What Is The Church? (1968)

it all started with that Community survey our church got involved in it was hard work knocking on doors throughout the community but I thought it was a good idea and I went along with it it was a pretty complete job too we talked to city planners welfare agencies school officials the police department judges and the municipal and juvenile courts just about everybody who supposed to know what's going on in our city it wasn't easy believe me trying to find out the facts about the people in our community that our church is supposed to serve it was an allout effort that really kept the wheels spinning at our church and at the other churches in our area that we're taking part in the survey well John what's the good word I'm not sure how good it is but uh well there it is the last of the survey oh man am I glad that's over have a chair and uh thanks ah now we can start working start working that's all we've been doing these last few weeks I know what you mean but I uh I think it'll be worth it I don't know more I climb stairs push doorbells and uh that do slam to my face the more I wondered what all this has to do with our church John we have to find out the facts about the people in the community so we'll know how the church can serve them Pastor I'm not complaining about the facts it's what some of our people think they're going to do about them that bothers me well remember we're only in the discussion and Analysis stage well just the same when I hear what some of the others want to do I'm about ready to blow my top now frankly I don't get it just what is a church [Music] anyway our Minister was a driving force behind in the survey and he put in more effort and longer hours than any of us I had to admire him even though I didn't see eye to eye with him when the facts were all in I mean well after all that work and after all the sore feet and the bruised Egos and weeks of searching out the names and locations of all those people it was the interpretation of what to do with all the things the survey turned up that I disagreed with [Music] hi how you doing hi Dad what do you think hey that's crazy wouldn't you say Dad uh crazy what is it the message is right there love can't you see it you see it well sure Dad it's plain as day if you say so I uh I think it's upside down take yourself at home Jack thanks I'll see you boys later hey hey how about a fast set you're not going to work I thought you wanted to get away from all that the printer's ink of my forefathers cses through my veins It's My Life Doug My One True Joy that's why I took the job as editor the uh College Newspaper and you're going to help me write a story a story what kind of story my first week home in 6 months and you want me to spend it acting as your leg man oh no if you think I'm going to spend my time snooping around musty libraries are quizzing The Establishment Types on what they think about the younger generation no thanks I've got a great idea for a whole series of Articles what's what's the hottest subject on campus today I'll tell you religion everybody's asking the ultimate questions everybody's searching right yeah in a way I guess they are well the whole psychedelic movement uh drugs the the the trend to mysticism and the Eastern religions It's The End thing well what do you plan to do a whole series of Articles exploring in depth all the Contemporary religions and Cults starting with this thing called Christianity and that's where you come in well how can I help I mean there are thousands of books you can read ministers you could interview I don't want that I've read all the books some of them anyway all the way from the existentialist to the fundamentalist now what I want is a good look at a typical Church in a typical American town I want to see how Christianity works right down in the nitty-gritty of life because if it doesn't work there then all the big words in the books don't mean anything do they and you've selected our church and my family for your guinea pig eh okay but I don't know where to tell you to start anything anything that the uh church people are doing let's see Dad said something about some of the members of the church were coming over tonight for some sort of committee meeting but I don't think you'd be interested in that I am interested okay I'll ask Dad if we can sit in as Observers [Music] still interested very but uh I'm counting on you to uh fill me in on some of the gaps and what they were discussing uh what comes next well I think they're going to have a little more discussion and then have a vote perhaps we'd uh better get started ready fine if we can all find our seats again it's time to conclude our discussion for tonight at this time I'm going to ask Pastor Peterson to summarize our discussion so far and place the issue squarely before us as only he can well thank you George for that vote of confidence are you've all seen the photographs that we had taken during our survey I'm sure they will help to keep alive in your minds some of the many pressing needs of the people in our community that the survey uncovered people with whom it is difficult for us to communicate because they are deaf and yet they need the gospel too we should minister to them just think how many working mothers with small children there are right in our congregation our survey revealed several times that number within reach of our church many of these families have no contact with the church now these are people we have not been reaching with our present program the question we now face is how can we best help them all of you know what's been happening out east and south of our city hundreds of new homes springing up everywhere what about the families who are moving into these churchless communities then let us consider the young people whose lives have already been tainted with police records perhaps if we had ministered to this young person sooner he would not be where he is today and there are many others those with problems of illiteracy and well we could go on and on these people need our Christian love and concern the question now is how are we going to respond to their needs what specific action are we going to