Is Church Enough

I love church... you know going "to church" that happens for me on Sunday. And for me the bigger the better. I love big churches. I like crowds. I like big bands or choirs. I like polished preaching. I like the feel of a crowd. And I like meeting new people (every week).

There is something in the presence of a large church that I just plain like. This past Sunday at our "big" Church I was on-stage at an event that broke a big group of 200 plus people into small groups. And I got to wondering... is church enough? When I think of "Church" I think of lots of pews and row after row of people who are strangers. I think of thousands of people who move, en masse, into a large room and experience a big event, then go back home to individualize what just happened... and I wonder... is that enough? Not is it wrong or is it necessary, but is it enough? If that is all that someone experiences as church, have they experienced what Christ died for?

And I read in the bible where "church" is described like this: "And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. All the believers were together and had everything in common and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts" (Acts 2:42, 44-46)

I don't get that in "church". It's not so much that church is deficient... but I think "big" churches can be deficient. The big service lacks accountability... it lacks eating together... it lacks praying together... it lacks sharing things in common... it lacks sharpening one another.

So I don't think "church is enough"... we need something smaller, more intimate where we are exposed and encouraged and challenged and where we are eating together.... regularly.