A churchless Christian?

I found this paragraph in an article by Richard A. Kauffman entitled "Don't Give Up on the Church". The author states as his theme, "Though often embattled and dysfunctional, the church is still where God chooses to meet us."

One of the besetting sins of American Christianity is its failure to take the church seriously, to see its essential role in the mission of God.

There is in the United States a growing phenomenon of Christians unconnected to any church, a gap between what George Gallup calls "believers and belongers." A simple comparison of the number of people who say they believe Jesus Christ is God or Son of God (84 percent) with the number who attend church regularly (43 percent) illustrates this gap. And, church-growth specialists tell us, younger believers have little sense of belonging to any church tradition.

The "Jesus and me" spirituality of parachurch Christianity has triumphed over the corporate consciousness of the historic churches. Is this not a contradiction of terms: a churchless Christian? A freelance disciple? To become a Christian disciple means not just deciding to follow Jesus, but also joining with a community of disciples bound together by their common commitment to their Lord.

I agree with Kauffman that we as believers really do need to be part of a community of others who love the Lord, even with all its imperfections and faults. We'll be hearing more of this theme on Sunday morning when Dewey preaches on 1 Corinthians 3:16-17. Stay tuned!