This past Saturday five of us from Franconia began the 13ish-hour journey from Alexandria, VA to Orlando, FL for the 2010 SBC annual meeting. None of us had ever been to a SBC meeting before. Throughout the 26 hours in the car, 2 days of the pastor's conference, and the annual meeting one thought continued to reverberate. What are we supposed to be doing here at Franconia Baptist Church? What is our role in the fulfillment of the Great Commission?
I believe that the local church exists primarily to glorify God by making disciples (Eph 4:12). A new disciple is made when a sinner hears the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom 10:13-14; John 3:16) and yields to the calling of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:30). Disciple making was never intended to stop with conversion. In the second verse of the Great Commission Jesus explicity commands the disciples to teach these new disciples His commands. This is the transformational process that Paul describes as the "renewing of your mind" (Rom 12:1-2).
So what is the responsibility of the local church then? We are called to assist in the transformational process of equipping the saints (Eph 4:12). As the disciples are equipped they are then sent out into the fields to advance the boundaries of the Kingdom of God by proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ through their words and their actions.
We were standing around, way to late at night, talking with Jonathan Leeman from 9Marks. He summarized the distinction well with an analogy of the church compared to a college. An engineering school trains and equips engineers to go out and engineer things. The church brings glory to God by training and equipping the disciples to God out and make other disciples.
This may seem obvious, but I assure you that the way many of our churches function does not reflect these principles.
-Aaron
1 comment:
Good thoughts and comments on the local church! I definitely agree and unfortunately many churches are closing their doors or are in deep water because they have forgotten (whether intentionally or unintentionally) the purpose and responsibility of the local church. Many churches (including both leadership and members) lack a solid theological understanding of the local church and it's role. Thankfully, God will not be thwarted by unhealthy churches, but that doesn't me churches shouldn't strive, by his grace and leading, to honor him in what they are called to do.
It sound like you all had a profitable time at the convention. I bet the Pastor's conference, with it's line-up of speakers, was worth the trip!
-Adam
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