{"id":34150,"date":"2026-01-27T01:26:14","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T08:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/?post_type=blog&p=34150"},"modified":"2026-01-27T01:38:24","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T08:38:24","slug":"the-answer-to-your-churchs-problems","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.boundless.org\/blog\/the-answer-to-your-churchs-problems\/","title":{"rendered":"The Answer to Your Church\u2019s Problems"},"content":{"rendered":"

I was not very excited about my first Sunday at my church three years ago. Still aching from the closure of the church I had attended for years, I missed the people I was used to seeing every week. It took me a solid year of back-and-forth before I decided I would stay at this new church, and it took me even longer to feel like I was finding my place in it.<\/p>\n

At first glance, my church may not look like the ideal church for singles. We\u2019re a smaller congregation with less than 200 people, most of whom are families with kids. We don\u2019t have a singles ministry, a young adult group, or even Sunday school.<\/p>\n

But since my first week at this church, I\u2019ve been surprised at how many single men and women are active here. There are singles who run the sound system (a complicated job in a time of live streaming), coordinate showers and meal signups, provide or lead music, organize events, and preach on Wednesday nights.<\/p>\n

Any of these singles could have looked at the demographics of this church and decided it wasn\u2019t what they needed. Instead, they got involved.<\/p>\n

The new church on the block<\/h4>\n

\u201cBut as it is,\u00a0God arranged the members in the body, each one of them,\u00a0as he chose,\u201d the Apostle Paul wrote<\/a>. \u201cIf all were a single member, where would the body be?\u00a0As it is, there are many parts,\u00a0yet one body.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Bible is clear that God\u2019s people are called to be in community with other Christians. \u201cA lone-ranger Christian doesn\u2019t make the best witness for Christ,\u201d one author points out<\/a>. But our participation in a church is for more than our evangelistic efforts; community with other believers is one of God\u2019s main tools for our own encouragement and growth.<\/p>\n

The Christian teaching of \u201cchurch\u201d was very new in Paul\u2019s time. For centuries the Jews had prided themselves in their temple, and ever since its completion it had been central to proper worship of God. But now God\u2019s people met in homes<\/a> or even by the river<\/a>. No longer was the location so important. No longer was the worship defined by the building. Now a \u201cchurch\u201d was defined by the people who gathered together instead of where they met.<\/p>\n

No perfect church<\/h4>\n

While the Bible encourages and even commands gathering together as believers, nowhere do we find that a perfect church is expected or even possible. Over and over in Paul\u2019s letters, he addresses division and scandalous sin, and sometimes pleads with specific people to restore relationships with one another.<\/p>\n

Many of these problems continue today. Some churches have real and very serious issues, and others teach questionable doctrine. There are legitimate reasons to leave a church<\/a> due to its own shortcomings.<\/p>\n

But for many \u2014 perhaps even most \u2014 of us, our churches are full of real, imperfect, genuine, well-intentioned, caring people who can\u2019t do everything. Of course, none of us can do everything.<\/p>\n

Not every church service will feel like a deeply fulfilling experience. We didn\u2019t sing any of my favorite songs last week, and there have been some Sundays I was more conscious of my readiness for lunch than the topic of the sermon. None of us are part of a perfect church because churches are made up of people. And none of us are perfect.<\/p>\n

The fingers pointing back at me<\/h4>\n

Joni Eareckson Tada was sitting in front of her husband Ken\u2019s government class. Ken had asked her to talk to his high school students about the issue of assisted suicide, and the class listened with interest to Joni\u2019s story of her diving accident and the despair and depression she felt afterward. Then Joni asked for the students\u2019 thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne student shared how his mother was getting demoralized by the burden of taking care of his sister with developmental delays,\u201d Joni later wrote<\/a>. \u201cHe felt society should, in his words, \u2018do something.\u2019\u201d Joni pushed the student to tell her what exactly he thought society should do, then she asked him what he <\/em>was doing to help his mother and sister.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour actions, your decisions, matter,\u201d Joni told the class. \u201cWhat you do or don\u2019t do has a ripple effect on everyone around you\u2026You, my friends,\u00a0are<\/em>\u00a0society.\u201d<\/p>\n

When I was a kid, I remember adults telling me that when I pointed my finger at someone in blame, three of my own fingers point back at me. It\u2019s easy to look at our churches and see what isn\u2019t being done (or done well). But maybe when I see something that could be improved, I should examine myself first.<\/p>\n

Jesus brought us together with those in our church. Instead of focusing on the faults of our fellow church members, let\u2019s focus on the blessings we receive from our community while we work to find our work within it.<\/p>\n

Do you see an area in your church that needs improvement? Pray about your own involvement, and then ask the appropriate person at your church if you could help in that area.<\/p>\n

After all, we are <\/em>the church.<\/p>\n

Copyright 2021 Lauren Dunn. All rights reserved.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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