The Core is a Church. The Core is Not a Church.

Why can't you understand that? It's so simple! The Core both is, and is not, a church. Got it?

Maybe this is a good time for me to apologize. Or maybe I just need to clear the slate, and promise to stop being so idealogically nebulous. To be honest, I've confused myself numerous times, so here it is, as clear as I can make it (and abandoning a few idealistic semantic nit-pickety points I've held to in the past.)

The Church (big "C") is the universal Body of Christ. It is comprised of all those who are found in Him. Although we're not required to all collaborate with each other necessarily, we are required to reject any attitude of divisiveness, and be known for our love for one another.

Local churches (little "c") may be considered "chapters" of the big "C" Church. Not only is it not feasible for the entire Church to get together on a regular basis, nothing approaching that arrangement would be at all desirable. The New Testament seems to show us that smallish, familial groups that can practice accountability, intimacy and community are ideal for spiritual growth. But there is certainly reason to believe that there are benefits to gatherings of every size, from 2 to 20,000 and beyond.

The Core, in the above sense, is a church. I've resisted this before, but I've decided to stop wasting my energy and go with it.

The Core is a church because...

-it contains the essential elements of a local body of Christ: ordained pastor, other leaders, spiritual gatherings, outreach, communion, baptism, worship, discipleship, etc.

-it is a group that one can commit to in a primary way, investing oneself into the body, and being invested into by others. Those involved in such a way should not feel the need to simultaneously hold membership in another church, although such an arrangement is not out of the question.

-it is recognized by the state of Missouri as a church, and a not-for-profit organization.

Where am I going with this?

We have long considered Re:Group to be The Core's primary gathering. Right now it's meeting at the Front Porch on Sundays at 7 pm. But I'm beginning to get the impression that people do not see The Core Fellowship (our full name) as a church, but rather as a para-church ministry that just has concerts, potlucks, art shows and Bible studies. If The Core Fellowship is going to thrive as the community that God intended, people need to see it as a church, in the widely accepted sense.

I've said for a long time that there is nothing magical about Sunday morning, or even Sunday period, that requires us to meet at that time for "church" (by the way, there are two wrong ways to use the word "church", in my opinion: in reference to a building, or to a service.) I firmly believe that it is just as valid for a church to have its primary get-togethers on Tuesday afternoon as on Sunday morning, if that's what works for people. (There has been increasing acceptance of the practice of a Saturday night service for overflowing churches, or a Thursday service for cowboy churches, etc.)

Nevertheless, people still see Sunday morning as "church time", and they see any religious organization that doesn't have a spiritual gathering on Sunday morning as a para-church ministry. It makes sense that a PCM would want to avoid Sunday morning activities, because those involved with them would need that time to attend their home church. Consequently, because The Core Fellowship doesn't do anything on Sunday morning, I think people have gotten the wrong idea.

We're still tossing the idea around, so I would like to get your opinion. Should we start having our gatherings on Sunday mornings at, say, 11ish? Would it work better for you? Would it help more people to see The Core as a church, and as something worthy of their commitment?

Go ahead... click that little "comment" link. You can stay anonymous if you want.