recommend to the congregation for the coming year in short what kind of church are we going to be I want to share a dream with you a vision that I have for our church and I want to capsule that dream into one phrase the involved Church some have called it the Servant Church or the minister ing church but in any case it all means the same thing it means our church our congregation of people ministering to human needs both physically and spiritually becoming deeply involved in in things that the church has never been involved in before on our part it means personal commitment personal service all in the spirit and Love Of Christ with him at the very center of all we do this is the gospel this is the good news in action this is my dream what does that mean to all of us here tonight it means there are people out there who are disillusioned and hurt many who have no faith in God or in themselves they have no hope we need to bring them hope and so in conclusion I would like to suggest that we recommend to the congregation a program that will meet these needs now are there any further questions or comments yes I think we should go slow on this we need time to think about it some of us were talking a lot of this is uh well it's a new direction we're taking and I'm not sure we should go on with it after all uh I'm not the only one who feels this way others who aren't here tonight would agree I think we should discuss it very seriously before we try anything like this in fact there are some things the church ought not to be doing well certainly we're not a welfare agency so I move we postpone a decision until we've had more time to study and think this whole business through [Music] hey man already good morning fantastic day do you know what time it is oh I'm sorry I just wanted to uh transcribe some of my notes from last night's meeting before they got stale man when you're working on a story you are a whole holy Terror oh I don't know about the Holy but I am a terror especially when I uh smell a fight developing where are my slippers had them last night oh hey did you say a fight what kind of a fight oh come on don't tell me you didn't see it the fight between people like uh your dad against the pastor and uh the school teacher George Chapman Jack I wouldn't call that a fight well uh call it what you like but uh just what is your father's view of the church I'm not sure I know maybe you should ask him [Music] oh hi looking for a job no I thought we might have lunch together well that's nice of you to offer to buy me a meal son yeah oh sure Dad sure and you can give me an advance on my allowance I knew there was a catch anyway uh I can't make it for L today I'm tied up where's your buddy oh Jack he's busy he's writing a story for his paper now Doug uh I've been meaning to talk to you about Jack but what um what kind of boy is he what do you mean Dad well some of the things he says I mean he's something of a radical isn't he jack Oh No in fact on the campus most of the real radicals consider him something of a square he's just got an inquiring mind that's all well I certainly hope that's all I wouldn't want you running around with one of those Wildey revolutionary types Dad I'm doing a little inquiring of my own today well about what about those things the pastor was talking about they sounded like good ideas to me why were you against them well there's more to it than you might think now there are a lot of good ideas a lot of good causes and projects somebody ought to do something about I don't know who but I'm sure it's not the church's business what is the church's business dad why you know what it is Doug the church's work is um well to preach the gospel to win people to Christ but is that all what about the things Pastor Peterson talked about like the church being involved in people's lives didn't Jesus do more than preach and teach didn't he involve himself in the lives of all the people around him with those that were sick or hungry or all mixed up well later Doug we'll talk about it later all right sure dad later [Music] how do you like it oh I don't know how do you feel about it I need a few more facts um I thought I'd like to interview your pastor I think that's a great idea I'll ask Dad if we can go along with the committee tomorrow afternoon okay where are they going oh they're going down to talk to judge Amry juvenile Court hey Jack you got two right feet oh well what do you know give me you know I can't figure you out I mean this this story's got you all turned on oh well I'm intrigued I have to admit you know I wasn't brought up in the church like you were so everything I know is well secondhand and or or what I've read or or uh what I've gathered in some fraternity bull sessions which you'll have to agree aren't always perfectly objective and now well what I've learned since I got here isn't isn't just Theory it's it's for real like this idea of the of the involved Church the pastor has man if that ever caught on with the millions of Christians in the world Kaboom yeah what's the matter I was just thinking about Dad yeah he is a bit of a problem Are there many like him he's a terrific guy Jack and a real Christian sure maybe I just don't know what a Christian is [Music] John uh would you mind pacing a different route the next time around you're beginning to wear a path in the carpet what is it dear what's bothering you I'm worried about Doug and that friend of his that boy's something of a radical if you ask me is that really it or is it some of the things the committee is proposing why is it John why are you having such a struggle about it can't you see what's happening all these fancy ideas they're just side issues I'm not opposed to the church doing things for people trying to methods it sounds as though you are no I just want us to stick to the main job if we if we just concentrate on preaching the word and and let these uh these problem people become Christians and all these problems would take care of themselves can't we do [Music] both before concluding I'd like to read you something that came across my desk the other day it sums up my feeling about what I've been saying it quotes a divorce court judge he says