens.