What Are You 'Churching' For?

Sargent Baptist,

Before Sandie and I moved here, I divested myself of many books. My library needed downsizing so I gave away many books. Of the many I gave away most were in the “Church Growth” category. All of these were written from a “horizontal” premise. They all sought to explain, from a human centered, horizontal point of view, how to reach your community, how to influence them, how to win them, how to understand them, how to assimilate them and close the back door so they don’t leave church when we caught them. I believe all of these books were written with good intentions, but they all come from a man centered, human persuasion, human strategy, and horizontal point of view. They all fall short of the one true purpose for God’s church.

    That one true purpose is “Vertical”, to glorify God! That’s why God created us. The Bible says that everyone who is called by His name has been created for His glory! (See Isaiah 43:7). And Paul said, “to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever, Amen.” (Eph.3:21). And Paul also said, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor.10:31) The Westminster Shorter Catechism got it right: “Man’s chief end (purpose) is to glorify God, and enjoy Him forever.”

    We have just concluded a sermon series on “What Are You Living For?” Our next sermon series will be called “Vertical Church”. It will answer the question: “What are we ‘churching’ for?” My prayer is that we will be a Vertical Church. My prayer is that you will have the courage to lay down your assumptions of what church is supposed to be: “feeding people”, “reaching people” or whatever. My prayer is that you will lay aside the “ritual church”, “contemporary church”, “felt-needs church”, “purpose driven church”, “and relevant church”. All of these are horizontal substitutes for Vertical Church! Vertical Church is where God shows up, where He is glorified and where He manifests His presence in our midst. When we glorify Jesus Christ, everything else will fall in place. When we get the Vertical right, then the horizontal will fall in place. 

In Christ,

Bro. Royce