whenever I have to preside over the breaking up of a family I cannot escape the feeling that I may be instrumental in contributing to the increasing number of cases which are flooding our Juvenile Courts statistics indicate that the great majority of juvenile court cases grow out of broken homes the great need in our society today is for agencies in our communities which will carry on where the parents fail frankly this is why I feel that you're coming here today is somewhat of an answer to prayer because we have been trying for a long time to get this community interested in rehabilitating juveniles with very little success we need the help of citizens like you who are willing to get involved with these youngsters do you know that here in our city one out of nine youths between the ages of 10 and 18 ends up in court and that one out of six of the boys in that age group will get into some kind of legal trouble I have always believed that the Christian people have the best motivation have the most to offer these mixed up kids of any group of people in our community all I can say is when do you wish to start I have at least a dozen cases I can recommend right now well judge Amry we haven't that is it isn't definite yet our committee is still working on the problem I see Ren I hope nothing stands in the way of your decision knowing the problem I don't see how any Christian can fail to see it as a mission field [Music] yes Mary oh John Bradley yes of course put him on hello Pastor I've been wondering well could you spare some time this evening I'd like to have a good talk with you why certainly John I'd be glad to see you would you like to come over here well that'd be good uh would 8:00 be all right with you fine I'll see you then that's it what it's done finished do you want to hear it your editorial what's a rush oh man we we leave for school in the morning that means I have an addition to get out like uh yesterday here I'll just read you some of the uh highlights uh the Christian religion's Dynamic potential for reshaping the world can hardly be questioned how's that for an opening in spite of all the criticism so fashionable today and in spite of our own frequently expressed discontent with that hollowed and moss covered institution called the church we have seen something new and exciting still with me it's great so far well be patient the ax is about to fall we have seen something new and exciting a vitalizing wind is stirring the idea of involvement is struggling for expression but there is still ample room for skepticism as long as there are church members who use their faith as an escape from reality as a hiding place from life's tensions or a shelter from the dust and den of the world there is plenty of room for doubt judging by one Grassroots example we have to ask do church members themselves know what it means to be Christians or what the church really is in the words of a cynic of old we say physici heal thyself [Music] well I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it after that meeting today in Judge am's Office I I've sweated over it I still can't get us straight I I guess it uh boils down to something Doug asked me the other day what is a church how did you answer it well my idea doesn't jive with anybody else's it [Music] seems what is your idea of a church John I'd like to hear it I don't think I've ever tried to put it in words um to me the the church is um well it's it's something I've been a part of and it's been a part of me all my life a place to worship God to hear his word a place that's holy and uh set apart and the Christian's duty is to help make that place what God wants it to be a place where people can find him well I guess that's a heart of it for me well that's fine John and it's all very true as far as it goes but you seem to think of the church primarily as a place some kind of Institution that never changes I think of it primarily as people the church is a Congregation of people yes but even more it's a Congregation of ministers ministers yes the word Minister means to serve others now you spoke of a Christian's Duty the duty of a Christian goes far beyond merely keeping the the church building Pleasant or keeping the preacher paid or listening to sermons or going to Bible classes every Christian has a Ministry to perform I suppose I have heard all this before John I I wish you could see what some other Christian people are doing some of the Ministries with which they're becoming involved listen there are lay people who are volunteering to help start churches in unchurched areas men and women who are serving as foster parents for juveniles working men who are using their skills to help Mission Fields both here and abroad now those people are involv John they see the church not only as something to protect piece of architecture to inhabit they are trying to preserve and maintain the church they are trying to be the church how would you define the church then the way the New Testament describes it as the body of Christ yes Christians are the body of Christ that means that Christ is at work in this world through his church we are sent into the world with a mission in order that we might do the work that Christ would do if he were here now Pastor you've given me an awful lot to think about now all I can say is uh we've got plenty of work to do it's been great Doug just great I uh know you're not terribly happy about my story though sorry about that you just think you need more facts you didn't dig deep enough that's all hi fellas mind if I come in sure Dad we're just about packed yeah and uh I've been meaning to ask you Mr Bradley if you like to have this well well sure that's very nice of you ja uh uh before you go there's something I want to say I um well I want to thank you both of you for what you've done in the last few days what Dad what did we do well you ask questions you made me think sure Dad anytime Jack I hope you come back again soon pay us another visit oh thanks I'd like to very much when you do I think you'll find our church involved in a lot of things we've never tackled before Oh I'll see your boys downstairs okay Dad what is this Jack this is the church [Music]