Duck Hunting, Leadership Training, and the True Church

The fall season is officially and completely upon us.  How do I know?  I am tired after several days of getting up at 3 AM for duck hunting!  

The weather has been very hot for late September in Maine (highs around 80 and lows around 60).  That has made the mosquito population very heavy and very hungry.  Still, it has been great getting out on the water by 4:30 or 5 AM.  It is so quiet; and with the clear skies, the stars and shooting stars have been fabulous.  There is little better than watching the world grow increasingly light.  I have enjoyed the company and the hunting.  It does put a slight limp to my blogging, but please extend some grace to me!

Today we had our second Grace Leadership Training.  We discussed the purpose of the church.  I appreciate all of the comments and observations made in the class.  We also discussed the marks of a true church.  One of the quotes we investigated comes from an early Protestant confession called the Augsburg Confession (1530).  It states,

A true church is the “congregation of saints in which the gospel is rightly taught and the Sacraments rightly administered.” Augsburg Confession Article 7

The gospel rightly taught.  So what does this mean?  Luther's understanding of the gospel includes the full-orbed explanations that I share on this blog.  It is not distilled down to "what will get you into heaven," but it is marked by a life of repentance and faith.  Such a life impacts every dimension of a believer, and it propels the believer to trust in Christ alone for all of life.  

A true church will teach, preach, and hold dearly to Christ alone as the source and securer of our salvation.  It will cling to salvation by grace alone, and it will emphasize faith alone as the means of living in right relationship with God.  It will also cling to the proper understanding of scripture alone as the revelation of God's will for faith and practice.  I say proper understanding because it will emphasize that one must interpret scripture within and from its proper historical, grammatical, and lexical context while keeping the whole of biblical revelation in mind as one interprets each passage.  Such an interpretation takes thoughtful exegesis and careful application.  Finally, a true church will also be committed and involved in spreading the gospel to all.  It will not just talk about reaching out, but it will challenge both believers and unbelievers to live a life of repentance and faith.  The result of this challenge will be changed lives and conversions.  The true church is never a club for religious insiders, but instead she is an outpost for mission to a lost and hurting world!

I was sharing with the folks in the meeting that I would gladly travel 45 miles on a Sunday to attend such a church.  I would hope that I could find one closer, but in Maine we do not have that many choices of gospel- and grace-centered churches.  We have churches that hold some of these principles, but few that make all of these principles central to their faith and practice.  I encourage all of us to find these churches and join them to make them stronger!

What are the practical implications of what I am saying?  First, if you are looking for a church, do not settle for one that has "great youth programs" or anything programmatic.  The most important element of a church is not that the music makes you feel great.  First and foremost look for a church where the gospel is rightly preached and the sacraments rightly administered!  Upon these two factors we should judge the suitability of a church.

Second, if you are part of a church that holds some of these traits but not all of them, be very careful!  Try to help the church repent and change.  Yet realize that a system like a church is very hard to change once it becomes set in its ways.  This is particularly true if you are not the leader of the church!  If you cannot move the system back to gospel- and grace-centered, it might well be time to leave.  Why?  The true church needs your help.  Gospel- and grace-centered churches have always been the minority of churches in the land.  Their witness needs to expand.  Join with them and be part of what God is doing!